It was the darkest night of the year when Lord Rama, the banished but victorious king of Ayodhya, returned home with his wife Sita after having vanquished the demon, Ravana (King of Lanka who had abducted Sita) and having completed 14 years in exile.
To honour and rejoice the homecoming of their king, the people of his kingdom lit his path with oil lamps to guide him on his way. Thus began the tradition of decorating homes and public spaces with earthen oil lamps (diyas) to mark the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness and the five-day celebration came to be known as Diwali or Deepavali. The word "Diwali" means an arrangement or a row of lights.
Traditionally, Diwali is celebrated on the darkest night of the year when the beauty and mystery of lights can be experienced in a special way. There is a special significance of light in the Hindu tradition. They say, that without light, even the manifest does not become manifest. On the occasion of Diwali, Hindus pray to be led from darkness to light (tamaso ma jyotir gamaya).
As dusk turns into darkness on Diwali day, Hindu homes, thoroughly cleaned in the days leading up to the festival, are magically illumined with tiny earthen oil lamps. These are creatively arranged in symmetrical rows and artistic patterns. The festival ushers in a period of merriment—a time to revel in the company of loved ones, to dress up in finery and gorge on delicious dishes prepared by our mums. It is truly an occasion to behold with almost childlike wonderment, the colourful fireworks that dazzle the night sky and turn it into a kaleidoscope of myriad hues.
Light, in the Hindu tradition, is symbolic of knowledge as darkness symbolises ignorance. It is easy and tempting, however, when we speak about knowledge dispelling ignorance, to represent ignorance as an abstract and distant phenomenon, disconnected from the concrete realities of everyday life. The light of Diwali, therefore, is a reminder of the darkness that envelopes us and is present in our own communities. It takes form in all the social, cultural, economic, political and religious structures that devalue human beings and that are sources of suffering. We live in darkness when we oppress our women, humiliate others, condone and practice violence, abuse children, and recklessly exploit nature. These are the demons of the dark against which the light must shine brightly.
In the midst of all the beautiful lights of Diwali, let us remain focused on the place where light meets the darkness, the inner meets the outer and our spirituality meets the world. It is the place where our hearts engage the world with loving compassion and a commitment to justice and tolerance for one another. It reminds us that, on Diwali, let us allow the light of our homes to enter the world.
Although Diwali finds its origins in the Hindu legend of Rama, the Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas when Guru Har Gobind freed himself and Hindu Kings from Fort Gwalior from the prison of the Mughal emperor, Jahangir, and arrived at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Ever since then, Sikhs celebrate Bandi Choorh Divas, with the annual lighting up of Golden Temple, fireworks and other festivities. The Jains celebrate the festival to mark the attainment of Moksha by Mahavira. Diwali, therefore, becomes one of the biggest celebrations of the year around the world and is an official holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore, Fiji, Pakistan and the Australian external territory of Christmas island. This clearly signifies the magnitude of celebrations worldwide of this festival.
For those of us who have travelled overseas to make a home away from home, normally a festival of such significance would bring heartache and pain of being home sick and missing friends and family. However, over the years the numbers of big and small celebrations around New Zealand have increased tremendously. It is hard to alienate yourself or continue to escape these anymore. Every big and small organisation is engaged in putting together a celebration marking this festival. In some ways, this is indicative that the 180,000-strong Indian population has now indeed found a home away from home.
Indian Weekender wishes all its readers a happy and a prosperous Diwali. We hope that the light of Diwali continues to shine on you all through the year.
We would also like to share Diwali wishes from the leaders and members of the community for our readers in the pages that follow.