After this year’s incredibly eventful Diwali, I reflect upon recent and upcoming celebrations, the key messages of Diwali, new beginnings, and the sense of togetherness that the festival never fails to bring.

 

Every year, there comes a time in which, perhaps without warning, the tranquility that nighttime usually brings is replaced by the crackling din of fireworks. If, during this time, someone were to peer through their window at night, they might be lucky enough to see a firework rocket zoom into the air and burst into a blend of vibrant colours, illuminating the night sky. As well as this, houses will be decorated with flashing LEDs, and some will even have a small, lit diya on the doorstep.

 

What is being described here is, of course, the five-day festival of Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights. This year, celebrations commenced on Monday, October 24th, and saw over a billion people from across the globe – Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and more – enjoy the festivities by setting off fireworks, eating traditional Indian sweets (such as laddus or gulab jamun) and/or conducting a pooja (prayer) with their families.

 

Indians may also celebrate in larger groups of people, and organise events to mark this occasion. An example of this is the annual Diwali party organised by a group of friends called “iSutton”, which is set to take place on the 5th of November this year. iSutton will book and decorate a hall in or around Sutton, and on the day, live performances by people in the community will happen on stage. Anyone can perform, and the entertainment ranges from musical instruments to group dances. After this, the children and adults can partake in enjoyable games, before having a delicious dinner and dancing their hearts out to Bollywood songs in the disco, thus ending the six-hour party with lots of energy.

 

Anirudh Krishnan, who has attended several of these parties over the years, says that the parties are a “great way for kids to meet with their friends and make new ones”.

 

I myself have performed many times on stage during these parties, either in a group dance or playing the drums, and can say that it truly is a very valuable and memorable experience. Parties like this one give children the opportunity to learn the art of performing, by preparing an act and presenting it to hundreds of people. It may be a daunting experience for some, but ultimately helps adults and children alike to gain in confidence and come together in the collective celebration of Diwali, a festival that commemorates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

 

Some might say that this Diwali was uniquely special, since it saw the first British Asian (and youngest ever) Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, come into power. In this sense, it marks a new beginning of goodwill and optimism both for people who celebrate Diwali, and the political state of England itself, altogether giving people hope for a wonderful year to come.

 

Follwing on from Rishi Sunak’s success, five children from Chinmaya Mission – a Hindu spiritual organisation that teaches children the ageless wisdom of the Vedas and Upanishads – were invited to 10 Downing Street to celebrate Diwali with Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murthy. This function took place on the 26th of October, and included the chanting of traditional Hindu shlokas (prayers), Rishi Sunak giving a heartfelt speech, and the children putting garlands on him, wishing him good luck for his upcoming time as Prime Minister of England.

 

Divya Krishnamurthy, one of the few children selected to represent Chinmaya Mission at 10 Downing Street, said that “it was a phenomenal experience to be in [Rishi Sunak’s] presence, let alone to shake his hand. He had said some really inspirational words, and him rising to become Prime Minister really brightens my future, for someone so prestigious to be of my ethnicity”.

 

It is easy, however, especially with such elaborate celebrations, for people to forget the religious significance of the so-called Festival of Lights. The cultural event of Diwali, while proving excellent in enhancing the togetherness of Indian communities, can also strengthen the ties between Indians and their religion. Diwali revolves around a beloved, age-old story from Hinduism about Lord Ram (a major Hindu deity) and the evil demon Ravana.

 

In this legendary tale, Lord Ram rescues his wife, Sita from her captor, Ravana. He and Sita then return, after 14 years of exile, to their homeland, walking upon a path illuminated by diyas (oil lamps). Interestingly, Ravana had ten heads, which is usually thought to symbolise the ten dark emotional states of Ravana: wrath, greed, lust, cruelty, arrogance, jealousy, selfishness, ego, injustice, and delusion. If there is any message of moral significance to be taken from Diwali, it would be that it is vital to eradicate such dark feelings from one’s mind, since they are poisonous and can lead to people doing unvirtouous or unethical things. Diwali is a reminder to people to cleanse their minds of any dark thoughts, so that they can kick off the Hindu New Year with hope, joy, and compassion.