Deepavali, is that
time of the year – where our hearts are filled with brightness and prosperity
beckons our households. ‘The festival of lights’ as it is known popularly,
Diwali can be seen as a torchbearer of Indian Culture and heritage. Indeed it
is the most popular Indian Festivals and is known to be celebrated with great
fervour all over the world. Deepavali is a culmination of different thoughts, a
result of varied geographical incidences and historical records which have
evolved, fused to form a weeklong celebration. The more popular version of Diwali
is mostly limited to a day long festivities, but historically, Diwali was and
still is celebrated over a span of 5 days in many parts of India.
Bharata, being an agrarian
community, all our festivities and culture is woven around the agricultural
calendar. India, which still retains much of its agricultural ethos, has hence
managed to sustain the practice of celebrating its festivities in conjunction
with the Hindu Calendar which also follows the same seasonal order. By the end
of Ashwin, the seventh month of the Hindu Calendar – the first lot of agricultural
produce is ready for harvest – and it is time for farmers to sell their produce
and reap fruits of their hard work. The economic stability arriving as a result
of this made way for a perfect setting to celebrate a festival. And what better
can it be, to light up your own households, usher in the goddess of wealth and
feast with your loved ones! This tradition is thus followed even today, in
spite of several people having diverted from their core agricultural
businesses.
Facts are always complemented by mythology, which not
only serves as a guiding lesson, but as an inspiration in several occasions. It
is believed that Deepavali was the final concluding chapter to the great epic
Ramayana, when Lord Rama defeated Ravana and returned home to ascend the throne
in Ayodhya. Residents of the city welcomed their beloved King by lighting up
earthen lamps all over the city. This according to many was the beginning of
the festivities of Deepavali.
The first day of Deepavali, is ‘Govatsa Dvadashi’
also known as ‘Vasubaras’ which continues for five days upto ‘Yama
Dvitiya’ or ‘Bhaubeej’. Each day has a unique flavour and a special
reason to be celebrated. The day of ‘Vasuvaras’ is when ladies offer
blessings to cow, which is the most holy animal in India, the land of farmers.
The cow is worshipped and fed along with its calf – an ode to the strong relationship
between a mother and her child and a thanksgiving to the animal, which played a
key role in nourishment of Indian households in the earlier days. The next day
is the thirteenth day after the new moon, called ‘Dhanteras’. It is
believed that it was on this day that Goddess of Wealth – Lakshmi and
The Father of Medicine – Dhanvantari were born. People often buy Gold to
mark this day while many Ayurvedic Doctors offer their respects to Dhanvantari
the father of Indian Medicine. The two principle days and highlights of this
festival of lights are ‘Naraka Chaturdashi’ and ‘Lakshmi Pooja’.
According to Indian Mythology, Lord Krishna relieved the world from the tyranny
of Narakasura – a demon who had wreaked havoc on earth and in the heavens on
this day. The last day of Ashwin, on the night of new
moon, Lord Vishnu wedded Goddess Lakshmi, who is believed to descend down to
the earth on this day, every year to shower blessings on her devotees. Hence on
the evening of Ashwin Amavasya, Indian families usher in the goddess of
wealth by performing Lakshmi Pooja in their households. A notable feature of
this occasion is that people from all backgrounds, all strata – stand a chance
to seek blessings and change their fortunes with the hard work which complements this worship.
The next day morning sun welcomes the first
day of the month of Kartik, which is celebrated as the day of the New
Year in many parts of India. It is interesting to note, that Indian Almanacs
were a product of institutions patronised by Indian Kings. Many kings from
parts of the country started their own calendars following a victory at the
battlefield. Similarly, Vikramaditya the king of Ujjain started his own ‘Vikram
Samvatsar’ on this day and the people of Ujjan began celebrating Deepavali
to celebrated Vikramaditya’s victorious return
The most incredible aspect of stories attached with Diwali
is their varied timelines and their diverse geographical locations. And yet the
cohesive result is a concoction not worth missing at all! The common
underlining message that the festival of Deepavali sends out - is
ushering light into our lives. This can also be perceived as enlightenment,
knowledge gain, or a simple innovation that can change lives around you. Deepavali
is the time we shun darkness and attempt to light up a lamp in our mind. Symbolically,
we light an earthen lamp outside our homes to welcome light and brightness in
our homes. The tradition of Deepavali might well be a cyclic pattern following
an order, but there is no end to how many times, one can empower himself to
celebrate Deepavali in a year.
Indian festivals are concepts for learning. One can only
marvel at the intellect of our enlightened forefathers - to institutionalise a
festival to empower and enlighten us for generations together, one that has and
will continue to throw ‘light’ on the darker corners of our minds.
Here’s wishing our readers a Happy and Prosperous
Deepavali! Let us pledge to eliminate darkness across the world with the
brightness of our minds ‘Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya!’
Saleel Savarkar-
+65-8436-0343
Anuja Jogdeo
+91-8975767599
