In the Indian culture, there was a time when there used to be a festival every day of the year – 365 festivals in a year. The idea behind this was to make our whole life into a celebration. Today, maybe only thirty or forty festivals remain. We are not able to celebrate even those now because we have to go to office or do something else daily. So, people usually celebrate only around eight or ten festivals annually. If we leave it like this, the next generation will not have any festival. They will not know what a festival is. They will just earn and eat, earn and eat – they will go on and on with just this. It has already become like this for many people. A festival means they give you a holiday, and you wake up only at noon. Then you just eat more, go for a movie or watch television at home. And only if they take some external stimulants, will these people dance a little. Otherwise they will not sing or dance. It was not like that before. A festival meant that the whole town would gather in a place, and there would be a big celebration. A festival meant we got up at four in the morning, and very actively, lots of things happened all over the house
Diwali or Deepawali is the festival of lights celebrated across the country. The festival of lights which is celebrated in the month of Kartik usually lasts five days, starting from Dhanteras, followed by Narak Chaturdashi (Chhoti Diwali), Lakshmi Pujan (Badi Diwali), Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj.
Deepawali originates from Sanskrit words deep (lamp) and vali (row). It literally means “row of lights”. The festival is celebrated by lighting earthen lamps.
Even though Diwali is mainly considered a Hindu festival, the day marks different events in different communities. Everywhere, Diwali symbolises the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance”.
Why Is Diwali Celebrated?
Historically, it marks the day when Krishna was supposed to have slain Narakasura. Narakasura was not his original name, but he gave everyone hell, so they called him Narakasura. Narak means hell – one who is causing hell to everyone is a Narakasura. When this “causing of hell” was brought to an end by Krishna, people celebrated by lighting lamps in every house. The Narakasura event supposedly happened much later, but the culture and tradition of lighting lamps around this time goes back twelve to fifteen thousand years. People realized that life hits a point of inertia at this time of the year. The idea is that if you yourself are not living like a cracker, fully alive and on, at least crackers around you could wake you up a little bit. That is why on Naraka Chaturdashi, from around four o’clock in the morning, all over the country, crackers are burst, so everyone wakes up, comes alive.
This is about the nature of the festival, but the important aspect is to beat the inertia. Life is a play of time and energy. You have a certain amount of time and a certain amount of energy. Time passes whether you are busy or lazy, whether you are healthy or sick. For all of us, time is rolling at the same pace. No one can slow it down; no one can hasten it. But your experience of time differs depending on whether you are joyful or miserable. If you are ecstatic, twenty-four hours will seem to pass like a moment. If you are depressed, twenty-four hours will seem like an eon for you.
If you are joyful, it is a very brief life. For the potential that a human being carries, even if you live a hundred years, they will pass in no time. But if inertia has set into you and you are miserable, it feels like time is not rolling. When people are miserable, the need for entertainment increases tremendously. When people are joyful, they do not have time for entertainment. Joy will take up all your time. You wake up in the morning, and before you even notice, it is already night. When you are joyful, you will do everything you can. When you are miserable, you will always see how to avoid everything.
The culture of “Thank God it’s Friday” is catching up. That means five days of misery – two days, not of joy but generally of intoxication. If you want to make people laugh, sing, dance, or do something joyful, you have to drug them, or at least give them a glass of wine – otherwise it is not possible. This has happened because in a variety of ways, people are creating inertia within themselves. When inertia sets in, life will seem too long. Diwali is a symbol of beating inertia, because inertia is the source of narak, or hell. Once inertia sets in, you will not go to hell – you will be hell. In anger, jealousy, hate, and fear, you create narak and become a Narakasura. If these are taken away, a new light shines.
Firecracker safety
Here are a few safety tips recommended while handling firecrackers:
- Store firecrackers in a closed box in a safe location, away from the reach of children.
- Maintain a distance of an arm’s length while lighting firecrackers, and at least five metres while watching.
- Make sure a responsible adult accompanies children bursting firecrackers.
- Always light firecrackers in open spaces.
- Keep buckets of water and blankets ready, in case a fire breaks out.
- Keep small portable extinguishers handy for urgent use.
- Make sure you buy fireworks from a licensed shop.
- Discard used fireworks in a bucket of water. This saves people from unknowingly stepping on it.
- Don’t burn firecrackers in crowded, congested places or narrow lanes.
- Don’t light firecrackers on your hands.
- Do not light firecrackers near electric wires or poles.
- Avoid firecrackers with high decibel sounds.
This Diwali let us celebrate the festivities with care and caution towards the environment, towards other people as well towards pets also.
Diwali safety
Here are some additional safety tips:
1. Lamps/diyas: These can lead to accidental fires. Follow these safety rules:
- Make sure you keep the lamps away from curtains and other inflammable objects.
- Avoid lighting diyas or candles near electrical wiring.
- Place lamps on the ground or on a flat surface.
- Keep babies and pets away from diyas.
- Keep doorways clear, so that small children don’t trip on diyas.
2. Clothing: Dress right for Diwali as well as while lighting firecrackers. Here are a few tips:
- Avoid wearing clothes made of synthetic material, as these can catch fire easily.
- Choose comfortable cotton clothes.
- Be cautious with dupattas and long sarees as these could brush against candles or lamps.
- Dress up your children in comfortable cotton clothes, which are not too loose or flowy.
3. Food safety: Make sure that all your meals are prepared hygienically and are safe to eat. Here is what you can do:
- Buy sweets and other snacks from reputed stores that maintain hygiene.
- Avoid street food as much as possible.
- Always keep your food covered.
4. Infants and elders: The noise pollution and the extreme smoke during Diwali may harm the elderly, pregnant women as well as infants. Follow these health tips:
- Stay indoors as much as possible.
- Avoid congested areas high in pollution.
- Wear ear plugs if required.
