Deepawali, a festival of lights, symbolises victory of good over evil. Evil no master how cruel and intense has to end one day. In the darkness of the injustice just one day of light is enough to break the monotony of night. This is exactly what Deepawali symbolises. By lighting up the lamps we symbolises the power of the light to break through the darkness of night – so that at no point the night or the darkness thinks itself overpowering. The light of justice is always overpowering over the darkness of injustice – it always has been and it always will.2
Deepawali with our Kashmiri pandit brothers was an altogether different festival. How we wish our Pandit brothers are back in the valley celebrating Diwali with us! The festival of lights, the festival of victory of good over evil.
Deepawali entails that no one sleeps hungry, every poor has a roof over the head and clothes to wear. Justice demands that every poor man must have access to education and healthcare. Are we witnessing this happen? Millions of people worldwide still sleep empty stomach every night. Millions never make it to school and millions others die at childbirth because they a medical unit did not provide help.
So mere lighting of diyas is not enough. Unless we light up the Diya of our soul. Unless we want for others what we want for ourselves the essence of Deepawali would not be understood. Unless we have possession of things with the intention of donating them one day, unless we collaborate tirelessly to remove hunger, disease and illiteracy from the world we cannot claim to celebrate the real essence of Diwali.
Keeping this is mind, since the occasion demands we would want to wish the entire people of Jammu and Kashmir a very happy and prosperous Diwali. Let us celebrate brotherhood, amity and peace.
Happy Diwali to all!
