A Diwali Letter to the Editor

Here is a letter I had sent to a couple of editors of newspapers. It wasn’t published. Nevertheless, it reflects what I feel about Diwali celebrations.

Dear Sir/Madam,

We have recently concluded the festivities of Diwali. Diwali has been touted as the brightest and in some cases, the biggest festival of the Hindus. Diwali is the celebration of the victory of light over darkness, of good over evil and of truth over falsity. The spirit of Diwali is wonderful but the manner of celebration is questionable. What has the wanton bursting of fireworks got to do with the celebration? I understand that they signify light bursting out through the darkness of night but their triumph is only temporary and besides, they are harmful to our Mother earth and to all of us, her children. On a day when we are celebrating the victory of good over evil, how can we contribute to the evil of pollution and public menace? I feel that in celebrating Diwali in the way we are prone to doing, betrays the very spirit of the feast. We celebrate life but do so in ways that are harmful to it; we celebrate goodness but in a way that has the potential of turning evil; we celebrate light but in a way that increases the darkness.

Diwali is a beautiful feast and must be celebrated in a grand way but the traditional way has shown itself shallow. Hence, we will need to evolve a new way of celebrating Diwali that is in keeping with the true spirit of the feast.


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