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The day light triumphed over darkness
J-on
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Friday, November 5, 2010
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By Avineshwaran Taharumalengam
Diwali or Deepavali is popularly known as the festival of lights. Whenever the Diwali frenzy starts people in Malaysia would associate it with ‘Murukus’, fireworks and crackers and the array of cookies and Indian sweets. For most Hindus and Indians, Diwali is the most important festival of the year and is celebrated with families performing traditional activities together in their homes.
As a devout Hindu, Diwali is a festival which I anticipate the most. Shopping for clothes, cooking delicacies such ‘Muruku’, ‘Athiresam’ and ‘Urundes’, cleaning the house and reciting prayers before the day is the things that we do to commemorate the arrival of Diwali.
There are various alleged origins attributed to this festival. Some hold that they celebrate the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. In Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Kali. It also commemorates that blessed day on which the triumphant Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. On this day also Sri Krishna killed the demon Narakasura.
Whatever the significance is, Diwali bring joy and happiness to all the people experiencing it. Malaysians have accepted Diwali as part of their own culture and we can see people from different ethnics unite together to celebrate this festival.
Though modernisation is on the rise, we can see many Indians maintain the core beliefs of spirituality and also the true extent of Diwali. Youngsters these days are being criticised for abandoning their values and culture. However, I beg to differ, as we can see many of our youngsters are embracing every festival in our country, especially Diwali with an open heart.
Deviant cultures may come and go but the true core of religion and spirituality will never run away. My only hope for this Diwali is for everyone to experience joy and happiness all the time. I also pray that the mishaps happening to our world is just a minor ‘bump’!
Though my Diwali will be laden with assignments and revisions but I would like to take it in a positive manner. I wished we had a longer break to spend more time with my family but my mum told me this,
“In life, hardships are bound to come but I’m sure you will be stronger coming out from it, you will always experience the ambience of the light or Diwali everyday when an adversity or a good omen comes.”
That quote spurred me on and made me realise that Diwali is much rich in diversity and has many meanings to it.
2010 is a meaningful year to me and to celebrate Diwali in this year will be a whole new experience. Assignments at one side and gorging the array of sweets and delicacies in my house, Diwali is bound to be a blast for me.
I end here with a quote,
“The sun does not shine there, nor do the moon and the stars, nor do lightning stand out? All the Diyas of the world cannot be compared even to a glimmer of the inner light of the Self. Unite yourself in this light of lights and enjoy the ambience and blissfulness of Diwali.”
To all the UTAR students out there, wishing you guys a happy Diwali and make sure you eat responsibly and also be careful when handling fire crackers (and also the authorities)!
