By Manasi Nafde | Head of Community Partnership and Outreach
Diwali or Deepawali is the Hindu festival of lights, typically lasting five days. One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwali symbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance"
In the lead-up to Diwali, celebrants will prepare by cleaning, renovating, and decorating their homes and workplaces. During the climax, revellers adorn themselves in their finest clothes, illuminate the interior and exterior of their homes with Diyas (oil lamps or candles), offer puja to the goddess of prosperity and wealth, light fireworks, and partake in family feasts, where mithai (Sweets) and gifts are shared. Diwali is also a major cultural event for the Hindu and Jain diaspora from the Indian subcontinent.
In the month of October, students from Khelghar schools celebrated Diwali by painting earthen lamps. The teachers organized various activities like the discussion around the importance of the festival with respect to the social gathering, harvest, mythology, food and other festivities.
The students came together to talk about the ill-effects due to bursting firecrackers and using plastic lamps. The students had set up a stall to sell the colourfully painted diyas at various locations to spread awareness and raise funds to build a garden at their school.
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