The Diwali Festival

Last night we celebrated the Diwali Festival. A festival to celebrate life. I believe it is the biggest and most celebrated of the Indian holidays. Shops close everywhere and decorative lights are set up in most of the shops and buildings. People travel to peoples homes and work with gifts and just to visit. Here is a brief description of Diwali from Wikipedia The holiday varies from town to town: While Deepavali is popularly known as the "festival of lights", a more appropriate significance is "the new year of luck and wealth".Central to Hindu philosophy is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Deepavali is the celebration of this Inner Light, in particular the knowing of which outshines all darkness (removes all obstacles and dispels all ignorance), awakening the individual to one's true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With the realization of the Atman comes universal compassion, love, and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings Ananda (Inner Joy or Peace).Diwali celebrates this through festive fireworks, lights, flowers, sharing of sweets, and worship. While the story behind Deepavali varies from region to region, the essence is the same - to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atman) or the underlying reality of all things (Brahman).
Before dinner we watched and participated in the Diwali ceremony with Mr. Pandeys family.

From left to right:
Sivangi (daughter), Goodia (wife) Tuk Tuk (son) and Anil

Niteesh (Anil's brother) and Ashalesha (his older daughter who was not feeling well) are missing from the picture. Niteesh was back and forth setting off fireworks while Anil was setting up the lights before the evening began.