Festival of Lights: Celebrating Diwali in Shanti Bhavan

On Monday, October 26, 2008, we celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Lights, at Shanti Bhavan. Girls from the 9th and 11th grades made beautiful pookalams, i.e., designs with flowers, on the school patio. Boys from the 5th grade made clay lamps from scratch, and then let children from the older grades light and distribute them throughout the school. By sunset, the glow of the lamps filled the campus. In their favorite "home dress" the children gathered in the dinning hall for another surprise – a special dinner brought to them all the way from Bangalore by Jude Devdas – it was his birthday.

Then it was fireworks, laughter, and joy on the sports field. Teachers, house mothers, volunteers, and security staff joined in. It was simply lots of fun and excitement.

After an evening of celebration, the children returned to their dorms to sleep off their delicious holiday meal and the wonderful time they had.

About Diwali

Diwali (or Deepavali) is a major Hindu holiday, and a significant festival in Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism. Many legends are associated with Diwali. Today it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs across the globe as the "Festival of Lights," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within an individual. Diwali is celebrated on the new moon day (the fifteenth day) of the month Kartika.

In Hinduism, across many parts of India and Nepal, it is the homecoming of Lord Ram of Ayodhya after a 14-year exile in the forest and his victory over the evil demon-king Ravan. In the legend, the people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Ram by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (deepa); thus its name: Deepavali. Over time, this word transformed into Diwali in Hindi and Dipawali in Nepali, but still retained its original form in South and East Indian Languages.

In Jainism Diwali marks the attainment of nirvana by Lord Mahavira on 15 October, 527 BCE.

Diwali has been significant in Sikhism since the illumination of the town of Amritsar commemorating the return of Guru Har Gobind (1595-1644), the sixth Guru of Sikhism, who had been imprisoned along with 53 other Hindu Kings at Fort Gwalior by Emperor Jahangir. After his release he went to the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) in the holy city of Amritsar, where he was welcomed happily by the people who lit candles and diyas to greet the Guru. Because of this, Sikhs often refer to Diwali also as Bandi Chhorh Divas - "the day of release of detainees."

The festival is also celebrated by Buddhists of Nepal, where majority of Hindus live, particularly the Newar Buddihists.

In India and Nepal, Diwali is now considered to be a national festival, and the aesthetic aspect of the festival is enjoyed by most Indians and Nepalese, regardless of faith. As a nonsectarian institution, Shanti Bhavan celebrates all major religious festivals with reverence and joy.