Just About Everything

I wish you a bright, prosperous, peaceful, and awesomely happy  Diwali. May the light always shine upon you. I am taking a break from my travelogues to post a little something on Diwali:)  In my subsequent posts, I will post some of the Durga puja pandals that I loved.  Even though it is delayed....  I would still love to share those...some of them are so unique  and out of the world, it makes it all worthwhile:) On the occasion of Diwali, here is a paragraph from a Scottish prayer that I love.  May the blessing of light be on you -Scottish  Prayer May the blessing of Light be on you Light without and light within, May the blessed sunlight shine on you And warm your heart till it glows like A great peat fire, so that the stranger May come and warm himself at it, And also a friend. And may the light shine out of the two eyes of you, Like a candle set in two windows of a house, Bidding the wanderer to c...

Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the most popular festivals in India. On this day in Bengal, Goddess Kali is worshiped. Fireworks are an essential part of this festival and are very popular. So much so that fireworks competitions are organized in quite a few areas in Kolkata. In Jadavpur, every year, a fireworks competition is organized on Diwali. Usually, there are Fountain fireworks (Anars) on display. If any of the fireworks were to burst then the participants would get disqualified. The participants give interesting names to their fireworks. This brief clipping will give you an idea.

Diwali, the festival of lights is celebrated all over India. I love this time of the year because not only does the weather start getting cooler, there is positive energy everywhere.  Interestingly, even though this festival is celebrated all over India, there is a subtle difference in how and why Diwali is celebrated in different parts of India. In north India, it is believed that on this day, Rama's returned to Ayodhya after 14 years in exile and diyas were lit in order to welcome Rama. For Jains, diwali is a celebration in honour of Mahavira who attained nirvana on this day. On this auspicious day Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped. Since diwali marks the end of harvert season, people seek the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi for a prosperous year ahead. In Bengal, Diwali is better known as Kali puja. Goddess Kali is worshiped on this new moon day.  In Bengal, on the day before Diwali there is a tradition of lighting up 14 candles...