The goddess of wealth Mahalaxmi is worshipped and wooed during Diwali
By Rajan Narayan
Our festival of light is triumph of hope over experience! The defeat of Ravana (evil) is a symbol of a new light in an economy where negative forces are defeated. For consumers there is some hope that their daily need of rations and vegetables will be affordable again along with other minimum household necessities now…
DIWALI is the country’s biggest festival across the country. It is the only festival celebrated across the country in various ways. While Durga Puja Bengali-centric, Dussera is primarily celebrated as the festival of nine goddesses during Navratri, and the now all-India ras-garba and dandiya although originating in Gujarat is now pan-Indian and comes in various fancy avatar – more like a show-off spectator sport to win prizes. In India there are hundreds of festivals from Krishna Jayanti to Gudi Padwa which marks the Marathi people’s new year and for some others communities down south India. Diwali or Deepavali is the only all-India festival celebrating the victory of good forces as represented by Lord Ram over the evil forces represented by Lord Ravan in Hindu religious mythology. Diwali continues to be the most popular festival of the Indian sub-continent past and present since time immemorial.
When a victorious Lord Ram returned to ancient Ayodhya the people welcomed him by lighting oil lamps. Light is always symbolic of victory over knowledge over blinding darkness both metaphorically and literally.
DIWALI called Deepavali down south India and elsewhere in South East Asia wherever there are Indian communities has become a most colorful festival. This is because almost every family lights up the kandeel or paper lamps outside their homes and these can been seen everywhere as evening turns into night time at night…the kandeel lamps are as popular now as oil lamps and some in Goa will also light colorful candles.
There is no doubt that the young and young at heart like to make some noise to wake up the sleeping by lighting firecrackers and cracker bombs. Actually, lighting crackers is not a monopoly of children for you will see all adults in a household taking pleasure in such fireworks as sparklers called phooljadi and other fireworks which go up and offer a pretty display of light – lately, folk have taken to lighting chains of prettier the adults lighting up long chains of crackers which go on continuously and fill the air with the smoke of fire crackers in financial capital Mumbai, and especially Dalal Street where the financial heart or stock exchange if located.
For northerners Diwali of five days marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year and calendar as noted by exchange in the Samrat division of time. One of the Diwali days businessmen and stock brokers open new accounts. Every one of the five days of Diwali is of significance.
We like to hope that Diwali makes for optimism for the coming year and it will be brighter than the present gloomy one. That a new spirit will infuse business and the economy will brighten up from bottoms up.
THIS year’s Diwali comes at a dismal gloomy moment for it is not only the economy of India but the economy of the world which is shaken up and seeking better all-encompassing revival. Global economy took a major hit with the Covid-19 pandemic with the rule of no large gatherings and the scary closedown of major companies including Microsoft in the US and in India in the media even the Times of India in Goa told its staff to work from home to cut pandemic costs.
Working from home meant major savings across the line also for employees for they were not commuting from home to office and office to home. In fact, some employees have got so used to functioning from home that they are reluctant to return to offices along with the traditional working force. At the same time employers are insisting that the tradition work place is more efficient as there is more interaction with bosses and employees. A young friend who work for TCS from home in Mumbai gets very confused when her daughter who was ten years old ask mom is she has been sacked.
The prices of all consumer goods has risen sharply. Essential goods like edible oil, rice and wheat have gone up. The greatest impact will be on Diwali sweets. With the price of sugar and ghee shooting up the ladoo is no long affordable. Though the market is flooded with the bright lights and kandeel they are out of reach of common man. The festival itself provides a major push to the economy. Traditionally all over the country the entire family buys new clothes for Diwali. Which has the major impact of textile industry. Diwali also sees families and communities coming together to celebrate the victory of Ram after he liberates Sita from Sri Lanka.
`GANGASNAN’ DOWN SOUTH!
FOR the BJP Diwali marks the core of Hindu values. Diwali is contrasted with the Catholic people’s Christmas. Christmas is a standard celebration while Diwali has regional variations in India. In money burning Mumbai, Diwali is primarily about goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. While down south India Diwali has a day which sees the worship of the goddess of Knowledge, goddess Saraswati! In my Tamil Brahmin childhood albeit in an economically poor family, I remember the entire family waking up for an oil bath or what is called a “Gangasnan.” This was important event! Then we wore new clothes and were given sweets and we got crackers to burst. That was all the excitement for us and yes, down south it is always called Deepavali, referring to the mandatory lighting up of oil lamps in a row across the village at every household. It was a time to be happy no matter what.
In the West Bengal Durga Puja there is not much interested in the goddess of wealth or Laxmi. Durga is the warrior goddess manifestation. All these fine differences are there in the celebration of Diwali across India south and north, east or west. In Goa, the politicians use the occasion of Diwali as a major opportunity to strengthen their vote bank. On October 23, one day before Diwali on October 24, effigies of the demon Narkasura will be burned at dawn…all manner of Narkasura effigies are being creatively crafted by local groups…and they are all financed by local politicians. Traditionally, the late Manohar Parrikar sponsored a giant Narkasur effigy display in front of the Mahalaxmi temple in Panaji. The Catholic Babush Monserrate is one of the most generous sponsor of local Taleigao and now Panaji Narkasur effigies. The Narkasur effigies are in competition and the best effigy wins more prize money.
For the BJP government in New Delhi, Diwali is a major opportunity for winning political ground. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah will try out various bows strung up for them and they will take potshots at Congress and other Opposition party Narkasurs on the Ram Leela maidan grounds!
However, for the aam aadmi or common man of India or Bharatdesh Diwali or Deepavali is about time to spend more money for new clothes for the children, buy a kandeel or two, boxes of sweet for sharing with family and friends, fireworks and other simple joys of worshiping all conflicts which end in the victory of good over evil as represented by the mythological stories of how Lord Ram won over demon king, Ravan (also a Lord Shiva bhakt) of the Sri Lankan empire of yore. We hope this Diwali the economy will return to boom status and there will be rewarding business all around!