Today is Diwali, the biggest celebration of the year for Indians around the world. It is the festival of lights and everything is decorated, sweets are being made and everyone wears new clothes. I remember Diwali celebrations in 2005 and the years before and also how Diwali was not very important to me in that time.
In my childhood there were years when our father was not at home for Diwali because he was working, giving lectures in another town. Of course, my mother was not very happy about that but we always had other festivals that we all spent together. When I was travelling, also in the west, it happened that I was not in Vrindavan at Diwali either. But let me first tell you how Diwali looked like when I actually was at the Ashram.
My parents and my sister lived in our old house in town while we three brothers lived at the Ashram together with some Sanskrit students and the people who worked there. It was a male domain, inhabited by single men who knew how to cook well and who managed also the rest of the household chores well without a woman – but when it comes to the atmosphere of Diwali, one needs a woman in the home!
My sister anyway used to come by regularly and also my mother was there sometimes. On the Diwali day however my parents and sister came in their festive clothes, we decorated the Ashram and then lit the oil lamps for some festive light at the Ashram. Ammaji had made sweets and brought a share for the boys and men at the Ashram. We brothers always had dinner with them at the town house anyway and so on Diwali, we went there a bit early to spend more time there, have a family celebration and eat sweets together.
I never put any emphasis on this festival though and that’s how I was not there in 2005 either. It was the year when our German friends had married at the Ashram and after their honeymoon in the Himalayas, they were back at the Ashram for this festival of light. They enjoyed it thoroughly and I remember also my family enjoyed having them there on this special day. They ate the festive dinner that Ammaji and my sister had prepared and had those Diwali sweets for the first time. It was a memorable night for them as well as my family and they enjoyed this festival together with us in the following years again.
I wish all of you a wonderful Diwali, if you celebrate it or not, full of love and light.
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This post truly highlights the significance of spending Diwali with loved ones and the joy it brings to so many.
Personally, Diwali has always been the one time of the year where we would all make the conscious effort to spend the day together, as a family. Mum would be up first thing in the morning to make the Diwali feast and sweets. It was refreshing to receive so many phone calls from the family, the Diwali cards, the fireworks, and most importantly for me, the feeling of togetherness.
Yesterday was a first for me, as it was the first Diwali I had ever spent away my home in England. The days leading up to Diwali seemed dull, and it appeared as though I would be celebrating Diwali solo. Having the Ashram extend its invitation to celebrate Diwali with them certainly gave me something to look forward to.
Observing Diwali celebrations at the Ashram was a magnificent experience. The warmth, closeness and infectious laughter were all aspects that made this one memorable. It reminded me of the fact that bond of family is not forged with blood, but simply love.
Happy Diwali Everyone ! 🙂