Festival of lights: Rawalpindi Hindus celebrate Diwali

Light lamps, decorate houses by making rangolis

RAWALPINDI: The garrison city’s Hindu population on Sunday kicked off Diwali festivities, decorating their houses and lighting lamps to symbolise the homecoming of Rama.

On the first day of Diwali, families celebrated the event at home as they lighted oil lamps and set off fireworks. The families prepared special dishes to celebrate the festival of light.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Akash Raj Sahotra, information secretary of Suchar Young Hindu Welfare Society in Rawalpindi, said that 90 per cent of Hindu families celebrate the first day of Diwali at home by illuminating their houses with lamps and lights.

Sahotra explained that Diwali itself is actually a one-day festival, but families prolong the celebrations for a couple of days. They meet friends and family on the second or third day, he added.

On the first day, Sahotra said most families make the rangoli and light lamps.

Explaining the history of the festival of lights, Sahotra said Diwali celebrated the return of Raja Ramachandra after a 14-year exile from his kingdom.

“On the eve of his return, followers light lamps and beat drums to mark the homecoming of Ram, who was exiled by his father, Dasrat, on his wife, Kikai’s, insistence,”
he said.

Sahotra, whose society also looks after a Hindu temple at Gracey Lines in Rawalpindi, said it also remembers the efforts made by Rama to recover his wife Sita, who was kidnapped during his exile.

He added that the story teaches lessons about the obedience of Rama, who left his kingdom on the command of his father, who was himself forced by his wife.

There are three Hindu temples in the city – one in Saddar, one at Gracey Lines, and the third in Lal Kurti.

The start of Diwali is marked by recitations from the Ramayana early in the morning. “In addition, women make rangolis at their doorsteps with coloured powder called ‘gulaal’. The colours symbolise life and wealth and are meant to welcome gods and goddesses,” Sahotra noted.

He said that community meetings for Diwali would start on Monday or Tuesday, when Hindu people would gather and celebrate Diwali with special prayers.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2016.