Millions of Indians celebrate popular Hindu festival of lights

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Millions of Indians celebrate popular Hindu festival of lights2004-11-13

Published by .com Gathered by Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI,NOVEMBER 13:Millions of people across India celebrated the biggest

Hindu holiday of the year, Diwali, or the festival of lights, exchanging sweets

and bursting firecrackers with traditional fervour. Skies over the Indian

capital New Delhi were lit up by fireworks as dusk fell, and houses and

commercial buildings were decorated with electric lights, candles and

earthenware lamps. Markets in New Delhi were choked with shoppers as people

completed last minute shopping before going off to see the illuminations and

offer prayers to the Hindu goddess of wealth, Laskshmi. Diwali is a special

occasion for India's business community, signifying the beginning of the new

financial year. Devout Hindus believe the festival also symbolises the victory

of good over evil. In his message to mark the start of the festival, President

Abdul Kalam urged people to share Diwali joy with "the less fortunate, the

poor, the lonely and the needy". The holiday celebrates the

Hindu god Rama's return to his kingdom with his wife Sita after victory over the

demon Ravana. Local lore has it that Rama's subjects lit lamps and candles to

welcome him and his wife back home. In the southern IT city of Bangalore, which

boasts 13,130 millionaires, Diwali was ushered in on a subdued note with shops

and retail outlets recording below expectation sales. "I fail to understand why

sales have been much below our expectations in a happening city like Bangalore,"

said a top official of Westside, a readymade garment outlet owned by India's

Tata group. "There is sufficient money out there in their hands but they are

not spending that on shopping, which is the trend during Diwali." Incentives

failed to lure shoppers, whose enthusiasm was perhaps affected by the surging

inflation that stood at a three-year high of 7.38 percent in the week to

October 23, driven by higher food and manufactured goods prices. "Discounts or

no discounts, prices of every commodity have gone up,"

said G. Rashmi, a professional working with a German software maker. Meanwhile

in the northern town of Amritsar, Indian border guards gave gifts of

colourfully decorated baskets containing sweets and fruits to Pakistani Rangers

at Wagah, the only land crossing between the rival countries. In restive Kashmir

(news - web sites)'s Jammu region, Indian army and paramilitary soldiers

celebrated Diwali with new gusto thanks to a ceasefire in place since November

26 last year and a new peace initiative underway between India and Pakistan

since January, one officer said. "Most of my men are busy purchasing sweets and

making arrangements for illuminating border posts with candles and earthen

lamps," said Rajiv Gupta, an officer of the paramilitary Border Security Force.

 

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