What is Diwali all about? -By Sulaiman Ayuba

After I made a post this morning, celebrating Diwali with friends and my Teachers, some friends from my homeland, Nigeria asked me what this Diwali is all about. However, I was asked the same question last year during the Diwali Festival, so this year, I decided to make some inquiries and write a little I gathered from my teachers and the Oral discussion I had with people around me here in India.

Like any other festival, Diwali is also a festival by the Hindu community as well as all Indians.  It’s a day to celebrate the lord of light in the Hindu doctrine. Diwali itself refers to light, and it’s celebrated using lighting the candles and any other means of light celebration (mostly candles prepared with mud means; earthen pots ). In modern times, the Youth celebrate Diwali by using Knockout as it happens in many Muslim and non-Muslims societies of Africa and Europe. The Hindus are highly excited by the return of Lord Ram to home after spending 14years in the forest.

As narrated by Dr. Vidushee Ameta,  lecturer, Madhav University, Rajasthan, Diwali can be understood by the clear understanding of the lovely relationship and sacrifice made by God Ram. And she added that: “What to know in the history of Diwali is that: the stepmother of God Ram with named kaikayi asked him to go to the forest and stay for 14 years because she wants Bharat, her only son and little brother of Ram to inherit the throne in Ram absence. So his father instructed him to do so, and he left while he was newly married and that was the same day he will be appointed as the king of Ayodhya. His newly married wife, who was the Princess of Janakpuri went to the forest with him, and his brother, Lakshman, who was also newly married was with him during the exile. His wife  Urmila served to parents at that time in Ayodhya. However, Bharat was outside the Ayodhya at that time, and after he understands the reasons why Ram was sent to the forest was for him to be king, he denied the chance given to him of being a king, and instead, asked Ram to come back home and rule them because of the love and respect he has for Ram. While coming back, people saw Ram from afar, so they followed him, chanting and celebrating that day he comes back home. From then, Diwali becomes part of the Hindu tradition; that’s the day to celebrate the return of Lord Ram”.

In India, it is the time after harvest crop, and India is an agricultural-based state. So people of every part and every religion enjoy this valuable time to celebrate.

Paraphrased and reframed by Sulaiman Ayuba. Sulaiman Ayuba is a Ph.D. scholar at the Department of Sociology at Career Point University, Kota, Rajasthan State. While Dr. Vidushee Ameta is the former Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences in Madhav University and recently working as an associate professor in the department of Hindi at the IASE deemed university Sardarshahr Churu, Rajashthan, India.