Happy Diwali, green heart-ers! Our team wishes you a wonderful weekend spent with loved ones as we celebrate in unity.
Although It’s been a difficult year for all of us, we are excited for the celebrations we can have with our family and friends and are grateful to spend the time we can with them. With this year being a bit different, our aim is to reminisce on the moments we have loved throughout the years and share how all our experiences have moulded who we are today, individuals who care for each other, the planet, and look to a brighter future.
When it comes to what Diwali represents, we all may know it generally as an Indian festival of lights, but to go into a little further detail for those who may not know as much, here’s a quick definition:
“Deepavali is the Indian festival of lights, usually lasting five days and celebrated during the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika (between mid-October and mid-November). One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwali symbolizes the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance".”
It’s a day of joy and a victorious celebration of light and goodness and so, today, we speak and share more about what this day means to us.
CELEBRATING IN GREEN SPIRIT
This idea of light over darkness is something we particularly want to talk about. As we experienced this year, many of us went through a tough period in one way or another as we adjusted to our global pandemic.
In this article, it explains: “The festival of Deepavali has a deep spiritual meaning, it essentially means the Awareness of the Inner Light. In a way it is the celebration of the awakening and awareness of the Inner Light which has the power to outshine darkness and clear all obstacles in life.”
It outlines many of our experiences because, in many ways, this year made us look inwards.
In particular, much of the world and our industries began focusing on what their impact on the planet meant and how their role truly affected our climate and environments. It started conversations and spread awareness in a whole new way because, this time, there weren’t as many distractions. For many of us, it also led us to rethink and reflect on our choices, journeys and more. We had to bring light to our situations whether that was through taking care of our mental health, developing greener habits, or looking at how we could better the world in our own way. We grew more appreciative and understood that how we live our lives daily mattered.
It all came down to being conscious. Learning from our past while adjusting in the now and that was the lesson we all grew from.
THOUGHTS FROM OUR COMMUNITY
Our team took some time this week to reflect on past celebrations as well as set some green goals to dedicate themselves to. Here are a few:
“My childhood Diwali memories always remind me of Diwali mornings, wearing a new outfit made by Sue Mue and then getting dressed to go for Puja at our Green Park and South ex store. It was our ritual and my aunt used to be the lead at every Puja singing all the Bhajans in her beautiful voice. Neena aunty as many of us at Sue Mue still fondly remember her as. We’d greet the entire Sue Mue family, celebrate together before heading back home to prep the house for our Laxmi Puja. At home, ever since I was young, I’ve always been the one who would light all the candles around the house, it was a simple ritual but it meant a lot to me and my sister who used to run around the house making sure all the candles and diyas were lit. Diwali for me has many emotions associated with it, a warm feeling of home, seeing my home lit up, the smell of aggarbatis, the taste of all the yummy barfis, and just the joy of hugging the ones you love wishing them a happy Diwali. Now that I’ve lived away from home for so many years, I learn to cherish those memories and build upon them as I celebrate with that ghar wali Diwali spirit in my heart.” - Mahima Gujral
“Since around 2006, I’ve been responsible for putting up the lights on our house 3 days before Diwali. For me, that’s when the happiness and joy of the celebrations begin. Preparing my home in this way as well as gathering marigolds and ashoka leaves to decorate our doorway is one of my favourite parts and what I look forward to every year. In 2014, I also made an important step to reduce the amount of crackers I use. For a while now, I have committed myself to making changes here and there to live greener. When it comes to Diwali, each year I reduced my use of crackers until now where I don’t burst them at all! I wish to keep making changes for the better of the planet and hope for a better future for it.” - Kanishk Bugalia
“My favourite part and what I love experiencing every year is the whole atmosphere of Diwali. There’s the earthy scent of marigolds, jasmine and clay, terracotta diyas in the air whenever you step out, in every marketplace and on every street. There’s also just an ever-present feeling of happiness and positive energy so it always feels like you’re surrounded by family or friends wherever you go.” - Anmol Arora
“Since childhood, preparing and getting ready for Diwali pooja has been one of my favourite parts. There’s always a sense of joy days before the ultimate celebration and you can feel everyone waiting in anticipation to spend the day with their loved ones. As I got older, I always celebrate by playing cards with friends too and look forward to it every year.” - Anukriti Didwania
We’d love to hear from all of you too. Let us know what your favourite memories are and what green goals you have set for yourselves. As always, stay green, we hope you have a wonderful Diwali!