Bright nights

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This article was published 25/10/2022 (1384 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In India and across the Indian diaspora, Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated with a grandeur that is anchored in traditions and infused with festive spirit.

As the biggest and brightest religious festival for Hindus, Diwali is observed over five days — Oct. 22-26 this year — with each day having a particular significance. There are different meanings of Diwali among various regions of India; the festival is also celebrated by Sikhs and Jains.

The Hindu Society of Manitoba (HSM) hosted its annual Diwali Mela at the RBC Convention Centre on Oct. 22 after a two-year hiatus owing to the pandemic. Diwali, derived from the Sanskrit word Deepavali, means a row of lights; Mela, also Sanskrit, refers to a gathering in a fair or bazaar-type atmosphere.

The event featured a cosy and creative entrance, bustling food and shopping stalls, decorative rangoli designs — the colourful floor patterns made of rice flour, coloured sand, quartz powder, flower petals, pebbles and other substances — ornate South Asian outfits, dazzling diyas (oil lamps), energetic entertainment and family and friends gathered together.

But the deeper universal meaning of the Festival of Lights is the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. The third day of the festival, Oct. 24 this year, is the peak Diwali celebration. On this day, Hindus honoured the deity Lord Rama’s return to his kingdom in Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. In the evening, they worshiped the deities Lord Ganesha, who is the remover of obstacles and the bestower of wisdom, and Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, good fortune and prosperity.

Besides being a social gathering — it is the community’s largest — the HSM event is also a cultural extravaganza of Indian dance and music. Its return this year elicited even more anticipation.

“With so many new members in the community, those members are looking forward to see what our Diwali Mela is all about,” HSM president Kirit Thakrar says.

“We are expecting a large crowd this year because of the new immigrant population coming to our temples nowadays,” event chairman Jay Jeyanthan says.

Saturday’s free event saw thousands in attendance — a far cry from the small gathering that celebrated the first HSM Diwali Mela more than 40 years ago at St. Mary’s Road United Church. It was a testament to how much the Indo-Canadian community has expanded and flourished in the city, contributing to its cultural fabric.

A beautiful ice sculpture of Lord Ganesha, which represented auspiciousness for the event, was a fitting gesture, welcoming attendees at the entrance.

A Diwali celebration is not complete without fabulous food, which ranged from masala dosa (a lentil flour pancake served with potato curry and chutney) to samosa, from chaat papri (an Indian street food featuring chips topped with potatoes, chutneys and cripsy chickpea noodles) and vegetarian thali (mixed plate) to jalebi sweets, the familiar deep-fried spirals of dough dipped in sugar syrup.

The culture of a mela is to have places to shop and it was no different Saturday night, with 20 vendors offering a range of goods and services, including clothing and jewelry.

“The event has a real mela feeling with so many stalls for people to visit and enjoy,” Thakrar said.

The evening highlight was the cultural program featuring an exuberant lineup of colourful and graceful dance performances. They included a religious enactment by the young students of the HSM’s Vidya Bhavan School, classical dances by the India School of Dance, Music and Theatre, and Manohar Performing Arts of Canada & Jhankaar School of Dance and Music, and a mix of Indian folk and Bollywood dance numbers.

The program reflected the diversity of India, capturing its various regions, languages and garb.

Other highlights were garland-making, a rangoli competition, a 360-degree photo booth and a raffle draw with two airline tickets to India as the top prize.

Among Diwali traditions — such as offering prayers, exchanging sweets and gifts, and buying new clothes — diyas, or clay lamps, are lit inside and outside the home. This illumination signifies a renewal by removing darkness around us through a pathway kindled by the core human values of respect, kindness, harmony, humanity, compassion and a sense of belonging.

With Diwali being celebrated around the world, let there be a guiding light in our personal lives, let there be a guiding light in our families and communities, and let there be a guiding light in our world.

Romona Goomansingh, PhD, is an educator, freelance writer and author in Winnipeg.