Lighting up lives

Diwali is the festival of lights. And it is interesting how we light up our houses. Clean it to ward off the evil, decorate it with lamps to welcome to the goddess. But there are seldom few, but a definite few who go to the next level and think of lighting up humanity. They take the pain and a considerate effort to ensure that lives other than theirs are lit during Diwali.

We love lists, and here is a list of 5 things that you could do during Diwali to light up someone’s life.

1. Play Angel

Gift Street kids old working toys. Their playmates are empty tins and water bottles. The GI JOE’s and Barbie lying hopelessly in the corner of the room would find owners who would love them more than you do.

2. Play Grand-Kid

Rush to an old age home and put up your goofiest avatar. Make a wrinkled face smile. Get paid in smiles and blessings.

3. Be the unofficial mithai wala

Distribute sweets amongst the building watchman, pizza delivery boy, sweeper and all those people who long for a nice tasty treat. You could do without it, atleast your doctor thinks so.

4. Donate Clothes

While you dress in your swanky new dress, there are people on the streets who walk around in torn, dirty linen that just about covers them. Donate clothes that you don’t wear anymore but would love to wear though.

5. Sponsor a child

What better way than lighten up a child’s future? Sponsor a child’s education and track his academics. 

Beyond playing list diggers, we also thought we could feature some individuals who did light up lives during Diwali.

Meet Shruti Singh, a 20 something from Mumbai, who decided to empower some women this Diwali. Shruti, an artist herself, took sessions on diya painting for these women from Murbaad village and motivated people to buy these diyas through her social media page. She took the project forward and taught street kids to do the same too. More power to you Supergirl.

 

Another girl, Nirali Shah played Santa for some street kids. On a usual day this day-time lawyer and weekend teacher asked these kids to write things that they want in a piece of paper. Closer to the celebrations, these kids got visited by Santa Shah herself... with a bagful of gifts that they had asked for, followed by a party at her house. 

So what did you do to light someone’s life? Share with us by participating in the our contest... https://www.facebook.com/MahindraPowerol

Do-wali: Things to Do during Diwali

Warning! We are just about to get a tad preachy. Diwali shouldn’t be reduced to one day of noise and gorging on sweets. So we decided to play teacher this week, to tell some must does of Diwali and the reason behind it. Here goes.

The first day of Diwali is called Dhanteras. It is technically the 13^th day from Poornima or the full moon. So now you know how that name breaks up... Dhan (money) + teras (13). Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped this day, the goddess of wealth.

MUST DO ON DHANTERAS:

·      It is customary for go shopping on this day. (Just another reason we presume). Buy some gold and utensils on this day.

·      Make the entrance way to your house colourful. You may use flower garlands, bells, LED lights and most importantly draw up a rangoli. Keep the decor up for all 5 days of Diwali. 

The 14^th day is Narak Chaturdashi or Choti (Small) Diwali. It is believed that on this day Lord Krishna killed the demon Narakasur, freeing our world from his terror.

MUST DO ON CHOTI DIWALI

This is technically the first day for lighting firecrackers. Please avoid loud crackers, and don’t burst too many. Do it for rituals sake.

The new moon day is the most significant day. This is the actual day of Diwali. It is said that goddess Lakshmi enters the house and it is imperative for the house to be clean.

MUST DO ON DIWALI

·      Draw small footprints with nice flour over your house, it’s a way of indicating the goddesses arrival into your house.

·      Perform a Lakshmi Pooja.

·      Exchange gifts and sweets to share love and propagate brotherhood.

·      It's okay to play for money in card games but don't get swayed by it.

·      Firecrackers galore post dinner. (You may skip this part though... a little sparkler here are there should do.) 

The next day is the first day of the bright moon and is called the Balipatipradha or Govardhan puja. This is believed to be the day that Lord Krishna lifted the enter Govardhan mountain to protect the people of Gokul from the wrath of Lord Indra.

MUST DO ON BALIPATIPRADHA

·      Feed the poor. It’s a way of being an agent of Lord Krishna and to protect the poor

The fifth and the final day is Bhai Dooj. Its a renewal of sibling love, where sisters pray for the health of their brothers and exchange gifts. 

MUST DO ON BHAIDOOJ

·      Meet your brother. And most importantly gift him. You see there are not too many days that he gets to feel special :)

Are there some rituals that you follow during Diwali. Share it with us in the comments section below.

Happy Diwali everyone... May Goodness Light up your Life!

Ye Diwali... Different Diye Wali

To be honest, Diwali diyas can be boring. This year too, you will remove that old plastic cover that contains all the old mud diyas, wash it, dry it and reuse it. But I am sure that after you read this blog, you won’t really do that...

• Looks rustic... smells good

Rustic looks always works. From furniture to decor items, the look that wrought irons and wooden splinters give to the room can seldom be matched. Here’s our way of creating a rustic looking candle. Pick up some cinnamon sticks, stack them together in a circle and tie then up with thin jute ropes. Place a scented candle in the middle and there you have your scented rustic candle.

• The old wine bottle, with no wine left

Gulped up that wine to the last drop? Don’t throw the bottle away. Paint up the old bottles with glitter and inserting lights inside and watch the bottles that made you buzz... buzzing.

• Plastic Spoons Lantern

Move aside paper lantern, welcome used-material lantern. Pick up used spoon and break the head away. Stick them together with super glue, tapering down. Put a light inside and there you have your used plastic spoon lantern.

• Bulb-wick-light

Yes, yes we know bulbs are not eco-friendly and that’s exactly why we are recommending this. Replace them with CFLs or LED, and bore a hole in their base. Pass a pipe through and remove the filament holder. Fill it with oil and block it with a wick. Wrap a twine and paste the end of the twine on the rim of the glass. You have a beautiful lamp ready.

• Light Inside

Why should light be restricted to the outside? Hide the string lights in between your curtains and turn the inside of your house into a colourful version of the mood outside.

Do you have suggestions for us on how you could use light’s better and innovatively for Diwali? Leave your comments in the section below.

VISIT THESE PLACES DURING DIWALI

Some celebrate Diwali at home. There are many who run away from cities worrying blocked roads, traffic and crackers. This Diwali is strategically placed just before the weekend this year. If you haven’t already planned it, here are a few quick suggestions. Places to visit during Diwali:

The Golden Temple with a golden draping of lights is a sight worthy of watching. If you are a DSLR junky, then this is the place to be. The edge of the lake is fringed with countless oil lamps, lit by devotees and the reflection of the lake, looks like the gods are reciprocating.

A similar sight will be seen in the city pegged as one of the most spiritual places on earth... Varanasi. You will see the bank of the holy river ganga light up with a million oil lamps, each oil lamp representing the belief of a soul.

If you love merging celebrations & temples, then you should definitely visit Kolkata. Kali Puja, which is mandatory sight during Diwali, makes one witness with huge false gates being lit up with LED lights. If you wish to see the gates of heavy (an artist’s rendition) while you are alive, then Kolkata is the place to be.

The Pink City loses its association with one color and takes a multi-color avatar during Diwali. The Hawa Mahal turns into a bright color pack in the night of Diwali.

And this is the last place that you would guess. Go Goa now... Be in Goa to witness the biggest and the scariest effigy of the demon Narakasura as they burn it at dawn.

Tell us the place you would visit this DIWALI in the comments section below. 

The Lights of Life

“No one lights a lamp in order to hide it behind the door; the purpose of light is to create more light, to open people's eyes, to reveal the marvels around.” ― Paulo Coelho

A metaphor to the victory of ‘good’ over evil, the power of lights is undeniable. From the light of the sun to mark the beginning of a new day, to our inner radiance which guides us; lights are an integral part of our existence. Celebrating the spirit of liberation, here’s a peek into some of the popular festivals across the world where lights carry significance.

St. Lucia’s Day –

Sweden, Italy, Croatia, Scandinavia, and France celebrate St. Lucia’s Day on December 13 every year. Marking the beginning of Christmas, this festival begins before dawn wherein the eldest daughter in each household leads her siblings into songs. They hold candles and sing about the light and joys of Christmas. Their songs are meant to awaken their parents and the entire family who then has breakfast together. It is a way of welcoming the season of Christmas with lights and warmth.

Lunar New Year –

Different cultures have different interpretations of how to celebrate a festival of Lights. The Lunar New Year or the Chinese New Year is another festival of lights. Every year, at the first new moon in Aquarius, people living in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and China celebrate their new year with fireworks, lanterns and gifts.

Hanukkah –

Popularized over the decades and most recently in the reruns of the popular sitcom ‘Friends’, the Jewish festival of Hanukkah goes on for eight days. Candles are lit every day and children receive new gifts on each of these eight days. The lighting of candles also symbolises knowledge and wisdom.

Christmas –

Christmas is one of the most famous festivals celebrated all over the world. Lights, star shaped lanterns, gifts, Santa Claus, candles – it is a festival of joy. Different countries celebrate Christmas differently though.

In Egypt, it is celebrated on January 6 and 7. Churches there are decorated with special lamps and people indulge in prayers, feasts and happiness.

In Philippines, 'parols' or star lanterns are displayed from nine days before Christmas. People decorate their homes with varying sizes of parols.

In China, people put up paper lanterns in their homes. They also decorate Christmas trees with paper chains, flowers and lanterns.

In Mexico, families go around from house to house with candles looking for a room in an inn. They start this tradition nine days prior to the day of Christmas in an attempt to replicate or enact Joseph and Mary’s search in Jerusalem. The procession is called Posada.

In Australia, houses are decorated in advance. Greeting cards are sent out, carols are sung and candles are lit.

Undoubtedly, the American Christmas has become the most popular. Lights, candles, carols, fireworks and feasts – Christmas in America is incomplete without all these things.

New Year – Brazil

Brazilians celebrate December 31 in their own special way. On the eve of the New Year, people in Rio de Janeiro go to the beach at midnight to offer their prayers to Lemanja, the African goddess of water. Hundreds of candles are lit on the sand and white flowers are offered to the sea as a gift to the goddess.

Kwanzaa, in the United States, is a week-long celebration to honour African harvest traditions. It is observed from December 26 to January 1 every year. Seven candles are lit each night for all seven days of the festival. The candles represent the seven principles of Kwanzaa which are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.

Diwali –

Last but not the least; we have our very own festival of lights, Diwali or Deepavali is one of the most popular and the most awaited festivals in India. Diwali marks the home coming of ‘Lord Ram’ after his 14 year exile and is a symbol of hope and all that is good. This festival brings people together as it dispels darkness around. Deepavali actually means row of lamps in Sanskrit and the sight of tiny clay lamps or diyas lined up in all homes and shops is a picturesque sight. These diyas are illuminated throughout the night as part of Hindu tradition. Although now fast being replaced by colourful electric bulbs, the sheer brightness only adds fervour to the festive season.

Festival times may differ. Continents may be far. It is this visual language of light that binds us as one. 

Diwali – Celebrate it safely

Diwali a festival of Light, a day to spent a pleasant time with family & friends. Diwali is a night to overcome from the darkness to live a life of light. People rejoice this festival to share their love & affection with each other.

Diwali, along with all its glitter & sweets, brings some responsibility to our shoulders. We often do not realize the likely hazard, and therefore overlook even the most primary precautions. Caution and proper care can ensure a safe and fun-filled Diwali. So we thought of sharing with you some tips which will help you celebrate a safe & prosperous Diwali:

• Verify your Fireworks purchase - If you’re buying any firework products, check on their brand name & verify their trade marks. It is always best to purchase products with trade-mark as it guarantees the safety to certain extent. 

• Take Precaution while bursting crackers - Don’t leave kids alone. Kids often tend to go near the fireworks and hurt themselves. It is advisable to supervise their actions while bursting fire-crackers to avoid mishaps. 

• Take Care of your clothing - Choose to wear cotton dresses instead of nylon & other materials as they can easily attract fire while bursting crackers. 

• Burst Fire-crackers only on open ground - Ensure proper distance from the firecrackers. Make sure you burst the crackers away from electric poles & electric boxes to avoid calamities.

Diwali, the festival of lights, brings fun and togetherness. For children, fireworks, new clothes and sweets make this fiesta the most awaited of the year. Awkwardly, damages from fireworks spoil the fun for many families – and though Diwali is a day off for most of us, fire departments and hospitals around the country are on continuous alert to tackle the various accidents that are caused due to fireworks. 

Light up your life with Diwali! And celebrate the triumph of good over evil. Wishing you all a Happy & Safe Diwali!