Hindu community celebrates Diwali with devotion

By Asad Farooq

KARACHI: Like other parts of the country, Diwali, the Hindus’ festival of lights, colours and love, was celebrated in the metropolis with religious fervour and spirit, despite dread and anxiety that looms large over Hindu community, here on Tuesday night.

The festival is associated with earthen lamps and is celebrated to mark the arrival of Shri Ram by flying after self-exile of 14 years during which, he also defeated Ravan (Satan), as per Hindus belief.

Temples and homes at Hindus localities were decorated with earthen lamps and lights. Fireworks, songs and traditional dance performances, particularly by children, provided the Diwali night with additional colours.

The night began with special prayers of Shiri Ram at temples, which continued till 4 am in
the morning.

Danomal Maharaj, President Pakistan Hindu Sabha, said while talking to Daily Times that brotherhood and harmony are the theme of the festival, as Diwali also refers to the reunion of Ram and Bharat, two brothers.

Ravi Chagan, a Hindu worshiper, told Daily Times, “According to Hindus belief, Shri Ram went to jungle for self-exile, under the wish of his parents and bestowed his brother Bharat with the rule. Being an honest and loyal brother, Bharat started to live in a dig, stating that his brother is a great spiritualist and Bharat will live lower than the ground level, if Ram travels on earth.”

He further said that the festival was observed to mark the return of Ram to Ayudhia after defeating a Rakhshas. He said that the new year of Hindu calendar also starts with the night of Dewali. He said despite the fact that majority of Hindu community in Pakistan live under the poverty line, Hindu people celebrate the festival with joys and unity.

In his greeting message, he congratulated the joys of Dewali to entire Pakistan and being a Hindu community member he also raised a question that who could those Hindus celebrate Dewali, whose loved ones were converted or were compelled to migrate.

Each day of the five day long festival is reserved for a separate worship. However people of Hindu community visit each others houses and celebrate the festival with complete zeal and fervor.

To celebrate the festival in Karachi, a main religious ceremony was organised at the 157-year-old historical Swaminarayan Mandir in Saddar town. A large number of Hindu families participated in the worship. Ceremonies were also held at Mata, Krishna, Mahadev, Shev, Hanoman Punch Mukhya and other temples of the city.

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