Sights and sounds from Diwali everywhere
Diwali fests this year in London at Trafalgar Square
Sights and sounds from Diwali everywhere
A Diwali away from home is never the same. Because as much as it is the festival of lights, it is also the time to celebrate with one’s family and close friends. But those who can’t be at home, are also making the most of the season!
Here are a few
For Sravan Atmakuri, who’s currently pursuing his MTech in the US, it’s his first Diwali away from home. He says, “We’ll be celebrating here with friends and family. But, first Diwali away from home is kind of both exciting and depressing. It’s exciting because I have new friends from different cultures and completely different ways of celebrating the festival. And needless to say, I miss home and the celebrations back there.”
Meanwhile, Kiran Maverick, an entrepreneur, is celebrating in Brussels, Belgium. He says, “There is a cultural centre here. They even perform pujas. There are thousands of us who are working as engineers here at Brussels and or as diamond merchants at Antwerp
So everyone gets together to celebrate. Of course there are no crackers, it’s just the lighting of the diyas here. But it’s usually during the weekends. For us, it’s actually quite funny to wait for the weekend to celebrate the festival.”
Varun P., an engineer in Florida says, “It’s the seventh year that I’m away from home during Diwali. It’s going to be a quiet Diwali here at Florida for me. Back home the entire atmosphere is different, I remember my mum would be busy preparing murukkus and sweets and my dad would be running around making sure the house was decorated and lit up. Since I’m not crazy about bursting crackers I won’t be missing out on much here, but yes I will be lighting a lamp and it goes without saying that I will get a few sweets and whip up something festive.
Meanwhile, Janki Chotai from London adds: “Here, we celebrate Diwali for not just that day. Celebrations extend over two weekends. Last month, at Trafalgar Square, we had a huge Diwali show organised by the London Mayor’s office, which also has a food market. There are also a few temples like the Neasden Temple, where they have the puja. There’s no religions here and there are many non-Indians too who look forward to our annual Diwali celebrations.”.
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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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