KUALA LUMPURL: Deepavali, or Diwali as referred to in some parts of India, is the Festival of Lights. Light symbolises hope, happiness, and the triumph of good over evil.
The religious origins of Diwali in North India lie in Lord Ram defeating Ravana and returning to Ayodhya from a 14-year exile. He was greeted with unparalleled joy and a celebration ensued.
However, the festival exists beyond religion. It is celebrated by Indians the world over.
In its purest form, it's just an opportunity for families to come together, eat some fantastic food and have a day out of the ordinary humdrum routine.
I associate Diwali and the days leading up to it with unmediated, unadulterated fun.
The five days of the festival begin with Dhanteras, which is said to be an auspicious day to buy jewels, and ends with Bhai Dooj, a day of "shared love between siblings", or as my sister terms it, fake Raksha Bandhan, a similar festival celebrated in India.
The third day of celebration consists of the most pomp and pageantry. People meticulously decorate their houses with diya (lamps), create intricate designs on the floors of their homes (rangoli/kolam) and look their best, wearing some form of ethnic clothing, such as a lehenga or saree.
As someone who celebrates a version of this every year, it is difficult to verbalise the feeling.
In my family, we follow the same untidy structure each year. We take our house-help out for lunch, have the silliest, most tokenistic pooja (worship) and finally, meet the various members of our extended family.
Everyone is dressed wonderfully, so we try and take a family photograph. This invariably begins with complaints and ends with chaos.
An essential component of Diwali in India used to be the burning of firecrackers. Both children and adults would be drunk on excitement. Today, we are on the precipice of an environmental disaster.
Malaysia, very sensibly, has always banned the sale of firecrackers. In India, we are now pushing the agenda of using eco-friendly firecrackers, which have fewer emissions and are supposedly less harmful.
For a long time, people chose to remain blissfully unaware of the irreparable damage firecrackers can cause, particularly to animals and people with breathing disorders.
In Malaysia too, Diwali prompts similar enthusiasm. Not only in Little India, where the atmosphere is almost electric with the onset of the festive season, but also in other areas. Malls are elaborately decorated and, more often than not, one can spot the sale of traditional Indian wear.
This is not only due to Indians forming a significant part of the Malaysian population, but because Diwali has now transcended geographical borders.
The rituals are slightly different, with Malaysians bathing in oil and offering prayers at temples across the country. This also takes place in South India. Fundamentally, you could say the two are the same, with good wishes and happiness at the core.
There is no template on how to celebrate Diwali. The diversity of both India and Malaysia provides the space to mould tradition to fit different cultures and for people to find their own meanings.
Most days, we grapple with hate, bigotry and violence. It is on those days we must remember that perhaps, there are days which are about love and community.
Deepavali is one of those.
The writer, who is based in India, was on an internship programme with the New Straits Times