Enduring Lights

As we welcome another Diwali, the festive season invites not only celebration but also calls for measured reflection. For centuries, the lighting of diyas has symbolised not just the triumph of good over evil, but also the human capacity to renew hope, to repair, and to rise above adversity.

This Diwali, India shines brightly but also uneasily. The world’s most populous democracy has endured a year of turbulence: economic uncertainties, social strains and political polarisation. Yet even in this flux, the nation’s spirit - its industriousness, optimism, and capacity for reinvention, remains its most luminous resource. Every diya lit in a window or courtyard reaffirms that faith. It is a collective act of resilience in a time when cynicism often clouds the public square.

In Maharashtra, from Mumbai’s bustling lanes to heritage and tradition-bound Pune to the hill towns of Satara and the coastal homes of Konkan, the State glows in ritual light. The festival, so central to Maharashtra’s cultural calendar, symbolises the enduring will to rebuild and to rise above adversity.

It is visible in its farmers who have borne the brunt of an extended and devastating monsoon and in its citizens who still find reason to celebrate in times of unease.

Nowhere is this symbolism more beautifully expressed than in a uniquely Maharashtrian custom of the making of miniature forts (or ‘killas’) during Diwali. Across towns and villages, children and families gather mud, stones and twigs to recreate the mighty strongholds once commanded by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The ‘killa’ tradition turns courtyards into classrooms, where children learn not from textbooks but how to build, how to imagine, and how to take ownership of history.

The festival’s myths - of Rama’s return, of Krishna’s triumph, of Lakshmi’s grace - are also allegories for governance and public life. They remind those who wield power that legitimacy arises from virtue, not vanity, and that the light of justice must be kept burning even in turbulent times.

For too long, Diwali has been accompanied by excess in form of the reckless bursting of crackers, the choking of skies and the drowning out of silence. Maharashtra, home to some of India’s most polluted cities, now faces the urgent need to balance celebration with sustainability. People must realise that a quieter, cleaner Diwali does not diminish the festival’s spirit but elevates it.

Diwali is not merely about illumination but also about cleansing. In Hindu tradition, homes are scrubbed and sanctified before the festivities begin. Metaphorically read, this impulse to purify should be a call to cleanse the public discourse of vitriol, the economy of corruption, and the environment of the soot and smoke that accompany unrestrained celebration. The festival of lights must not become one of noise and pollution.

As India steps into another Diwali, the prayer is may her light never dim. May the nation find harmony amid discord, wisdom amid noise and humility amid triumph.