KARACHI: After a lot of confusion over the correct date for the celebrations, the Hindu community in Pakistan gathered to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, in huge numbers at their temples as well as during private functions at their homes on Friday.

This year, not only in Pakistan, but all over the world, no one was clear about whether Diwali was to fall on Oct 31 or Nov 1. Earlier, the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council, Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, clarified that Diwali was to fall on Oct 31.

“Diwali begins with the new moon or amavasya. And as per Pakistan Standard Time, amavasya happens on 3:22pm on Oct 31 to end before sunset, at 5:46pm, on Nov 1,” he explained in a video message circulated on social media.

“I hope this clears all confusion about when Diwali is to be celebrated this year,” he added. “The Lakshmi puja and aarti on Diwali begins on the auspicious time after sunset and that sunset we get on Oct 31,” Dr Ramesh further explained.

And yet the Hindu community celebrated Diwali on Friday (Nov 1). Even when some folks, after listening to Dr Ramesh, arrived at their temples wearing new clothes loaded with fireworks to celebrate the festival, they immediately realised that they were at the ‘right place’ at the wrong time.

Some people who have homes inside the compound of the Shri Swami Narayan Temple had placed lit clay lamps at their main entrances but there were no fireworks going off anywhere. Friday though painted a different picture with celebrations all around.

Although Diwali is known as the festival of lights and has come to be associated due to this with fireworks, it is also a time to prepare and distribute sweetmeats, exchange gifts including jewellery items and decorate the dehleez or thresholds with pretty and colourful rangoli designs.

According to Hindu scriptures, Diwali celebrates the victorious return of Shree Rama Chandra to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile.

He returned after defeating the devil Ravana. It was the triumph of good over evil and thus a joyous occasion for the people who welcomed him back by lighting clay lamps and placing them in his path.

This is why in remembrance of Rama’s return, the Hindu community decorate the floor around their home entrances with pretty and colourful designs.

Today, the lighting of the clay lamps has grown into a much bigger celebration with the people playing with fireworks. There are spectacular firework displays in the night sky with sky rockets going off. Mischievous children buy loads of firecrackers that are going off here, there and everywhere along with crackling fountains, comets, etc.

Besides, sweetmeats are prepared in Hindu kitchens early in the day to be distributed among family and friends.

These include halwa made of different dried fruit cooked in homemade clarified butter or ghee.

Some make rich walnut halwa, some cashew-nut barfi, some simple khoya barfi and pera, too, along with rasmalai, rasgulla, gulab jamun, laddoo and the like. It is a sweet Diwali, just like we celebrate a meethi Eid.

Hindu houses are specially cleaned for the day as it is also believed that the goddess Lakshmi would only visit a clean and tidy home. Therefore de-cluttering and even giving one’s home a fresh coat of paint, if one can afford it, is done days in advance.

Shopping for new clothes and gifts is also done beforehand. It is also an ideal time for reunions. Family and friends gather to meet after a long time for the occasion and therefore, it brings up a good opportunity for exchanging gifts to spread cheer.

It is also an old tradition to buy gold or silver jewellery on this day as it is considered auspicious.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2024