The festival of lights

The festival of lights called “Deepawali” is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm every year not only across the country but also in many other countries by Hindu community. This festival is associated with a segment of “Ramayana” treatise when Lord Rama returned to Ayudhya at the end of his fourteen year exile and also after his victory over Lanka (Sri Lanka) King Ravana (considered Demon). People welcomed their king with lighting earthen lamps across the city and also on palace with distribution of sweets and dancing whole night in joy. Lord Rama was sent to fourteen exiles in return to a promise made by his father to Lord Rama’s stepmother. On this festival known as Diwali night, most Hindus offer prayers to Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Ganesha, the god representing good fortune and wisdom for the coming year. The aim is to attract Lakshmi’s attention and guide her towards these twinkling lamps to bestow blessings and prosperity for the year ahead. As the religious ceremony comes to a close, sweets offered are placed in front of the deities, and small clay lamps known as diyas are arranged inside homes and outdoors, too. However this festival is celebrated in different ways and for different reasons in some parts of the country.  In the south, Diwali is popularly linked to a story about the Hindu god Krishna, a different incarnation of Vishnu, in which he frees some 16,000 women from another evil king. In the western state of Gujarat, the New Year coincides with Diwali (there are multiple New Years throughout India), and Diwali is associated with asking the goddess Lakshmi for prosperity in the coming year. During the festival, many celebrants exchange gifts and coins. But every festival is associated with the financial condition of people. During the last couple of years the recession of economy, rise in unemployment, unprecedented rise in essential commodities, particularly in the price of petroleum products, LPG, edible oil and other food items, has cast its shadows on the celebrations. Goddess Lakshmi the (Goddess of wealth) is worshiped on Diwali with a hope of making his devotees healthy and wealthy, but now in the present era both, health and wealth are in a very weak condition.