Let us make Deepawali 2014 - A Deepawali with a Purpose !!!

Deepawali comes and goes away... The day is one of the most celebrated festivals in India. Even the rest of the world is aware of Deepawali's meaning: Festival of LIght. Deepawali is to bring to life Indian philosophy of - "Tamaso-ma, Jyotir-gamaya" - From the Darkness to the Light i.e. from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge so that we can live a life of peace, prosperity and joy. But let us reflect how we are celebrating Deepawali, and are we truly living its spirit ?

Deepawali comes and goes. We leave Mother Earth and Bharat Mata suffocated with the poisonous smoke of Chinese Crackers. The pollution is not only in the air; the residual chemicals, resulting paper garbage and the loud sound also pollute earth, water and ether.... The culture of gambling, which often goes along well with drinking even pollutes inner environment.

See what we have done to a festival that started with the purpose of celebrating victory of good over evil. We started celebrating it with the evils polluting all elements of the Mother Nature and ourselves.

Let us make Deepawali 2014 a different one. Let us revive the true spirit of Deepawali. We still have more than two weeks to plan - How can we make this Deepawali a different one? How can we eliminate the elements of darkness from the spirit of this festival and bring light to its own spirit.

Here are some ideas to kick start the thoughts -

- Can I light a lamp of happiness in a home where there are no resources to light even a oil-lamp ?
- Can I decorate my home with just the traditional earthen lamps ?
- How can I eliminate dangerously polluting Fire Crackers from the celebration without dampening the spirit of celebration ?
- How can I once again make it a festival to get new friends and meet new people by sharing the joy / sweets with others - Not just as a formality; but as a way of building new bridges (or to repair the old ones) ?

* More importantly, how to first apply "From Darkness to Light" - the Theme of Deepawali - to its own spirit; and make Deepawali 2014 a different one !

I am sure with your creativity you can add many ideas to this thought... You are very welcome...

Share your ideas / plans; and after Deepawali; do share how well you executed your plans of Celebrating Deepawali 2014 - A Deepawali with a Purpose !!!
 

Living in NOW

While diving for pearls of Ancient Wisdom, I found a poem expressing inspirational feelings of Sun Dial:

The shadow that my finger casts
Divides the future from the past
Behind its never returning line's course
The vanished hour, is no longer yours.
In front of it lies the unknown hour,
In darkness and beyond your power.
One hour alone is in your hands,
The NOW on which the shadow stands.

The poem also brings back memory of a couplet written by Shri Atal Bihari Vajpai ji:
Kal-Kal karte Aaj haath se nikle saare
Bhoot-Bhavishyat ki chinta mein; Vartmaan ki baazi haare !!!

(Living in yesterday and tomorrow; the Todays are slipping out of your hands
Worrying about the future and the past; you are are losing the battle of the PRESENT)  

Live you life to the fullest in NOW !!! Who knows "Kal Ho Na Ho :) "