A Special Diwali for the Less Fortunate

[Guest guest]

NEW DELHI (October 21, 2006): All across India people reached out to

one another on this festive occasion.

 

>From policemen in Maharashtra lighting up the lives of orphans and

ragpickers to the joy of a group of mentally challenged women in Orissa.

 

At the Miraj Police Station in Sangli policemen hosted a group of

special visitors; the rag pickers and orphans for whom the city's

streets, railway platforms, and bus stops are home.

 

CELEBRATING DIWALI

 

Far from Miraj, in the capital Delhi, the street children take a break

from begging and scavenging for leftovers on Diwali.

 

Since 2004, every Diwali they are brought here, bathed, given new

clothes and lots of Diwali sweets.

 

They set aside their daily struggle and just light up their lives.

 

"We celebrate Diwali with much pomp. We do puja in our house and burst

crackers in the evening," said a street child.

 

Despite a strict ban on child labour it is still rampant and children

like Ajay are still forced to work long hours for petty earnings.

 

But on Diwali he just wants to be a child and do what every child his

age does.

 

"I work in a tea stall. I am 14 years old. On Diwali we have a lot of

fun. We have Ganesh Laxmi Puja and eat a lot of sweets and burst lots

of crackers in the evening," said Ajay, another street child.

 

Hundreds of children including the physically challenged enjoyed the

festival of light with President A P J Abdul Kalam at Rashtrapati

Bhavan, where he listened to their poems and talked to them of their

ambitions.

 

BIG-BANG DIWALI

 

Most of these street children have seen more trauma and struggle in

their young lives than many adults. But Diwali is the day that gives

them some moments of unburdened childhood.

 

"I want sparklers. I want flowerpots," said another child.

 

Diwali, this year, saw lots of light, lots of noise and the crackers.

 

Last year may have been subdued for many because of the serial blasts

but this year residents of Delhi seem to have saved up for the big bang.

 

"I like sparklers, flowerpots, and charkas and I will enjoy all of

them this year," said a resident.

 

TRADITIONAL FERVOUR

 

And in Orissa, at a home for mentally challenged women, everything was

bright and wonderful.

 

People in Mumbai seemed to have come out of the shadow of the July 11

serial train blasts, which affected the recent Ganesh utsav and

Navratri, and heavy security arrangements were made to ensure no

untoward incident.

 

The faithful thronged the Kali Ghat, Bhabatarini Kali and Dakshineswar

temples in Kolkata and its suburbs to offer prayers while the tantric

seat of Tarapith in Birbhum district also witnessed a massive turnout

as people in West Bengal celebrated Kali puja.

 

The festival of lights was also celebrated with traditional fervour in

Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Himachal

Pradesh.

 

POPULAR LEGEND

 

Traditionally, Diwali is celebrated over a period of five days, and

Saturday is Laksmi Puja a day when prayers are offered to the goddess

of wealth.

 

A popular legend associated with the origin of the festival is the

victorious homecoming of Lord Ram after 14 years of exile.

 

His hometown Ayodhya was decorated and lit up with lights for a grand

welcome, and that is the tradition that is being kept alive even

today. (With PTI inputs)

 

SOURCE: NDTV

URL: http://tinyurl.com/y2lk3h