Followers of Hinduism will celebrate Diwali – a five-day annual festival of lights – today (Thursday) in Lahore and Pakistan’s other cities and villages where members of this largest minority community are residing.
With special prayers, delicious food items, fireworks, rangoli on entrances of houses and earthen lamps, Diwali is widely celebrated as a key religious festival for Hindus, but Jain Dharma, a small section of Buddhists and Sikhs, also celebrate this event, though with different perspective.
Ashok Kumar Khatri, assistant professor of Sindhi language at the Punjab University’s Institute of Languages and Linguistics in Lahore, told Minute Mirror that Diwali as the most popular festival of Hinduism symbolised the spiritual victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance.
“Diwali is a celebration of success of good over evil, and it reminds us that no matter how difficult things might seem, the good will always win at the end,” he said. “Let’s celebrate Diwali in the true sense by spreading happiness and light up the world of others,” he said, adding, “May prosperity and everlasting happiness fill lives of every citizen.”
Talking to Minute Mirror, Center for Peace & Secular Studies (CPSS) Chairperson Saeeda Diep, one of the regular organisers of the minorities’ festivals in Lahore and other cities, shared greetings for all those who were celebrating the festival of lights in Pakistan and around the world. “We must each do the best of our part to achieve a shared victory, by dedicating ourselves to the service of others,” she said.
She said that all religious festivals were an important time for followers to come together and celebrate. She asked senior government functionaries to allow Hindus and other minorities to celebrate their religious and cultural events openly, as these communities were facing hardships to arrange open places — because even hotels were at times reluctant to give them space for their activities.
Talking to Minute Mirror, Member of Punjab Assembly (MPA) Youdester Chohan said that Diwali was one of the most beautiful festivals of Hinduism, as everything looked beautiful and lit up under the charisma of earthen lamps.
“Diwali is about hope, victory, winning hearts, mending relationships, spreading happiness and celebrating life,” he said.
Diwali in Sikhism
About Diwali in Sikhism, Member of Punjab Assembly (MPA) Ramesh Singh Arora told Minute Mirror that Sikhs did not solely celebrate Diwali for the same reason as other faiths. Instead, Sikhs celebrated Bandi Chhor Divas (Prisoner Release Day) on Diwali, he said, adding that the story of this festival was celebrated for its spiritual significance.
Mahinder Pall Singh, another provincial lawmaker, said that Diwali was the occasion of the return of Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji — the sixth Guru who was freed from imprisonment in 1619. On this day, he added, Sikhs went to the Gurdwara for prayers and meditation. “Sikhs will also light earthen lamps and set off fireworks,” he said.
Diwali in Jains
Many Jains celebrate Diwali by fasting, singing hymns and chanting mantras to honour one of the spiritual successors of Jainism, but some participate in charity works. The day after Diwali marks the Jain New Year, celebrating new beginnings. It is pertinent to mention here that followers of Jainism migrated mostly from Pakistan during the partition of 1947.
It’s so amazing to see how religious tolerance exists in Pakistan as compared to India, which is attacking and killing minorities day in and day out.
This article amplifies that fact that Pakistan is moving twords peace ✌