Diwali or Deepaavali is the festival of lights. It is actually Deepaavalihi. It is a combination of two words— Deepa and Aavalihi. Deepa means light. Aavali means line, row, range etc. Deepaavali therefore means row of light/festival of lights. It is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil. It Lead us from the darkness of ignorance to the Light of spiritual knowledge and from mortality to immortality.

According to the epic Ramayana, Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu as the noble king, from his 14-year exile after rescuing Sita and killing the demon Ravana. The people of Ayodhya illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and fireworks to celebrate the return of their king. And another story to celebrate is, According to great epic Mahabharat, Narakasura is a demon king. He was the son of Bhumi Devi and varaha incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Narakasuran got a boon from Lord Brahma that he would death will happen only by his mother.He was ruled in Pragiyotisha. Narakasura is a wicked man who disrespect for demigods and women. He terrorized the Devas, Gandharvas and humans. He also snatched earrings of Aditi and imprisoned 16,000 daughters of Gods. All the devas went to Mahavishnu and requested to free themselves from this trouble. Lord Vishnu promised that I would definitely release you from this problem. After that Lord Krishna killed narakasura along with his consort satyabhama. He was released all the women imprisoned by narakasura. This day is celebrated as Diwali Festival. There are many more spiritual beliefs of people in different parts of India.

Diwali is not only a religious festival but it has also become people’s festival. It is celebrated in various ways and with different perspectives. People celebrate it in their own ways. People keep waiting for this festival for the whole year as this is one of the most popular festivals of India. People decorate their house and surroundings with earthen diyas and fancy lights. All the houses are decorated and lightened up with colorful lights and bulbs. All the cities looks so beautiful and there is light and happiness all around. People distribute sweets and gifts among the neighbours. They greet and wish Happy Diwali to each other. Everyone wears new clothes and gets dressed up for the Diwali pooja. Each family gets prepared and offer their prayers to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi. Children are excited for crackers and they never forget to buy crackers for Deepavali. Ladies make beautiful Diwali Rangoli designs outside the main entrance of the home and then put diyas around the Diwali Rangoli designs.

However, the question is how far we are able to understand and appreciate the fact that we are moving away from the real essence of the fiesta of light? The festival slowly but surely is becoming a problem for the environment all over India due to the carelessness and heedlessness of the general people around.It is high time that we should recognize the predicament and prepare a roadway by which we can make a healthy and environmentally balanced world. The theme of ‘green world’ is spreading all over the world and it’s our responsibility as well to maintain and uphold a better and safe society for ourselves.Come and do a bit for the society in this Diwali. Don’t forget to encourage others to celebrate an environmentally safe and secured Diwali.We are grown up on the lap of the wonderful nature and are blessed with the gifts of nature. It is our primary and most important duty to understand the significance and spirit of the traditional Diwali celebrations.

Let us look at some impacts of Diwali now days on the nature.1. Use locally made, earthenware Diyas for decoration,
2. Air pollution for burning fire crackers,
3. Consumerism,
4. Very high consumption of energy.

Let’s pledge to celebrate this auspicious festival in a healthy & eco-friendly way.

Here are some of the innovative ideas to celebrate ‘healthy & eco-friendly Diwali’1.Decoration make an organic rangoli,
2. Use Fruit Candles for organic decoration,
3. Avoid plastics use,
4. Stop the use of firecrackers as it impacts your & your neighbour’s health.

At last, a very Happy Diwali to all our readers. Hope you have the best Diwali. May the joy, cheer, mirth, and merriment of this divine festival surround you forever. May the happiness that this season brings brighten your life.

Wishing you all a very happy and safe Diwali.