My first post on the new blog. Feels good that its about Diwali: The Hindu new year.
First of all I want to extend my warmest wishes for Diwali to all who celebrate the auspicious festival all around the world. Diwali is the festival of lights, a time when members of the some of the world’s great faiths celebrate the triumph of good over evil. Its significance is laid out in the sands for “Lead us from falsehood to truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality.” In Hinduism Diwali marks the return of the Lord Ram from Exile and small lamps lit his way home. The lightning of these lamps continues today marking the celebrations as a time of reflections on years-gone by and a time to pray for good years to come. In Jainism the occasion celebrates the attainment of Nirvana by Lord Mahavira, one of the long life of spiritual leaders known for achieving enlightenment by freeing themselves of base human impulses and emotions. In Sikkhism, Diwali is the celebration of freedom of Guru Hargobind, the religion’s 6th Guru.
It was my first Diwali away from India. The day started with a phone call from my dad. I spoke to everyone at my home after they finished “Puja” and asked for their blessings. The rest of the day was pretty normal at EPFL attending lectures :(. Then in the evening, I celebrated Diwali with my Indian friends. We began by doing a “Puja” followed by a fantastic dinner. From there, I visited my other friends and celebrated Diwali with them and played cards whole night :).