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PrayasRaikwar
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India is a land of festivals and celebrations. Festivals are an expression of one's joy, appreciation and love, in fact, they are a reason of bringing people of all caste, creed and religion in society together to celebrate in unison. Due to India's vast religious and cultural diversity, too many festivals, festivities and fairs are celebrated regularly every year. Festivals like Hole, Diwali, Moharram, Baisakhi, Christma, Budh Purnima, Mahavir Jayanti etc are celebrated by people of all communities, classes and religions in India. Among all the festivals, my favourite festival is of course Diwali. It is celebrated just before the onslaught of winter season, at the end of October or many a times in the beginning of November. According to the Hindu calendar, Diwali is celebrated on the 15th of the month of Kartik when the weather is pleasant, being neither too hot nor too cold. The festival is celebrated in the joyous memory of Ramchandra's return to Ayodhya after an exile of 14 years. The people of Ayodhya lit diyas of ghee to express their infinite joy on the return of their beloved king Ram. One can imagine the entire city being lit up on a moonless night with strings of deepaks and candles that was how the first Diwali was celebrated. Since then, Diwali is celebrated every year to commensurate the return of Ram the ideal man of our civilization. Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and lord Ganesha, the lord of remover of obstacles, are worshipped on this day for prosperity, success and material abundance. Such is the charm of this festival that preparations begin months before Diwali. The markets get crowded and busy. People come out of their homes and flock to crowded markets to buy delicacies, new clothes, crackers etc. People clean up their homes and get them whitewashed or painted. Children also eagerly wait to wear new clothes and light fire crackers.