Deepavali - 'the awareness of inner light'

Diwali at home!

It’s strange how things change in life. So near, yet so far...It's in March 2002 that I moved to Chennai when I took up a job with a business partner of Tata Telecom. One year passed by, and I shifted to Frost & Sullivan. Three and half years have rolled by, and I'm here at Great Lakes, since 6 months to pursue my MBA. Life at F&S was a roller-coaster ride, fast paced, highly consuming and quite a lot of long-distance traveling. Only this Diwali, when I came to Bangalore did I realize how fast paced my life has been for the past 4 years. It’s been more than 4 years since I spent more than a week's time with my parents at a stretch. Thanks to my Internship at F&S, this gave me the flexibility of working from home. Not that it was easy call choosing between an offer from one of the world's biggest consulting firms (Mumbai based) and F&S offer. However, my determination to spend time with my parents and darling sis made my decision making easier. I am glad I made this decision. Period.

Diwali has always been a festival close to my heart. I just love the sight of Diyas arranged in all possible geometrical shapes, the umpteen number of colorful flowers my grandma does not stop buying throughout the 3 long days of festival, and most importantly the long list of sweets that are prepared at home and received from friends on Diwali. I love the children jumping with joy and screaming around, just adding to the noise of the bustling crackers. Every year my parents say' this year Diwali is not the same. not too many crackers, the spirit is not the same...etc...etc.

However, for me, the very sight of arrays of Diyas around me enough to sparkle the festive mood in me. Although, I too agree that not many relatives visit on Diwali as earlier. With the onset of nuclear families, Diwali for many has become a reason to splurge money and buy something new - a TV, DVD, Fridge , a car, jewellery or just new clothes. It’s more of a self-centered reason to be extravagant in spending on self than considering it as a reason for friends and relatives to get tog tether and a good time.

Mythology says Deepavali - the actual Sanskrit word, marked the celebrations in Ayodhya when Ram & sita returned back home after Lord Ram's victory over Ravan. It is also said that this is the day Lord Shiva accepted Goddess Shakti as his better half and became - Ardhanarishwar.

Esoteric Significance

Flowers are an integral part of Diwali as are many decorations. While Deepavali is popularly known as the "festival of lights", the most significant esoteric meaning is "the awareness of the inner light".

Central to Hindu philosophy, is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Deepavali is the celebration of this Inner Light, in particular the knowing of which outshines all darkness (removes all obstacles and dispels all ignorance), awakening the individual to ones true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With the realization of the Atman, comes universal compassion, love, and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings Ananda (Inner Joy or Peace).

Diwali to me...

I guess, for me the esoteric significance is what matters the most. My belief in family values, the togetherness and the idea of just being with my family has been reinforced in me. I love having them around, though we might not spend too much time together, per se. I am glad I decided to do my internship at Bangalore. It’s been just 6 days since I came here, and I already love it soooooo much. These 20 days that I'm gonna be here is definitely gonna be the best days of my life! Life is rocking! Hope it does in the future also.

Half glass full or half glass empty…

I’m half done with my MBA at Great Lakes. Can’t believe it! Time has just flown by and so much has changed since then. We have finished 20 subjects and 20 more to go in the electives phase. Its time for our one month internship and most of my friends has left to their home towns, to pursue the same. It seems like life has come to a stand still. Except for me, and Manan, everyone else is gone. The cyber stream where we hang around all the time, if not in the classes attending lectures, seems so empty. The silence is killing and the void is unimaginable. It’s so strange, although all of us hang around in the same room for hours together; we are busy with our laptops doing our own things. But still, we feel the void even if one person is missing.

I hate to go to Cyber stream without my friends around. I miss Nitin sitting in the corner blogging endlessly on cool avenues or pagalguy.com, I miss Parag speaking on Dhirubhai Ambani’s phone and saying –“Roopaps, chai peene chal rahin hain kya?, I miss Sitashwa trying to bring down the height of my chair, I miss Ashwin asking me to suggest a song to play, I miss Manik fighting with me, calling me aunt Polly J…I miss them all for more than this, for just being there in my life…

Well, I’ll be gone to Blore in a couple of days…but these few days that I spent here without my friends around have really made me realize, how much I cherish these guys company at college!