Festival of lights is about joy & togetherness

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, October 16

Most families in Jalandhar don’t mind spending two to three times more than their monthly income to fulfill their desires, especially when it comes to celebrating an occasion like Diwali, where the festive spirit reaches its peak. Jalandhar Tribune spoke to four families on how they plan to celebrate the festival. The families agree that the expenses are not going to be pocket-friendly, still they are doing it with joy for the sake of family re-union and to maintain the grandeur of the occasion.

Charanjit Singh Maigni and Bunty Maigni  (Industrialist) 

• Expenditure – not fixed, as per the needs

“I am against spending a large amount on crackers and exchanging gifts. Even my grandchildren have this time specially asked not to bring crackers as they have been told in school to celebrate eco-friendly Diwali. In fact, we realised that exchanging gifts and receiving it from friends leave us with no time at all to spend with our own family, so much so that even on the day of Diwali, we remain busy with it. Diwali, for us, is an occasion to reunite and celebrate some special moments. We prefer to decorate our house and celebrate it with good wishes for everybody. We go to Andh Vidyalaya (School for the Blind) and distribute fruits and sweets among the children. 

Dr Jaswant Thind and Harjinder Kaur 

• Total expenditure this festival season: Rs 8 lakh to Rs 9 lakh (including staff bonus)
• No expenses for crackers 
• Other small expenses range up to Rs 20,000                       

Diwali is the festival of joy and togetherness which gives out a message to the people to spend quality time and share happiness with each other. I usually don’t indulge in the tradition of giving gifts to friends and relatives or buying new things for the family. Rather, I prefer celebrating the day with my staff members who work day and night for my hospital and contribute in its success. Just a day before Diwali, I usually host a get-together of my family and staff members. I ask them to share their problems and needs. We present gifts and sweets to all the staff and celebrate the day with each other. I even visit my the families of my staff members, meet their children and get to know about their whereabouts. 

Tej Pal Sharma (Professional) 

• Total expenditure for the festive season – Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000 
• Expenses on crackers – Rs 1,000          

Tej Pal Sharma, who works in a private organisation, says the best part about the festival is getting two days of off from work. “I help my wife in decorating the home and spend time with my children. As we are a joint family, our Diwali celebrations are all the more special. On Diwali night, my relatives and friends visit me and we enjoy the festival together by bursting crackers, distributing sweets and enjoying the time together. We do not buy any special gifts, we just exchange sweets. What matters the most is family bonding, warmth in relations and a caring attitude and not merely gifts, which at the end of the day, are confined to an almirah or store rooms,” Sharma says.

Prof Atima Sharma Dwivedi and Major General GG Dwivedi

• Total expenditure this festival season – no limits, as per the need and requirements 
• Against the burning of crackers, hail the Supreme Court and High Court order over ban on crackers 

Atima Dwivedi, Principal of KMV College and GG Dwivedi, while sharing their preparations and plans for Diwali, said they had bought handicraft, painted diyas and fancy candles, all from exhibitions organised by her college students for decorating their home. “I have bought a Lord Ganesha painting for my drawing room. I started buying all these items ten days before and I am still engaged in finding some unique home décor things. My husband has presented me a gold bangle, both for Diwali and my birthday. I also purchased a warm suit for my mother as a Diwali gift,” says Atima Dwivedi.  

“Will celebrate the day with family and friends of course but like every year, this year too, we will start the day by visiting the children at different orphanages. We will visit Mother Teresa’s home and spend time with the under-privileged children and families. I have bought gifts and specially-made besan ke laddoo and barfi, for myself, friends and relatives. Following this age-old family tradition, my son and daughter— Kshitij and Aeshita— who live in New York, have also bought gifts, especially for children living in charity homes,” the couple says.