No clothes, no sweets, no crackers: Dark Diwali for families in Punjab’s flood-hit villages

The festival of lights is just around the corner, yet darkness looms large over the flood-ravaged villages of Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district, as many families struggle with the loss of their homes and fields.

Pargat Singh, a marginal farmer from Rampur Gaura who owned 1.5 acres of land, had worked hard to build a small two-room house — but his home was washed away by the floods. He had dreamt of celebrating Diwali with his family after harvesting paddy.

“All that’s left are the remains of my house. I have three daughters. Every year I bring them sweets, crackers and new clothes. This time, they don’t ask for anything — they know we are homeless now. No one can imagine what a father goes through when he sees that sadness in his children’s eyes,” he said.

Pargat’s story echoes throughout the village. Nine families in Rampur Gaura lost their homes in the floodwaters. One of them is Major Singh, who used to celebrate Diwali with his children no matter how limited the resources.

“My younger one asked what I would get him for Diwali this year. What do I say to him? We’ve lost our home, our land — everything is gone,” he said.

In Mandala Channa village in Shahkot, Jalandhar, four more families have been displaced. Their homes, built close to the embankment, were reduced to rubble. They now live in temporary shelters.

Swaran Kaur, a resident of Mandala Channa, said: “There is no sign that our houses ever existed. Water took everything. There will be no Diwali for us this year.”