Dr Safeeya Mo­hammed

guardian.wemagazine@gmail.com

Di­vali, al­so known as Deep­avali, is a time of cel­e­bra­tion and re­flec­tion, not just for the soul of a com­mu­ni­ty, but al­so for the in­domitable spir­it of women who play a piv­otal role in en­sur­ing the tra­di­tions of this fes­ti­val are kept. These mo­men­tous tra­di­tions com­mem­o­rate the vic­to­ry of good over evil. The essence of this mes­sage tran­scends bound­aries and res­onates with the cel­e­bra­tion of light and life it­self.

In the heart of this ra­di­ant fes­ti­val, women are the un­sung hero­ines. The sig­nif­i­cance of women in Di­vali goes far be­yond their roles in the kitchen or the prepa­ra­tion of in­tri­cate ran­goli de­signs; it’s about the em­bod­i­ment of strength, re­silience, and the pur­suit of em­pow­er­ment. They are the ones who in­fuse the fes­ti­val with mean­ing, weav­ing their nur­tur­ing touch in­to every as­pect of the cel­e­bra­tion.

One can­not ig­nore the sheer ded­i­ca­tion and metic­u­lous plan­ning that goes in­to the Di­vali prepa­ra­tions. From clean­ing and dec­o­rat­ing homes to prepar­ing de­lec­table sweets and savoury dish­es, the ef­forts are a tes­ta­ment to the un­wa­ver­ing com­mit­ment of women to pre­serve tra­di­tions. Each dish tells a sto­ry, passed down through gen­er­a­tions, nur­tur­ing not just the body but the spir­it too.

A cel­e­bra­tion of in­ner light

The cre­ative ex­pres­sion of women in the form of in­tri­cate ran­goli de­signs is a vi­su­al sym­pho­ny that trans­forms hum­ble doorsteps in­to pieces of art. These vi­brant pat­terns are a re­flec­tion of the pro­found con­nec­tion be­tween the mi­cro­cosm of the home and the uni­verse. They re­mind us that with­in the con­fines of our homes, we hold the pow­er to cre­ate beau­ty and har­mo­ny.

Be­yond the sur­face, Di­vali is a cel­e­bra­tion of in­ner light. It re­minds us of our in­nate strength to over­come ad­ver­si­ty and emerge vic­to­ri­ous. Women have been, and con­tin­ue to be, the torch­bear­ers of this mes­sage. They stand as pil­lars of strength, guid­ing their fam­i­lies through the dark­est of times with grace and un­wa­ver­ing love.

The cel­e­bra­tion of Di­vali is not just about the ex­ter­nal il­lu­mi­na­tion of oil lamps; it’s about the in­ner ra­di­ance that women nur­ture with­in them­selves and in those around them. It’s about the em­pow­er­ment that comes from em­brac­ing one’s iden­ti­ty and her­itage. It’s about fos­ter­ing an en­vi­ron­ment where every woman can shine as bright­ly as the stars in the night sky.

The il­lu­mi­na­tion of em­pow­ered women

As we cel­e­brate Di­vali, let us take a mo­ment to ho­n­our the women who have kin­dled the light of tra­di­tion and em­pow­er­ment. Their re­silience, their wis­dom, and their love are the true lights that guide us through life’s in­tri­cate pat­terns. In their hands, Di­vali be­comes the il­lu­mi­na­tion of the em­pow­ered woman, the heart­beat of our com­mu­ni­ties.

As a Mus­lim daugh­ter of our soil, my up­bring­ing didn’t de­ny this ex­po­sure and in­te­gra­tion in­to my child­hood and up to this day, we join with our Hin­du friends and fam­i­ly in rev­er­ence of the Di­vali tra­di­tions.

The great Muham­mad Ali shared, “If we con­tin­ue to think and live as if we be­long to dif­fer­ent cul­tures and re­li­gions, with sep­a­rate mis­sions and goals, we will al­ways be in a self-de­feat­ing com­pe­ti­tion with each oth­er. Once we re­alise we are all mem­bers of hu­man­i­ty, the on­ly com­pe­ti­tion will be in the spir­it of love.”

I wish all our read­ers Shubh Di­vali, May the love and lights of the fes­ti­val il­lu­mi­nate your world and tri­umph over any dark­ness around you and your loved ones.

Let the oil lamps glow, let the ran­goli daz­zle, and let the sweets tempt our taste buds. But, above all, let us recog­nise and cel­e­brate the women who il­lu­mi­nate our lives, in Di­vali and every day, with their strength, wis­dom, and bound­less love. This Di­vali, let the cel­e­bra­tion of light al­so be a cel­e­bra­tion of the ra­di­ant women who make it all pos­si­ble!