SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2019 DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU daily iwali, also known as Deepawali, is the Lakshmi Puja Hindu festival of lights. It is celebrated for The third day, Lakshmi Puja, is the main day of Excelsior five days across India and other parts of Diwali festivities. It falls on the night of the new Established 1965 D Festival of Lights southern Asia, as well as in many other places moon. Celebrators clean their houses and them- Founder Editor S.D. Rohmetra around the world. It is the biggest Hindu festival Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists also celebrate Diwali mean wealth and prosperity. selves, dress in their best clothes and pray to and most important Hindu holiday of the year. but mark different events and stories. However, Leading up to this day, houses and businesses Lakshmi and Ganesha, the god of wisdom and During Diwali, people perform cleansing rituals, they all symbolize the victory of light over dark- are cleaned and decorated. Floors are decorated remover of obstacles. The prayer rituals can take Save River Tawi from decorate their homes, gather for special feasts, ness. with bright, geometric patterns called rangoli, hours to perform. Lakshmi is believed to roam the exchange gifts and light fireworks. The five days of Diwali which serve as symbols of good luck and welcome land at night and visit the cleanest house first. Though the exact dates change depending on The names of the five days of Diwali vary by guests and Lakshmi. Diyas are placed in all the house's windows to wel- unceasing pollution local custom, the festival is typically celebrated in region. Each day has its own set of traditions and The diyas are lighted in every room of the come the goddess. The night ends with huge feasts the Hindu month of Kartik, which falls in October rituals. "The uniqueness of this festival is its har- home all night long so that the dark cannot enter. and fireworks. e call it with reverence as 'Surya Putri' or November. mony of five varied philosophies, with each day to Sweet snacks, called prasad, are offered to Padwa also, denoting emotional and cultural The significance of Diwali Lakshmi and Yama Raj, the god The fourth day of Diwali is known as Padwa or of death, with prayers (puja) for attachment with River Tawi and we simul- Diwali celebrates the light overcoming the Govardhan Puja. Celebrators prepare and offer up a W dark, according to the SCFI's website, protection from an untimely large mountain of vegetarian food to express their taneously watch it being grossly polluted too, even DiwaliFestival.org. The light symbolizes knowl- death. gratitude to the gods, according to the SCFI. The most of the passersby from running vehicles over edge and wisdom, while darkness is a symbol for This is also a major shopping day commemorates when Krishna lifted Govardhan the busy Tawi Bridge throwing contents wrapped in all negative forces, such as wickedness, destruc- day, especially for new clothes Hill to protect villagers from torrential rains and polythene bags as a matter of according 'respect' to tion, violence, lust, envy, injustice, greed, oppres- and for gold ornaments and silver flooding. The mountain of food represents the hill. sion and suffering. utensils, in order to bring luck the discarded material but not knowing the cumula- After the festival, the food is shared by all. Households light dozens of little clay oil lamps, and prosperity. A ritual performed on this day involves build- tive damage being heaped on this river. Number of called diyas, to symbolize the triumph of light over Narak Chaturdasi (Choti ing a mound out of mud or cow dung to represent pollutants find their disposal in this river. Illegal and darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over Diwali) Govardhan Hill. The mini-mountain is then ruthless mining robbing it of its precious contents is ignorance. The word "Diwali," or "Deepawali" in On the second day of Diwali, adorned with food and flowers and prayers are known as Choti Diwali orNarak Sanskrit, means "a row of lamps" in Sanskrit. made to Krishna. another type of defiling of this river. The situation, The festival's roots lie in Hindu scriptures and Chaturdasi, Hindus remember Bhai Duj instead of being addressed on priority by the legends, according to the SCFI, and there are many Krishna's victory over The fifth day of Diwali, known as Bhai Duj stories associated with the celebration. For exam- Narakasura. Others, especially in Government, is allowed to get worsened as nothing (also spelled Bhai Dooj)or Bhai Tika (also spelled ple, Diwali commemorates the triumph of Rama, northern India, celebrate Rama of the sort is in sight in respect of Action Plan formu- Bhai Teeka), is dedicated to sisters. According to the lord of virtue, over the demon Ravana, as well and his victory against Ravana, lated by it in deference to the directions issued by as the return of Rama to his kingdom after 14 years a special thought or ideal," according to the SCFI. while those in Bengal worship Kali, the goddess of legend, Yama Raj, the god of death, visited his sis- the National Green Tribunal (NGT) last year to rid of exile. Dhanteras death. Jains also celebrate Mahaveera, the 24th ter on this day. He gave his sister a vardhan (a the river of pollution. Hindus also commemorate the victory of the On the first day of Diwali, called Dhanteras (or tirthankara (spiritual teacher) of Jainism and his blessing), which would be distributed to all those who visited her on that day, freeing them from their What is, after all, the main or the major cause of god Krishna over Narakasura, a king who had Dhanvantari Triodasi, Dhantrayodashi or Dhan reaching nirvana, or perfection. aligned himself with a demon, causing him to turn Theras), Hindus celebrate the day that On this day, fewer diyas are lit, and fewer fire- sins and allowing them to achieve moksha (final this river getting polluted to the levels as of now, is evil. Also, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth - Dhanvantari, the god of good health and medicine, works are set off. Many people take a ritual bath emancipation). Brothers visit their sisters' homes the sewage generated by Jammu city and which the including the wealth of money, pleasure, power, emerged from the ocean with the gift of Ayurveda before sunrise, rubbing massage oil and uptan (a on this last day of Diwali to pray for long life and NGT in its judgment of September 20, 2018 want- strength, knowledge, peace and children - is said to (the knowledge of life) to humanity. They also cel- paste of garam flour and fragrant powders) onto prosperity ed the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to walk the Earth and bless people. Other legends are ebrate the day that Lakshmi also came out of the their bodies to relieve tension. They rest to prepare Courtesy : https://www.livescience.com/62579-diwali-explained.html ocean with a pot of gold. "Dhanteras" translates to for fully celebrating Diwali. [email protected] address. Not only River Tawi, but four more or five celebrated according to different local customs. rivers in all in Jammu and four in Kashmir valley Ayushman October 26 is commemorat- were identified as having vast stretches as polluted- ed as a ‘Black Day’ by the sepa- eventy two years ago, ratists, who call it the day India by the Central Pollution Control Board based on Maharaja Hari Singh of India’s unsung War Hero occupied the Kashmir valley. In the data furnished by the State Pollution Control Jammu and Kashmir S Brigadier Rajinder Singh Jamw- signed the Instrument of Acces- after gaining independence, Pak- minister Dr Karan Singh, still the room when Maharaja Hari Dogra soldiers hindered the Board. As much as 75 MLD sewage is getting into al’s sacrifice lies the most potent sion to India as the region was istani forces comprising of tribal Singh gave that historic advance of the Pakistani force. River Tawi all without treatment through a 'network' counter to the separatist narra- under siege from Pakistani fighters and army regulars command. As the Brigadier and his men tive. Post Article 370, in a nation of 13 nullahs and main drains on its right and left forces. The accord mobilised the besieged Jammu and Kashmir. “It was a worrying sit- fought, on 26 October 1947, more firmly bonded with Jammu sides. There should, therefore, have been some Indian Army to repel the They sacked Muzaffarabad, their uation as the state was Maharaja Hari Singh signed the and Kashmir, he is a symbol of invaders weeks after the nation so-called ‘liberation’ being the slipping out of our hands,” Instrument of Accession. The kind of progress on the Action Plan which is unity, a soldier from Jammu who gained Independence. Every rape, murder and pillaging of he says. “Brigadier Rajin- first Sikh regiment flew into Sri- nowhere in sight and initiation in this regard by died defending the Kashmir val- year we celebrate that successful Kashmiris, no matter what their der Singh Jamwal was nagar to back the Dogra force, ley and the integrity of a newborn none of the agencies, as many agencies in unison military campaign as Infantry faith. Like marauders of the past, summoned by my father, however the Brigadier was India. His service sowed the are required to contribute towards implementation Day. the Mehsud tribe of Pakistan he was given the order and ambushed in Buniyar and fatally seeds of Kashmir’s bond with the The story that many won’t came with a large convoy of he just saluted and headed wounded.