Deepavali for Diplomacy: An iconic global celebration

Hindu diaspora played an exemplary role as cultural ambassadors in all communities turning Deepavali into a source of pride and diplomacy

By
Vijendra Agarwal
-
Deepavali | Hindu diaspora played an exemplary role as cultural ambassadors in all communities turning Deepavali into a source of pride and diplomacy
Hindu diaspora played an exemplary role as cultural ambassadors in all communities turning Deepavali into a source of pride and diplomacy

This Deepavali culminated in an iconic event & cultural bonanza for many reasons

Conventionally, the formal international diplomatic relations are maintained by the skilled diplomats in India’s missions abroad. Our discussion, however, is about the people-to-people informal diplomacy with far-reaching positive influences on international relations politically, culturally, and economically. We discuss ‘Deepavali for Diplomacy’ similar to Deepavali for Democracy discussed earlier[1]. It is important to mention that Diwali is a commonly used anglicized word derived from Deepavali (literally meaning a row of lights).

The Indian diaspora across the world has served as India’s honorary Ambassadors promoting person-to-person diplomacy while celebrating festivals like Deepavali. In recent years, Prime Minister Modi has met and addressed the Indian diaspora as an integral part of his foreign visits. This in turn has empowered and accorded greater respect and recognition to, Indian diaspora to be deeply engaged with their country of origin. They have reciprocated it with a greater sense of pride and responsibility in celebrating festivals like the iconic Deepavali with the local diverse populations in addition to doing among themselves (Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs). This year, as the world is emerging out of the “dark” clouds of COVID-19, Deepavali, the festival of lights, has a special significance of victory over evil (COVID-19). Many world leaders have associated the spiritual significance of Deepavali in that spirit. We cite a couple of examples below of how the world leaders included COVID-19 in relation to Deepavali.

President Biden and the First Lady lit a ‘Diya’ (the earthen lamp according to Hindu tradition) and tweeted, “To Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists celebrating in America and around the world from the People’s House to yours, happy Diwali.” They reminded that Deepavali leads from darkness to knowledge, wisdom, and truth, from division to unity, and despair to hope. They made a clear reference to Deepavali having a deeper meaning this year due to COVID-19.

Vice President Kamala Harris, a person of Indian origin, wished everyone with a message to “honor the light” and help the needy.

New York City celebrated Deepavali at a grand scale with an extraordinarily diverse cultural extravaganza at the lit-up Times Square after a long COVID-19 lockdown[2]. The cultural program called “Colors of India,” with local and international performers was attended by thousands of people including many high-ranking government officials, and political and business dignitaries. The founder of the Diwali celebration said, “We are sharing the message of Diwali – Knowledge over Ignorance, Peace, Love, Unity, and Togetherness and Inclusion in Diversity to the world from the biggest crossroads of the world, Times Square.” Every big and small city in the United States celebrated its own Deepavali and extended person-to-person diplomacy.

In his greetings, Australian PM Morrison recalled the darkest night of the lunar month in the Hindu calendar (Amavasya when Deepavali is celebrated) and said that we turn the corner and begin to see the lights ahead from this day forward[3]. He said, “We celebrate Diwali as we draw ever closer to the light at the end of our COVID-19 tunnel. That means all the things we have had to forsake – welcoming, gathering, celebration, and ceremony- will again be possible.”

The British PM Johnson tweeted, “Happy Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas to everyone celebrating here in the UK and around the world.” Johnson addressed a large Sikh community in his greetings when he mentioned Bandi Chhor Divas (the day when the sixth Guru Hargobind Singh of Sikhs, was released)[4].

Pakistan’s Khan tweeted, “Wishing all our Hindu community a happy Diwali,” while the Pakistan People’s Party had a more profound message on this occasion, “to fight against darkness, injustices, and inequality in the country,” They both were addressing to about 4 million Hindus and Sikhs still living in Pakistan.[5]

While we cited Deepavali celebrations and greetings from the select countries, it is unimaginable that the Indian diaspora anywhere, irrespective of their numbers, did not observe this iconic festival and shared the culture with the locals. It is equally important that technology companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Google, with a relatively large number of Hindu employees, observed Deepavali in their own way. In fact, the CEOs of all three big ones (two of them are of Indian origin) issued their greetings on this occasion.

This year, Walmart and other stores also had the larger than ever before the presence of specially packaged fireworks for Deepavali unlike the restrictions in India. I surmise that the consumption and sales of fireworks for Deepavali in the U.S. are beginning to be commercialized similar to Americans observing July 4 (America’s Independence Day). At present, only ethnic stores hold special promotions on Deepavali but it is a matter of time when, not if, Deepavali becomes a commercial and not just a spiritual event. This year, there is already a Bill in Congress to declare Deepavali a federal holiday, another sign of the diplomatic prowess of the Indian diaspora[1].

The celebration of 2021 Deepavali immediately following the proclamation of October as Hindu Heritage Month, in many states in the U.S., added a new dimension and greater awareness about the ancient Hindu history and cultural icons. Another important news making headlines in 2021 is ‘Deepotsav,’ a special celebration of Deepavali in Ayodhya, an ancient city in Uttar Pradesh and the birthplace of Lord Ram[6]. There was a long drawn legal battle to reclaim the original land for the historic Ram temple which is being rebuilt and expected to be ready by next year. Therefore, Ayodhya was decorated with a world record of over a million Diyas for the special occasion. In my view, the legal victory was a Divine gift and an undisputed triumph of the truth and Dharma over the blatant lies and unsubstantiated evidence presented in the Court. The most common legend about Deepavali is that Lord Ram returned to his kingdom Ayodhya on this day after 14 years of exile and the whole city was decorated with a row of Diyas to welcome him back. In fact, Deepotsav was a celebration of the long-overdue Ram Temple construction in 2021 signifying His return hundreds of years later since the temple was destroyed by one of the most barbaric Muslim ruler Babur in the sixteenth century.

In conclusion, Deepavali has been an important festival for Hindus for centuries wherever they are. This year, culminated in an iconic event and cultural bonanza for many reasons discussed above. In that, the Hindu diaspora played an exemplary role as cultural ambassadors in all communities turning Deepavali into a source of pride and diplomacy. A takeaway is that India’s skilled diplomats and people-to-people diplomacy are finally coming together to reclaim India’s ancient history, heritage, and culture and showcase the rising political and economic prowess. The credit is also due to the extraordinary leadership and diplomacy of globe tottering Modi, a strong nation builder and defender of India’s honor and territorial integrity. What we all may wish is an everlasting India’s diplomacy during every Deepavali, other festivals. and cultural events.

Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

References:

[1] Deepavali Day Act = Deepavali for Democracy – Nov 04, 2021, PGurus.com

[2] Diwali at Times Square – A Grand Celebration in the Heart of New York City! – Nov 08, 2021, Market Insider

[3] Australian PM extends Diwali greetings to India – Nov 03, 2021, ANI News

[4] UK PM Boris Johnson extends Diwali greetings – Nov 04, 2021, HT

[5] Pakistan PM Imran Khan Extends Diwali Greetings – Nov 04, 2021, NDTV

[6] Diwali 2021: Deepotsav Preparations in Full Swing at Ayodhya, 12 Lakh Diyas To Be Lit In The Holy City – Nov 03, 2021, Latest LY

PGurus is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with all the latest news and views

For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.

Vijendra Agarwal
Vijendra Agarwal
Vijendra Agarwal, born in village Kota (Saharanpur, U.P), left India in 1973 after Ph.D. (Physics) from IIT Roorkee. He is currently a member of project GNARUS, a syndicated service and writers collective. He and his wife co-founded a US-based NGO, Vidya Gyan, to serve rural India toward better education and health of children, especially empowerment of girls. Vidya Gyan is a calling to give back to rural communities and keeping connected to his roots which gave him so much more. His passion for writing includes the interface of policy, politics, and people, and social/cultural activities promoting community engagement.

Formerly, a researcher in Italy, Japan, and France, he has widely travelled and came to the US in 1978. He was a faculty and academic administrator in several different universities in PA, TX, NJ, MN, WI, and NY, and an Executive Fellow in the White House S&T Policy during the Clinton administration.
Vijendra Agarwal
Latest posts by Vijendra Agarwal (see all)

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

3 COMMENTS

  3. Excellent Move there by the Really holy & Serene people( READ: Till now ONLY CHRISTIANS OF WEST have supported india/hinduism/bharat/Yog Dharm/Hindu dharma/Sanatan Dharma still not recognized by the Creator of ISLAMI ZIHAD OF PLANET ie not the Western Islami zihadis tiil date have bothered to recognize) of the western diaspora recognizing the serene & heavenly Holy/Goodness Power of Innocent people’s religion ie Yog Dharma/Hinduism/Sanatan Dharma religion Thereby celebrating the win of Heaven over Hell Done by God Ram(& Yog Dharm Universal Forces of God Hanuman ji) HOWEVER We Yog Dharmis still really Value the ones who have been actually been supporting Hinduism since the times of Swami Vivekanada till date only & NOT THE ONES WHO HAVE BEEN BEHIND FUNDING & SUPPORTING PAKISTAN & CHINA( READ: US CONGRESS HAS BEEN FUNDING PAK SINCE LAST 80 YEARS FOR THIS ALSO HAVE CREATED CHINA ALL MILITARY+ HARDWARE POWER OF CHINA TILL DATE IS ALL CREATED BY ALL NATO ONLY TO BLOW APART BHARAT/INDIA/HINDUSTAN also in layman terms to TO BLOW APART INDIA(SPECIALLY HINDUSTANIS IE HINDUS) BY AT LEAST New/Latest 70 YEARS OF GLOBAL ISLAMIC ZIHADI WARFARE ON HINDUS DONE MAJORLY BY CHINA FUNDING/MONEY + PAKISTAN’S ISLAMIC JIHADIS( ALSO ALL THE iSLAMIC Terrorist agencies ever created on the planet ie the ones since last 75 years or so ONLY like Al-quaeda, isis(all Forms), Talibs( All Forms old & new), Lashkar, Jaish, HisBULL(z) ETC HAVE BEEN FUNDED BY OPERATED BY SUCH WESTERN TERRORIST LORDS However if you DWELL DEEP INTO THIER GLOBAL OPERATIONS , Same western origin powers have funded & created Global Islamic Zihadi terrorists also later known as Al-quada, ISIS & ALL OTHERS too SO WE THE OWNERS/CREATORS/PROMOTERS/ALL PEOPLE OF YOG DHARM/SANATAN DHARM/HINDU DHARM ie all people of Bharat/hindustan ONLY VALUE REAL GENUINE SUPPORTERS OF INNOCENCE/GOODNESS/SATYA SANATAN/HINDU DHARM & NOT THE ONES POSING AS IF THEY ARE OR TRYING TO PROPOGANDATE/SHOW-OFF/FORCIBLY COMPLYING TO GLOBAL INNOCENCE PRESSURE OF GOODNESS TO ABIDE TO THE GOOD/HOLY/INNOCENT PEOPLE OF HINDUISM by some unknown people & pressures Beyond recognition of the normal global brains/spirits/atma powers of the planet earth Especially the special ones of the western Side… Thanks a lot for letting me pour real Brahm Truth in this regard. We hope it helps the Real Atmic Growth of all of you to reach the Holy Mountain of Innocence/Truth waiting for all since a long long time now!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here