Deepawali

Deepawali, the festival of lights holds special significance in the lives of we Indians as it marks the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. The Legend has it that the people of Ayodhya celebrated prince Rama's return by lighting earthen Lamps (Diyas). That is why it is refered to as Deepawali- the nights of lamps. Goddess Laxmi- the Goddess of wealth and prosperity is worshipped in North India, while Goddess Kali- the Goddess of strength and power is worshipped in east India.

This day is celebrated as the MahaNirvan Day of Swami Dayanand Saraswati- the founder of Arya Samaj. In the midst of all the graneur of celebrations, decorations etc, one must not forget the essence of the festival which is all about being good and doing good deeds. Let us all be good human beings first, then only we can deserve to celebrate the festivals. If we think of festivals to satisfy our appetite for worldly possessions only and don't think of how as an individual we are, then I don't think we are deserving enough to celebrate such festivals. Crackers for example are things that msut be avoided as not only they cause air pollution but sound pollution as well causing a lot of trouble for people at large.
We must remember that our freedom is limited to someone else's discomfort. Our comfort should not become the cause of discomfort for others.