ALL THE LIGHT WE DO NOT SEE

Diwali takes on different hues across a wide range of cultures – from Himachal’s Budhi Diwali to Mahavir Nirwan of the Jains

- ANAND SINGH

There are innumerable adjectives one can use to describe a vast country like India. It is vibrant, flavourful, and immersive, but at the apex of it all, it is diverse. This melting pot of cultures has people, food, clothes, traditions, rituals, and festivals of a variety wide enough to boggle the human mind. Different celebrations are underway practically throughout the year but there’s one festival in particular that brings every corner of the nation together. Diyas and lanterns light up the Indian mainland, like beacons of trust and hope, to dispel darkness from homes and hearts. Despite being commemorated in different ways throughout the country, the festival of Diwali, at its core, remains a celebration of warmth, brotherhood, and the victory of good over evil.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME

To the Khas and Kanet tribes of Himachal Pradesh, the local festival of Budhi Diwali is a reason to come together and celebrate their beloved culture. These pre-Aryan nomads can be traced back to the Central Asian Highlands. They were one of the first settlers (dating back to the start of the first millennium Before Christ) of the Kumaon and Garhwal regions of Northern India. Their attempt at mixing in with the locals laid the foundation of a fascinating culture that is part-Buddhist and part-Hindu, with traces of local Pagan cultures.

Local tour guide Rajat Rana, 22, considers himself fortunate to have witnessed this hybrid culture’s Diwali festivities in person. “Budhi Diwali is nothing like the Diwali most people know of. The celebrations start with the men of the village lighting big straw torches as early as three in the morning. The Kul Devis and Devtas (local deities) are welcomed into the village under a canopy of these torches. The men then throw these torches at each other and the idols, and dance around with them for the better part of the night. The fire itself is worshipped by the people,