Diwali is one of the most important and colourful festivals in India. It is known as the 'festival of lights'. People express their happiness by lighting earthen lamps, 'diyas', decorating the houses, bursting fire crackers and by inviting near and dear ones to their house for a sumptuous feast. The lighting of lamps is a way of paying obeisance to God for attainment of health, wealth ,fame , knowlegde and prosperity.

I was really touched when my Russian colleague, Ms Olga Suri, gifted handmade diyas to all the Sancta Marians.It took her one month to make these diyas. They were beautifully decorated; using glitters ,sequence ,glass, kundans etc. I was curious to know what led her to think about decorating Diyas herself and gifting one to each of us. She said that she wanted to be a part of our happiness in celebrating this beautiful festival of lights.

It was humbling to see a foreigner immerse herself in our culture to such an extent! We too need to think out of the box and create pleasant memories for eachother in giving and in recieveing!!