KUCHING: Deepavali is celebrated on October 24 in Malaysia.
Diwali or Deepavali is the “festival of lights.” One reason why light is so important in human life is the way our visual aids are made.
For other creatures, light only means survival. But for a human being, light is not just seeing or not seeing. The awakening of light in our lives marks a new beginning and, above all, clarity.
Most creatures exist by instinct, so they don’t have a problem or confusion about what to do or not to do.
After a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian community will celebrate Deepavali this year, albeit by maintaining physical distancing and avoiding crowded places.
Deepavali is one of the best times to visit Peninsular Malaysia as the festival is livelier there and the lifestyle becomes more lively including the visitors at the festival.
New Sarawak Tribune contacted some members of the public to find out how they celebrate the occasion.
Rohit Rao Ramesh, 21, Supervisor F&B, Kedah
For the first time, I am grateful for being given the opportunity to celebrate Deepavali with my family, cousins and friends this year. We have prepared to make cakes, biscuits and buy sarees in preparation for the Deepavali festival which is coming soon. Although, there are still some good standard operating procedures (SOPs) to follow. I would like to advise all my friends out there, wherever they are to always keep distance during Diwali visits and take good care of our health.
Eswaran a/l Subramaniam, 21, Businessman, Kedah
I feel very happy to be able to celebrate Diwali this year without violating SOP and always take care of each other. For two years we do not feel the celebration of Deepavali. I am very excited to see family members who have not been home for a long time for the holiday in conjunction with this festival and various dishes will be served. I would like to wish a Happy Deepavali to all who celebrate Diwali throughout Malaysia.
Maheshwar Rau A/L Chandran, 21, Quantity Surveyor, Johor
I feel very happy to be able to celebrate Deepavali this year according to a relaxed SOP because for two years now we have not been able to celebrate Deepavali with joy. My message is that if we celebrate Deepavali, the SOP will be maintained. We are also obliged to take care of each other’s health. The COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over and it may be risky for unvaccinated individuals. We must wear face masks and maintain physical distancing as a precaution and those with symptoms such as fever and cough are not encouraged to visit and to avoid crowded places.
Praveenraj A/L Ayavoo, 21, Student, Penang
My feeling of celebrating Deepavali according to the relaxed SOP is that I feel very happy even though there are SOPs that need to be followed but still have the opportunity to celebrate Deepavali. I take this opportunity to wish everyone out there a Happy Deepavali 2022 and please follow the SOP even though our world is not fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reenalini, 40, Housewife, Petaling Jaya
There are various preparations such as making different types of biscuits or traditional Indian sweets. The traditional sweets that are popular among Indians are muruku, laddu and various other delicacies. Also, buying new clothes is a must to celebrate this Diwali festival. I am very excited to welcome this meaningful day. One of the reasons is to see relatives who are far away from us. I would like to wish happy Diwali to my beloved family and spend time with them and make this festival of light more meaningful and beautiful.
