Koshur Samachar

Lt Gen  Narendra Kotwal (Retd), Dr Sumedha Ahal Kotwal

narendrakotwal@gmail.com

Diwali, the festival of lights, symbolises the eternal triumph of truth over falsehood, dharma over adharma, and light over darkness. Yet, in the glitter of modern times, the sacred essence of this festival is increasingly eclipsed by noise, pollution, and material excess. The time has come to reclaim Diwali’s true spirit-not as an exhibition of affluence but as a celebration of consciousness, compassion, and ecological harmony. This year, let us celebrate a “Deepotsav of Conscious Light”-a Diwali that lights up lives, not merely homes.

At its philosophical core, Diwali commemorates the homecoming of Lord Ram to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile-a moment when the city glowed with joy born of righteousness, humility, and compassion. Lord Ram’s life epitomized “Maryada Purushottam”-the ideal human who harmonised duty with empathy, valour with virtue, and faith with forgiveness. To celebrate Diwali in the spirit of Ram Rajya is to reaffirm these values in our daily lives-to prefer honesty over hubris, empathy over ego, simplicity over showmanship, and service over selfishness. Lighting the lamp thus becomes a symbolic act of kindling the inner flame of awareness, dispelling the shadows of arrogance, greed, and hatred that obscure our collective consciousness. The true light dispels ignorance, not merely darkness.

Ancient India celebrated Diwali in synchrony with the Panchamahabhutas-the five great elements of nature. The earthen diya represented Prithvi (earth), ghee or sesame oil symbolised Agni (fire), the fragrance of flowers honoured Vayu (air), the shimmering reflection embodied Jal (water), and the collective prayers invoked Akasha (ether). Every ritual was designed in harmony with nature, reaffirming that the universe and human existence are interwoven. Sadly, this sacred relationship has weakened over time. Paraffin candles, synthetic lights, plastic garlands, and noisy fireworks have replaced purity and reverence. A single night of indiscriminate fireworks can elevate PM2.5 levels far beyond safe limits, aggravating asthma, cardiovascular strain, and oxidative stress. Modern endocrinology warns that these pollutants release endocrine-disrupting chemicals-silent saboteurs of human physiology that mimic or block natural hormones, disturbing thyroid, adrenal, and reproductive functions. Chronic exposure to such toxins is linked to infertility, obesity, diabetes, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Ironically, what we celebrate as light outside often breeds darkness within-manifesting as inflammation, hormonal chaos, and disease.

Conversely, traditional Diwali practices were inherently therapeutic. The fragrance of sandalwood, tulsi, or camphor used in homes purifies the air and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, inducing calmness, balance, and serenity. The rhythmic chanting of mantras regulates breath and heart rate, while lighting pure ghee lamps releases negative ions that neutralise airborne toxins. These age-old practices reflect an intuitive understanding of neuroendocrine harmony. They are not outdated rituals but sophisticated eco-spiritual interventions for mental and hormonal balance.

A conscious Deepotsav, therefore, must heal both body and biosphere. Replacing synthetic candles with earthen diyas filled with ghee or sesame oil restores the aesthetic of purity and simplicity. Using rangolis made of rice flour, turmeric, and petals nourishes insects and birds rather than choking drains. Decorating homes with cloth or bamboo artefacts supports artisans and promotes sustainable living. Each diya becomes a microcosm of sustainable illumination-gentle, renewable, and reverent. When every household adopts this spirit, Diwali becomes not a burden on nature but a hymn to her.

Mindful celebration also extends to food and gifting. The principle of “Aparigraha,” or non-hoarding, reminds us that happiness arises not from possession but from perspective. Replace plastic wrappings with jute or cloth, and gift sweets made from millets, jaggery, and nuts instead of refined sugar and hydrogenated oils. Ayurveda calls such food Satvik-light, pure, and nourishing to body and mind. Modern endocrinology echoes this wisdom: fibre-rich, unprocessed foods stabilise insulin, reduce cortisol, improve gut microbiota, and restore hormonal harmony. The act of eating thus becomes both celebration and meditation. Health, after all, is the highest wealth.

Equally transformative is the idea of “Green Gifting.” Instead of transient trinkets, let us share living symbols of continuity-plants, seeds, and earthen diyas. A neem or peepal sapling gifted this Diwali can grow into a life-sustaining monument, cleansing the air and sheltering countless beings. A handwoven cloth, a bamboo lamp, or a book of poems supports artisans and nourishes the mind. Imagine every family adopting the principle “One Home, One Tree.” Across the nation, billions of saplings could rise as living diyas of gratitude to Mother Earth. Prosperity then acquires a new meaning-not the power to consume but the capacity to nurture.

Beyond the material, Diwali calls us to compassion. Visiting an orphanage, feeding stray animals, or gifting warm clothes to the needy rekindles the true light of the heart. The smile of a child, the gratitude of an elder, or the wagging tail of a rescued dog embodies a divine radiance that no firecracker can rival. The greatest joy comes not from what we burn or buy, but from what we share and heal. The glow of compassion outshines all artificial brilliance.

A community Deepotsav can magnify this light manifold. Imagine neighbourhoods gathering for a “Deepotsav of Gratitude”-lighting diyas together, singing bhajans, sharing simple meals, and planting trees. Children could create eco-rangolis, elders narrate the Ramayana, and youth pledge to reduce waste and plastic. Such collective celebrations transform entire localities into centres of harmony, mindfulness, and joy. When consciousness becomes collective, a city begins to glow from within.

At a deeper level, Diwali is an invitation to conquer our inner Ravana-the ten-headed demon symbolising negative tendencies like anger, arrogance, envy, greed, delusion, desire, attachment, pride, prejudice, and ignorance. True victory lies in this inner purification. Lighting a lamp then becomes an act of awakening the Atman, the eternal light within. The Bhagavad Gita reminds us that the soul is unborn, eternal, and beyond decay. When the inner light shines, outer glitter loses significance. The war of life is won not in the battlefield but in the silence of self-realisation.

A Green and Grateful Diwali is also an act of endocrine preservation. Human hormones are synchronised with circadian cycles and seasons. Late-night fireworks, excessive screen light, and sleeplessness disturb melatonin secretion, impairing metabolism, immunity, and mental health. By returning to nature’s rhythm-lighting diyas at sunset, dining early, and resting under darkness-we restore chronobiological harmony. Our inner glands, much like planets in orbit, function best in balance and rhythm. Aligning our lifestyle with nature’s cadence is both spiritual and scientific wisdom.

Let this Diwali mark a collective awakening. Burn not firecrackers but inner vices; illuminate not walls but hearts; celebrate not with excess but with awareness. When we light a lamp, let it symbolise wisdom; when we plant a tree, let it symbolise continuity; when we smile, let it symbolise compassion. The mantra of our age should be simple yet profound:  light the lamp, plant the tree, reduce pollution, and expand love.

The brilliance of Diwali lies not in glittering malls or smoky skies but in illuminated minds and compassionate actions. The true Deepotsav is when a child learns kindness, when a home chooses sustainability, when a community embraces gratitude. Let every diya we light ignite awareness, every act of kindness heal the Earth, and every heart awaken to its divine glow. This is the festival where ecology meets endocrinology, spirituality meets sustainability, and science meets the soul.

In this realisation lies the future of both human health and planetary survival. To live consciously is to heal holistically. A Green Diwali is not a renunciation of joy but its refinement-a movement from noise to nuance, from glare to glow, from possession to participation. It calls us to be guardians of light and stewards of life. As the lamps flicker across the land, may they remind us of our deeper identity as beings of awareness and compassion.The Deepotsav of Conscious Light is thus more than a festival-it is a philosophy, a movement, and a prayer. It beckons every individual to become a lighthouse of awareness, every home a sanctuary of simplicity, every community a garden of gratitude. When light is born in consciousness, darkness finds no refuge.

May this Diwali awaken us to our highest potential-to live with humility, act with compassion, and celebrate with awareness. May every flame we kindle dispel ignorance and every act of kindness sustain creation. Let this be the dawn of a new Diwali-Green, Grateful, and Graceful-where the true victory of light is the triumph of awareness over indifference, of compassion over consumption, and of consciousness over chaos.