Page 15 - Diwali

People revel in Diwali spirit after two years of muted celebrations

Colourful lights illuminated buildings and earthen lamps dotted houses as people across the country celebrated Diwali with pomp on Monday after two years of muted festivities due to the pandemic. People, dressed in their finest, exchanged sweets and gifts, visited temples and greeted each other. Some restrictions on bursting of firecrackers, particularly in the national capital, however, remained in force. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people of the country and hoped the festival will bring happiness, wellbeing and strengthen the spirit of mutual cooperation and harmony. Like previous years, Prime Minister Modi celebrated Diwali with soldiers. This time it was in Kargil. Addressing the soldiers, he said India is against war but also underscored the need for strength to ensure peace and asserted that its growing power boosts the chances of global peace and prosperity. India stands for peace and has always ...

Cyclone 'Sitrang' brings rain, high wind dampening Diwali cheer in Bengal

As cyclone 'Sitrang' moved north-northeastwards and lay 260 km southeast of Sagar island on Monday, the Met department warned of heavy rain in coastal Bengal and northeastern states, dampening festive spirits on Diwali and Kali Puja. Intermittent showers since morning forced people to remain indoors as most Kolkata streets wore a deserted look on a festive evening which would normally have attracted tens of thousands to visit marquees with idols of Goddess Kali and see the bring lights of the city. Squally wind accompanied by light to moderate rain affected the coastal districts of the state, while Kolkata also witnessed an overcast sky with light precipitation. Moving at a speed of 33 kmph in a north-northeastward direction, cyclone 'Sitrang' lay 260 kmph southeast of Sagar island at 2.30 pm over the northwest Bay of Bengal and is very likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm, packing wind speed of 90 to 100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph by Monday night. It is likely t

Army chief reviews security situation along northern borders in Sikkim

Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Monday visited forward areas in Sikkim to review the security situation along the northern borders and also greeted soldiers on Diwali. Gen Pande visited military stations in north Bengal and border areas of Sikkim on October 23-24, the defence ministry said in a statement. He wished all ranks on the occasion of Diwali and also reviewed the security situation along the northern borders of Sikkim, the ministry said. The Army chief expressed satisfaction at the pace of infrastructure development along the border areas. He was accompanied by Lt Gen R P Kalita, Army Commander of Eastern Command, and Lt Gen Tarun Kumar Aich, GOC Trishakti Corps, the statement said. At Sukna Military Station on Sunday, Gen Pande interacted with the troops during a programme showcasing India's cultural heritage and unity in diversity, which was organised on the eve of the festival. On Monday, the Army chief, accompanied by Kalita and Aich, visited forward areas in north

Punjab, Haryana lit with Diwali spirit; Mann visits Gurudwara with wife

Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated across Punjab and Haryana on Monday with great fervour and enthusiasm. Devotees queued up at temples and gurudwaras across Punjab and Haryana including Chandigarh to worship their gurus and deities. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann along with his wife Gurpreet Kaur offered prayers at Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali. He also bought some diyas from a roadside vendor. Cities across the two states were lit with candles, diyas (earthen lamps), and electric lights, as people did rounds of each others' houses and exchanged sweets and gifts. Everywhere, people thronged the market places for last-minute shopping as shopkeepers selling Diwali items and sweets made a brisk business. To ward off any bad incident, security was tightened across the two states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, especially in and around vital locations, markets, and places of worship, officials said. In Amritsar, the Golden Temple, the holy Sikh shrine, gleamed

Vehicular trauma cases rise in Gujarat; Chandigarh on alert during Diwali

A total of 621 cases of vehicular traumas were recorded in the state of Gujarat when compared with the average of 424 cases in a single day

PM Modi calls on President Droupadi Murmu, both exchange Diwali greetings

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met President Droupadi Murmu and they exchanged Diwali greetings and also shared their "desire for peace, prosperity and a better tomorrow for the whole of humanity". "It was my pleasure to receive Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji today. We exchanged Diwali greetings and shared our desire for peace, prosperity and a better tomorrow for the whole of humanity on this festival that marks the victory of light over darkness," President Murmu tweeted, along with the pictures of the meeting. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi celebrated Diwali with soldiers in Kargil.

Maha CM greets people on Diwali, stresses on expediting state's development

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday greeted people on Diwali and the CM laid emphasis on speeding up development of the state. This is Shinde's first Diwali as chief minister. He was sworn in as the CM on June 30 this year after the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Wishing citizens of the state while attending a Diwali event in his hometown Thane, Shinde said, May this Diwali bring prosperity and good health to you all. "We have to put the development of the state on a fast track, and give justice to all sections of the society. An era of development has begun, Shinde added. Referring to India's victory over Pakistan in a nail-biting thriller in the ICC T20 World Cup tie on Sunday, the CM said, "We played a similar match three and half months back and won. The state and the country had seen it." On the festive occasion, he also announced City and Industrial Development Corporation's (CIDCO) new hou

Tax on Diwali gifts: How various sources of gifts are taxed

Festivals are the best time to gift people you care about. However, you must remember that gifts from many sources are taxable once they exceed a certain threshold. Watch the video for details >

PM Narendra Modi lands in Kargil to celebrate Diwali with soldiers

Continuing with his annual tradition of celebrating Diwali with soldiers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday arrived in Kargil.

PM Modi greets Indians on Diwali, wishes 'joy and well-being' to all

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted people on Diwali and wished that the festival brought them joy and well-being. He tweeted, "Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali. Diwali is associated with brightness and radiance. May this auspicious festival further the spirit of joy and well-being in our lives. I hope you have a wonderful Diwali with family and friends.

Diwali an occasion to strengthen harmony, says President Droupadi Murmu

On the eve of Diwali, President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday extended greetings to fellow citizens

Muted festive season sales fail to light up Diwali for many shopkeepers

Hit hard by inflation, low-income groups have been cautious about spending this festive season

Delhi set for smoggy Diwali as firework sales thrive after two yrs of Covid

Ban, strict fines fail to deter buyers, Air Quality Index at 247, hits 'poor' category on Sunday, a day ahead of Diwali

With AQI of 265, Delhi's air on day before Diwali least polluted in 7 years

Delhi recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 265 on Sunday, which was lowest for the day before Diwali in seven years, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed. Diwali will be celebrated across the country on Monday. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". Last year, the AQI on November 3 (a day before Diwali) was 314. It had shot up to 382 on the Diwali day and 462 the next day. In 2020, Delhi recorded an AQI of 296 a day before Diwali (November 13), while it worsened to 414 on Diwali and 435 the day after. The capital logged an AQI of 287 on the day before the festival in 2019. It worsened to 337 on Diwali (October 27) and further to 368 the next day. The AQI was 338 on the day before Diwali in 2018. Interestingly, it improved to 281 on the Diwali day before aggravating to 390 the next day. The AQI was 302 and 404 on the day before Di

World's largest diya in Punjab's Mohali symbolises flame of global peace

To send out a message of global peace, world's largest oil lamp was lit in Punjab's Mohali, the organisers of the event claimed. Over 10,000 citizens contributed oil for the event that concluded with a world record, they said. Manufactured with around 1,000 kilogram steel, the world's largest diya measuring 3.37 metres in diameter was lit here on Saturday evening by chief guest of the event Lt Gen K J Singh (retd), former general officer commanding-in-chief of Army's Western Command, to spread the message of world peace, unity, secularism, and humanism. Over 10,000 citizens including 4,000 residents of 'Hero Homes', representing the diverse fabric and diversity of Indian society, pooled in 3,129 litres of organic and diya-appropriate oils to create this unique symbol of peace. Hero Homes, which had organised the event at its premises, is a residential unit of Hero Realty Private Limited, the real estate arm of Hero Enterprise. Themed around the festival of peace, the huge diya was

On average, Haryana sees 100 stubble fires per day; farmers blame govt

The impact of farm fires has been visible on Delhi's air quality. The AQI of the Delhi-NCR region is getting worse and will deteriorate post-Diwali

PM Modi to attend 'Deepotsav' celebrations in Ayodhya today on Diwali eve

PM Modi will perform the darshan and pooja of Bhagwan Shree Ramlala Virajman

Cyclone Sitrang: Northeastern states likely to witness rain on Diwali

IMD on Saturday said cyclone 'Sitrang' is likely to trigger light to moderate rains in most parts of the northeastern region during Diwali

No fine for flouting traffic rules in Gujarat during Diwali; Owaisi slams

No fines will be collected from from traffic rules violators till October 27 in view of Diwali festivities, the Gujarat government has announced. The decision was taken so that people's "Diwali is not spoiled," said Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi. The announcement, however, evoked a sharp response from All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi who termed it a "Revdi" (freebie) from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been vocal against the culture of offering freebies to woo voters. Assembly polls in Gujarat are expected to be announced soon. "From October 21 to 27, traffic police in Gujarat will not collect any fine from people. If anyone is caught without a helmet or driving licence or found violating any other traffic rule during this period, our police will give them a flower," said Sanghavi in Surat on Friday. The decision was taken to give relief to people during Diwali and it was being done under t

RSS body slams Delhi govt ban on all kinds of firecrackers during Diwali

The RSS-affiliated Swadeshi Jagran Manch on Saturday slammed the AAP-led Delhi government over the imposition of a complete ban on all kinds of firecrackers in the city, terming the move "inappropriate and unscientific". It also alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal government's "blanket ban" on firecrackers was aimed at misguiding people and diverting their attention from the real cause of air pollution in the national capital. Government agencies have failed to solve the problem of stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and other parts of the country even though it is the "biggest source" of air pollution in the national capital and the surrounding northern states, the SJM said without naming anyone. "The SJM strongly opposes the complete ban on firecrackers by the Delhi government during the festival of Diwali as it is inappropriate," it said in a statement. "The SJM also urges all state governments to make efforts to find a permanent solution to the problem of stubble burning and