Hindu parents reflect on how to share tenets of the faith with their children
As Hindu parents celebrate Diwali, they reflect on how to share tenets of the faith with their children, writes Anjali Hazari
On Sunday, Rittoo Ahuja and her family celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights, along with thousands of other Hindus in Hong Kong. They first visited her husband Satinder's office, where she performed a pooja, a kind of ritual, to pay homage to Lakshmi, the goddess who represents both material and spiritual wealth, before taking their employees out for a celebratory lunch.
In the evening the family conducted a more elaborate pooja at home, which included presenting prasad - food offerings to deities which are later shared among devotees - and lighting earthen lamps called diyas, whose light is symbolic of the festival.
"To find the light within which illuminates all our experiences and live in that light is what the Vedas teach us to do."
Although local celebrations are less elaborate and the rituals less rigorous than in India where Ahuja grew up, the underlying spirit of the festival is alive in Hong Kong. Protracted celebrations begin a month earlier, with people getting together for dinners, tea parties and even barbecues.
Then there are the Diwali balls, which are unique to Hong Kong. Bollywood stars are sometimes flown in specially to entertain guests at these. Gambling traditionally takes place, too. According to legend, after the goddess Parvati played dice with her husband Lord Shiva, she decreed that whoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper in coming year.