As an NRI myself, I find celebrating Diwali in a foreign country quite fascinating, but at the same time, like every other Indian, I do miss celebrating it in my motherland. Here, even though people are living abroad, they have never left their traditions behind; you can see people praying and sometimes even drawing rangoli at their doorsteps. The spirit of Diwali starts here a week before the festival itself. The blasting of dynamite can be heard all around Indian residences in Kuwait. The bursting of crackers and lighting of fireworks turn the night sky into a radiant one, and houses are filled with joy and pleasure. The flavours of Indian sweets melt our hearts. The beautiful colours of the crackers truly justify the ‘festival of lights.’ Moreover, the joy of children and the happiness of their parents add more beauty to this festival. This festival helps to connect with every other Indian in Kuwait and showcase our culture.
Amidst all this happiness, there is still a longing to take blessings from your grandparents and elders, and to celebrate this festival with a massive crowd in a place where it is predominant. Celebrating the ‘festival of togetherness’ away from your family and motherland is saddening. The lack of temples and traditional places brings sorrow. However, this experience taught me two things: one is to always value the time spent with your family, and the other is that we can embrace our traditions and culture irrespective of the distance, through the connection of love. Even though we are not able to celebrate this festival with the family we were born into, we can always celebrate Diwali here with the family we have formed.