Happy Diwali....

Diwali, the festival of lights, is veritably one of the most popular festivals of India. Moreover, there is a rich repertoire of stories pertaining to this festival. Nevertheless, the most important message is the annihilation of darkness (evil). The word "darkness" reminds me of these sayings that I have fortunately come across at different points of time.

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Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya

Oh! Divine Mother. Kindly lead me from darkness to light.

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Here goes a chinese proverb, also attributed to Ms. Eleanor Roosevelt :

It's better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

Often, we tend to worry small. Instead of taking one gigantic step by lighting a small candle, we seek succor in cursing the darkness, only to move behind in life.

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Recently, I came across this neat Spanish proverb, which inspired me to write this post on the eve of Diwali.

There is not enough darkness in the world to extinguish the light of a small candle.

Beautiful. The same light of a small candle can be taken as a metaphorical allusion to "hope". Can anything be sweeter than hope?

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The beauty of all these sayings is that they are applicable both at the macro and micro levels of the self. Spreading sweetness and sunshine in the lives of the less fortunate ones or using these tools to look forward to the lovely springtime during the dark and hazy winters of our lives.

Talking of spreading sweetness and sunshine, reminds of me of one of my beloved characters from the unforgettable Wodehousian world - Uncle Frederick Altamount Cornwallis Twistleton, the Earl of Ickenham. He considers his mission in life to help spread sweetness and sunshine in the lives of the many sundered hearts.

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Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya and the author wishes its readers a very happy Diwali.