A celebration of light for Douglasdale residents

Hindu community members in Douglasdale celebrated the religious holiday of Diwali on 14 November, with beautiful lights.

Pipers and Condor roads were decorated with lights and candles on the ground, and flowers hanging from the trees. Moai Zebs, the unofficial mascot of the community was dressed head to toe in different items commemorating the special day.

Traditional treats and music played for everyone to enjoy, supplied by those celebrating. Celebrations started five days before with a wealth of planning on the decoration of the area.

Madhan Ramkelawon, resident in the community for the past 29 years, gave a brief summary as to what the holiday was about and its symbolism.

“Diwali carries a powerful message of light dispelling darkness. The darkness stands for everything that is bad, negative and distasteful, whilst the light symbolises everything positive and beautiful,” he said.

Ramkelawon said this was the first time they were able to celebrate the holiday out in public like this, since they usually celebrated in their homes. “We were encouraged to openly celebrate by the community since we have been very cautious in the past.”

Notably, no fireworks were set off in the evening. Ramkelawon added that this was a time of peace, quiet and sharing laughs with one another, and the community understood the concerns of setting off fireworks.

“There is a lot of conflict in our neighbourhoods because of that. There have been concerns that it affects the elderly or pets, and they are completely genuine. “There is a very big misconception with Diwali and that we must light fireworks, and that is not the case.”

Many non-Hindu residents also joined in the celebrations, whether it was helping with decorations or conveying their well-wishes to those celebrating.

Teodora Kocic was among the crowd holding a lit sparkler and said, “Seeing everyone dressed so beautifully is a wonderful sight. It’s always really nice to learn more about others’ cultures.”