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| Gift a nutritious meal this Diwali |
Festivals are all about celebrations
and happiness. It’s the time of rejoicing with dear ones. A festival that most
of us look forward to is Diwali and it is right around the corner. The festival
of lights usually falls between mid-October and early November every year. On
this auspicious day, people take to cleaning their homes and decorate them with
lamps (diyas), candles and fairy lights.
What’s more? It’s all about going shopping
- for clothes and other necessary items for the celebration. On this day, people
dress up, wear new clothes, look their best and perform pooja, donate to feed the hungry which is then followed
by sumptuous meals. The celebration concludes by bursting crackers and lighting
fireworks.
Diwali celebrations
across India
Diwali is celebrated all over India;
the traditions are diverse. Various mythological stories are associated with
each region. The northern parts of India observe it as the day when Lord Rama
defeated the demon king Ravana and came back to Ayodhya after 14 long years. In
the southern parts of India, people celebrate Diwali as the day when Lord
Krishna defeated King Narakasura and brought peace upon the earth. The eastern
parts of India celebrate this day as the triumph of good over evil. They
believe that Goddess Parvathi took the form of Mahakali to destroy the demon
called Bakrasura. While the western parts of India believe that Goddess
Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity was born from the churning of the ocean – Samudra
Manthan. No matter what the belief is, Diwali reiterates one essence - the
victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.
This Diwali, let’s join hands to
donate for children and bring a smile to their faces. Akshaya Patra - an NGO inIndia reached out to over 1.8 million school children from challenging
socio-economic backgrounds across the country before the pandemic shook the
whole world. Established in 2000, the main motive of the organization was to
provide unlimited meals for the education of children and to eradicate classroom
hunger by executing the Mid-Day Meal Programme.
Around 33 % of Indian children are malnourished.
To reverse
this number, the Supreme Court of India mandated that every child studying in Government
and Government-aided schools should
receive mid-day meals. By joining hands with the government Akshaya
Patra aims to create a huge impact to improve children’s nutritional levels.
“AnnaDaan is Shrestha Daan - food is the best form of charity
This Diwali, come forward to join Akshaya
Patra to feed the hungry people and
school children by serving freshly-cooked food and mid-day meals respectively. The
onus to become a lamp of hope for the vulnerable communities lies on us. So,
this Diwali lets evoke the spirit of giving and spreading happiness by making small
contributions and uniting to suppress darkness in the lives of the needy. The
art of giving is more delightful than throwing up a big celebration.
Wishing you a happy and prosperous
Diwali!
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