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Delhi: People across the country celebrated Diwali with great enthusiasm on Monday. Buildings were decorated with colorful lights and earthen lamps were lit in homes. People also offered prayers at temples on the festival of lights. The clock tower at Srinagar’s historic Lal Chowk was decorated with more than 25,000 diyas. The success of Operation Sandur was also celebrated. However, the fireworks have poisoned Delhi’s air. Around 11:35 pm, the air quality index in many areas of Delhi ( Delhi) was recorded at 999. This level of air pollution is considered extremely toxic, and breathing such air poses serious health risks.
The use of environmentally friendly green firecrackers was permitted in Delhi and NCR this year. Following the Supreme Court’s approval, fireworks were burst in the national capital.
PM Modi extends greetings
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people on the occasion and wished that “this festival of lights illuminates our lives with harmony, happiness, and prosperity and that a spirit of positivity pervades us.” He celebrated Diwali with naval personnel aboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant off the coast of Goa. He said, “Today, on one side, I have the infinite horizon and the endless sky before me, and on the other, this majestic INS Vikrant, a symbol of infinite power. The glow of the sun’s rays on the ocean waters is like the Diwali lamps lit by valiant soldiers.”
PM celebrates Diwali aboard INS Vikrant
On Monday morning, Modi participated in a yoga session on the deck of INS Vikrant. He delivered an inspiring speech to the naval personnel and distributed sweets among them. Later, Modi met President Draupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi and exchanged Diwali greetings. Vice President CP Radhakrishnan also met the President, and the two exchanged greetings. Murmu extended her greetings to the people through a post in Hindi on the social media platform ‘X’. She said, “On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, I extend my greetings and best wishes to all Indians living in India and abroad.”
Rahul Gandhi Celebrated the Festival in a Unique Way
Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi celebrated Diwali in a unique way. He shared a video of himself making ‘Imarti’ and ‘Besan ke Laddoo’ at the famous Ghantewala sweet shop in Old Delhi, wishing people a Happy Diwali, and asking them how they are making the festival special. In Delhi, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta appealed to the people to protect the city from pollution by using only green firecrackers. Due to poor air quality, she urged people to celebrate the festival in traditional ways by lighting diyas, making rangoli, and distributing sweets. Delhi’s air quality deteriorated during the day and is expected to reach the ‘severe’ category on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the bursting of firecrackers at night.
Delhi’s Air Poor
According to official data, the city’s 24-hour average air quality index was recorded at 345, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category. On Sunday, the AQI was recorded at 326. The air quality index is recorded daily at 4 pm. People in Goa began Diwali with the ritual of burning effigies of Narakasura before dawn. Artists dressed as Lord Krishna enacted the symbolic slaying of Narakasura at various events. The festival was celebrated with traditional fervor across Rajasthan. Markets witnessed huge crowds, temples thronged, and fireworks lit up the sky at night. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma extended Diwali greetings to the people of the state. He urged citizens to support local products and celebrate an environmentally conscious Diwali.
Yogi Adityanath performed puja in Ayodhya
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple and other religious sites in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, were decorated with flowers, earthen lamps, and vibrant lighting. Chief Minister Adityanath visited the Hanumangarhi Temple in Ayodhya to offer prayers. He and other leaders greeted the people on the occasion and prayed for everyone’s happiness and prosperity. Mahant Surendra Tiwari of the Maa Kaalratri Temple in Varanasi said that a special ritual invoking Maa Kaalratri was performed on Sunday night. Muslim women performed aarti of Lord Ram. Nazneen Ansari of the Muslim Women’s Foundation said that the Shri Ram Maha Aarti was organized at Subhash Bhavan in Lamhi under the joint auspices of the Muslim Women’s Foundation and Vishal Bharat Sansthan.
Crowds at Kali Temples in West Bengal
Various Kali temples in West Bengal witnessed large crowds of devotees on this day. Diwali was celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy despite some restrictions imposed by the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board. In Tripura, Chief Minister Manik Saha inaugurated the Diwali festival and fair at the Maa Tripura Sundari Temple in Gomati district. Despite heavy rains in Tamil Nadu, the enthusiasm of Diwali did not diminish.
