Why any company would think that Diwali needs to be secularised is moot.
Synopsis
While some may know Diwali has religious significance for Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains too, it may be news to some that lighting diyas and candles on the windowsills, parapets, eaves and balconies of homes are also done elsewhere in the world, notably in Lyons in France.
Growing up as the daughter of a diplomat, I had got used to seeing official cards (usually bought from Unicef) sent out by the hundreds around December inscribed with the carefully non-denominational French words 'Meilleurs Voeux' - Season's Greetings. The ones for and from friends, though, were not diplomatically circumspect; they all said 'Merry Christmas' and included the familiar Yuletide motifs of trees, snowscapes and Santa Claus. But now
