Prayagraj: The denizens of city celebrated Diwali with religious fervour and enthusiasm. Festival of lights led to boom in business in city markets.
Although this year there was confusion regarding the day when the festival of light would be celebrated, owing to Amavasya (new moon) timing being over two days (starting on Thursday and ending on Friday evening), almost everyone in Sangam city celebrated the festival on Thursday. The night sky of Prayagraj was illuminated with the light of earthen lamps, decorative lights, and colourful fireworks. Lakshmi-Ganesh were worshipped as the house-courtyard bathed in the aura of light from candles, diyas, and electric jhalars.
This year, the excitement was the same in every household, especially when it came to meeting each other, exchanging gifts, or bursting crackers. Relatives and friends made sure to visit each other's places, irrespective of the distance or traffic chaos. "My friend resides in Preetam Nagar, a locality which is more than 20 km from my home in Naini, yet my entire family went there," said Anuj Agarwal, a prominent businessman of Naini.
After the puja, people distributed offerings of lai (puffed rice), lawa, chivda (flaked rice), toys made of sugar, sweetmeats, etc. Various types of dishes were made in the houses during the festival. Likewise, the city's multi-storey buildings, establishments, govt and private offices, rail and bus stations, important crossings of the city, and apartments were also lit by fascinating electrical jhalars. In different apartments and colonies, residents were seen bursting crackers in groups.
"As we decided to spend less on crackers, we appealed for ‘group cracker bursting' and the idea was an instant hit. The kids enjoyed bursting the crackers by sharing them amongst themselves and we, the parents, were happy too," said Rajesh Pandey, a resident of Tara Tower Complex of Dhoomanganj.
The ghats of Ganga Yamuna were also lit by thousands of lamps. Be it the confluence of Sangam, Gaughat, and Baluaghat, people turned up in large numbers to light the diyas. The festival of light was also celebrated in old age homes. The elders lit up the ashram with enthusiasm with the lamps. All the inmates of Adharshila Vriddhi Ashram, Naini, celebrated Diwali.
Members of the railway child line celebrated Diwali with orphans. They also gifted children with sparklers and shared the joys of the festival.
Meanwhile, preparations were being made for the last day of the five-day Deepotsav, the festival of Yama Dwitiya, i.e., Bhaiya Dooj, which will be celebrated with reverence in the city on Nov 3. Besides, the birth anniversary of Lord Chitragupta will also be celebrated by the Kayastha society. During this, as the tradition goes, Kalam-Dawat (pen and ink) will be worshipped by the people of the Kayastha community. Aarti-pujan will also be performed at Chitragupta Temple located in Mutthiganj.