My Diwali

At Covéa Insurance we’re proud to be made up of individuals from all walks of life, who have such varied life experiences. Our Inspiring Colour network encourages everyone to talk about the things that matter most to them, like a religious holiday for example. With Diwali coming up Team Leader Rajvinder gives an insight into what Diwali means, why she celebrates it and what we as individuals can do to support our Sikh & Hindu friends.

My Diwali by Rajvinder Varaitch

The past

“Lights, fireworks, children laughing and the aromatic smell of my mum’s cooking are my first memories of Diwali as a child. Our house would be filled with so much noise and light.

As a little girl my mum would tell me about why we, as Sikhs, celebrated Diwali. Diwali is known as the ‘festival of lights’ but for Sikhs it is much more than that. Sikhs celebrate ‘Bandi Shor Diwas’, often translated as Prisoner Release day on Diwali. This is the occasion of the return of the sixth guru, Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji, who was freed from imprisonment in 1619, along with 52 kings who were also imprisoned with him. On this day the guru reached Amritsar and the people lit up the whole city with thousands of candles, lights and lamps, symbolising how light prevailed over darkness, or good over evil. Even in India today thousands of people will visit the Golden temple in Amritsar to pray and to light candles.”

The present

“Keeping up with traditions I celebrate Diwali every year with my husband, our daughter and our extended families. We light Diya’s (small earthen clay pots) around the house and go to our local gurdwara (temple) to pray for the prosperity of our family and friends. We light a candle of hope there and stay and watch the amazing, colourful firework display. At home we eat so many delicious treats including: samosas, pakaoras (onion bhajis) and lots of Indian sweets.

Diwali this year will be celebrated on Thursday 4^th November and everyone can be a part of this celebration. To get involved you could: visit your local Gurdwara and join in with the celebrations, Google how to make some Indian snacks, or even do a small gesture like lighting a candle or Diya in your home.  

I’ve really enjoyed sharing my culture and talking about my families traditions with my colleagues, it’s great to have a platform to do this at Covéa. This is just a small snippet as to why I celebrate Diwali but if you want to find out more don’t be afraid to ask or do some research.

Always remember that even in the darkest times there will always be light.”

If you’d like to find out more about how Hindus celebrate Diwali click here.

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