The Gift of Belonging

One of my favourite days of the year is Diwali. It has been since I was a kid. There is no greater joy

than decorating the house, sitting in the pooja, wearing new clothes, and celebrating with the ones I

love. To my kid self, this joy was universal no matter what festival brought it for someone. As I got

older, however, I realized that this joy is not afforded to all. Marginalised groups, workers on duty,

hospitalised people, or folks who have been left behind by their family; if they had any, to begin with,

is; don’t get to partake in this joy. How unfair is that? Which is why when a youth organisation in my

hometown Indore named Indore2030 started an initiative named ‘Dil-Waali Diwali’, I jumped on the

opportunity to participate.

It was a simple yet fulfilling plan. We circulated a list for food, medicines and a small amount of

money, made postcards with a heartfelt message and our stamp on it, decorated and packed two diyas

to hand out and brought sweets as well. These preparations happened anywhere between a day to 25

days before Diwali. On Diwali itself, 30-40 of us gathered early in the morning and split into groups

of 4-5 taking one area of the city to cover. We celebrated with police constables on duty, watchmen,

sanitation workers, beggars & the homeless population of the city, and even stray animals. Between

the hesitation to accept the sweets from hand because of drilled concepts of untouchability to a

general hesitation to gauge the seriousness of our intentions, people opened up somewhere. Stories of

missing home, not having a home and other devastation that plague a huge overlooked chunk of our

society opened my eyes to what a privilege I live in. What a privilege it is to have a family, a shelter

and things as little as clean clothes.

After dispersing in the afternoon for festivities, we regrouped in the evening to go to an orphanage

cum school for tribal or homeless kids. For them, our donation of 500+ kilos of ration is more than a

simple feel-good donation. It is sustenance for them and their families for upwards of 1-2 months.

Seeing the almost demolished school that’s hanging onto the last threads to educate these children is a

humbling sight to see. Things as little as the monkey bars in the equally demolished playground are a

luxury.

We ended the day with a visit to an old age home. These visits take some preparation to handle. I tell

myself that if seeing these scenarios is hard for me, I cannot fathom to imagine what it’s like living

there. After a lot of initial hostility and communication barriers, with insistent persistence, slowly but

surely people there tell us stories of their youth. Of a family, of health, of a dream that once was. Our

monetary contribution only makes a dent in their requirement for adequate healthcare and medicines.

These scenarios are the most chilling of all.

It’s been 5 years of multiple Dil-Waali Diwalis. My family now understands that although I spend less

time with them during my favourite day of the year, this newfound meaning of Diwali is a part of the

happiness I get from Diwali. Our donations, the efforts, and the people impacted have only increased.

Even if we cannot reach out to everyone who doesn’t get to celebrate Diwali, if even one person feels

less alone on this day and feels the care and heartfelt emotion we extend to them, all of our efforts are

worth it.

Groundwork like this puts life into a new perspective. How many people are struggling for an

education, a home, justice from the legal system, freedom from bigotry of any sort, or dignity of

labor? These disparities will not go away by solely chanting for equality. They will go away when we

uplift these strata of society to bring them on equal footing. When we see them all as one of our own.

No effort made to help someone overcome hardship is too small. Yes, the world is riddled with

problems far too big and far too many for one individual to solve. But even small-scale gestures can 

change a life. If Diwali is about defeating darkness with light, this new iteration of Diwali has 

highlighted to me how only a truly equal world can be full of light.

Diwali is still my favourite day of the year. Not because of the sweets or the shimmery clothes

anymore though. It takes a special precedence because of how much closer it brings me to humanity

now.

By: Kashvi Sharma