Dwarka: A wave of excitement among residents to celebrate Diwali after two years

Dwarka: Diwali is just a few days away and preparations for this big occasion have already kickstarted. Diwali brings with itself the reason to have delicious food and sweets, spending time with friends and family, shopping, dressing up, and clicking lots of pictures to rock our social media handles. However, because of Covid, the festival had somewhere lost its spirit in the last two years.

After almost two long years, the festivals have regained their lost glory as community gatherings become possible once again. After the massive Durga Puja and Navaratri celebrations, it is now time for Diwali. The community is experiencing a rush of enthusiasm and excitement as Diwali approaches this year without worrying about Covid norms.

To get an update on the preparations for Diwali and excitement among people for the festival, CitySpidey spoke with several RWAs across Dwarka.

Prem Shankar Singh, CGHS Secretary of Rajasthan Apartments, Sector 4, Dwarka, says, "On the occasion of Diwali, our society will be decorating the Gauri Shankar Temple situated in the society. All the towers will also be adorned with fairy light, so will be the individual flats. Sweets will be distributed amongst the members and staff of the society. The society will also organise a feast on the day of Diwali for the residents. On the next day, Goverdhan Pooja will be done and thereafter, Anna Kuta Prasad specially made will be served to all the residents. We will also plan a Diwali mela in the society hall but we haven'r decided a day yet."

Anjana Sinha, RWA President, Dwarkadheesh Apartments, Sector 12, Dwarka, says "People are very excited to celebrate Diwali this year. We are organising a Diwali Mela in our society on October 19, 2022 at 6 pm in the evening. Cultural activities such as dance, Diwali stalls, food and more will be organised in the Mela. We are planning to celebrate Diwali on a large scale because almost after 2 years, people are free to enjoy Diwali without any restrictions and it's a great chance to celebrate with each other and enjoy to the fullest."

Ranjan Singh, RWA President, Surbhi Apartments, Sector 11, Dwarka, says "This time we will celebrate Diwali with all the society residents in the society park area like we used to celebrate 2 years back. This year, we excitedly celebrated Dusshera and Navratri and now, we're planning to celebrate Diwali the same way."

Sucheta Sinha, Social activist and a resident of Surbhi Apartments, says "We are very excited about every festival this year because we are free to celebrate without any restrictions. The festival of lights symbolises the victory of light over darkness, so, I hope this festival brings hope into people's lives and helps people in washing away all the bad memories that Covid brought with itself."

Arvind Rudra, RWA Secretary, Harmony Apartments, Sector 4, Dwarka, says "People are demanding to set up a dance floor in the society and also for Diwali Mela but because of some problems, we are unable to celebrate Diwali on a large scale this year. Diwali is just a few days away and we don't have enough time to do all the preparations. So, this year all the residents will gather near the mandir of the society and will do a Diwali Puja together and after that, they will celebrate the festival at their homes."

Sanjay Kumar Rastogi, RWA Vice President, White House Residency, Sector 19 B, Dwarka, says "Many people across the entire nation lost their loved ones due to Covid and they are still not over it. Before Covid, we used to contribute money for society dinner on Diwali but this time, residents don't want that and want to celebrate Diwali in their own space."

Vinod Kumar Garg, RWA President, Brahma Apartments, Sector 7, Dwarka, says "Recently, we all gathered wholeheartedly in the Diwali celebrations which were held on October 16, last Sunday. Residents set up their stalls of food, home decor, clothes, and many other to participate in the celebration, and people enjoyed it till late at night just like they used to do before Covid."