Festivals like Diwali are all about the spirit of togetherness. They have the rare power to pause the chaos of our lives and remind us what it means to belong. But not everyone gets that privilege. While many of our festivals are filled with the warmth of family gatherings, not everyone gets to share in the warmth they help create.
The People Who Keep the Lights On
A poignant thread of duty binds the lives of police officers, security guards, healthcare personnel, and countless others who find themselves away from home during festivals. Police officers keep guard outside, ensuring our safety. Hospital staff remain on their toes round the clock to serve us. Imagine a police officer standing guard on a busy street, watching families celebrate Diwali while they miss out on the festivities at home. Picture a doctor working tirelessly in the emergency room, saving lives while their own families await their return. What of the delivery rider navigating through traffic, ensuring dinner reaches a family table they’ll never sit at?
And then there are those whose hands quite literally bring the light into our homes. The artisans who mould, paint, and sell diyas, lanterns, and decorations. For them, Diwali is both a celebration and a livelihood. Their craft sustains the soul of the festival, reminding us that tradition survives through art. Each diya that flickers on a windowsill carries with it the story of a potter’s early morning toil, of their hands shaping our tradition with love and patience. In supporting these artisans — in choosing handmade over machine-made — we keep alive not just an economy, but a legacy.
Their stories rarely make it to the headlines, but they hold the backbone of every celebration.
Honouring the Workers Who Make Diwali Possible
This Diwali, as we light our homes and hearts, let’s also keep frontline and gig workers in our thoughts. They are the ones who keep our world safe, fed, and functioning while we celebrate. Let’s meet them with respect, with patience, with kindness in every small interaction. Gratitude doesn’t need grand words or gestures; it begins with awareness.
Diwali isn’t just about the lights we hang outside our doors, but about the people who make it possible for those lights to shine without fear. In many ways, Diwali is built on their strength, their tireless devotion, their unseen care. And perhaps, the truest way to honour the festival of light is to recognise the ones who keep that light burning for us all.
Read more such content at The World Times.
