Colors Of India

I was surprised to learn that Islam came to India long before the Muslim invasions. It was a balmy day in Kuwait and our guests were discussing the similarities between South Indians and Kuwaiti’s. Another new fact came into light; it was the trading of spices that led Arabs to the Malabar Coast in South India. Back in the 7th century it was merely an Islamic influence that could be felt; the invasions of course reinforced the faith firmly on Indian soil. This inclusion added further to India’s colorful culture and people. It was the trader families of Kerala and other parts of the Malabar Coasts that were the closest to their Arab business associates, and this closeness led to a slow conversion into Islam. In Malabar the Mappilas may have been the first community to convert to Islam.

Today, 16.4% of India is Muslim. They have contributed considerably to the fields of performing arts, crafts, politics, education and business ventures. Some of India’s leading literary giants, artists, film stars and leaders are Muslim and this alone makes Indian society a diverse and enriched structure. India’s most famous landmark the Taj Mahal is a classic example of Islamic architecture and construction prowess.

The union of so many faiths is felt most during festival season. Diwali follows Eid and Christmas follows Diwali. For almost 3 months, India is in a blanket of faith, celebration and thanksgiving. Eid is a Muslim festival that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims observe a strict fast, they do not eat from sunrise to sunset, and some don’t even have water. They donate generously, participate in charitable activities and promote a sense of peace and unity. It is a time of spiritual renewal for those who observe it. At the end of the month, Muslims throughout the world observe an exciting three day celebration called Eid ul Fitr. A common practice is for people to stay up and watch the full moon rise on the night on Eid. The day of the festival, a typical Muslim family wakes up early and does the first prayer of the day. They then attend prayers in mosques, parks, stadiums and arenas. The crowd greets and embraces each other as a gesture of love and celebration. The festivities continue at people’s homes after the congressional prayer. Special sweets and foods are prepared for friends and family. The finest clothes and jewelry are the highlights of the day. This is an occasion with great religious significance; the celebration is jubilant and hearty. It is a day of forgiveness, peace, brotherhood and unity. Muslims also mark this day with thanks to God for his guidance and blessings bestowed upon them.

Ultimately we all seek the same things from our faith – security, a sense of belonging, peace of mind, the love of God and a prevalence of brotherhood.

Diwali – A time to give!

View Diwali 2007 Stock Photos by PhotosIndia.com



Diwali, the festival of lights. Such a cliché simply because it means so much more than that. Everyone has a different take on Diwali and everyone has different expectations. It’s like the Hindu equivalent to Christmas. Gifts and giving, sweets and generosity. We don’t light up a tree, we light up the whole house, every nook, cranny and corner. The frenzy starts about a month ahead, malls are packed with anxious shoppers and everyone has long lists. Since Indian’s are bestowed with large families, there is a whole lot of shopping to do. For me the similarities are amazing, not at a religious level but at a ‘faith’ and ‘celebration’ level. Everyone eats and shares. The age old myth of ‘give and you will get’ is in full motion at this time of the year.

Businessmen get busy making their partners happy, companies get busy calculating bonuses, shop owners can see the money flowing in and the everyday shopper scans the dailies for ‘sales’ news. You can see bold advertisements claiming “0% discount” followed by a coy “on quality” … 20% discount on all goods. The shopper sits back feeling like the king of the world.

This is the time for some serious consumer wooing. Everybody spends on Diwali, it is practically a ‘have to’. 15 years ago the gifts revolved around exquisite dry fruits and heavenly Indian sweets we call ‘mithai’. The winter months kept everything fresh for weeks and Diwali seemed to extend all the way to the new year. Usually falling in the months of October or November, this season seems to go on and on. Over the years, the dry fruits got mediocre, not just in gifting but in quality as well. The ‘mithai’ eaters became nouveau ‘conscious’, about their weight, cholesterol, sugar levels and all the new age misery. I think ‘Archies’ was the first company to realize this paradigm shift, they started churning out cards by the hundreds, they sourced designer ‘diya’s’ (little oil or wax lamps that are ceremoniously lit for Diwali), they put a greeting card on every box of sweets. The change was slow to happen but once it did, the frenzy was unbelievable. Corelle launched new designs for Diwali, their crockery was always found in sets of 4 (the typical western family). Here in india they were marketing sets of 6 with little bowls we call ‘katori’s, we use them for all the gravies and curries our cuisine is famous for. China exported crates of bowls, trays, curios and the like in a variety of materials, colours and shapes, to satisfy the Indian Diwali shopping madness. Suddenly, people were gifting corporate style, beautiful things for the home, the office, the kitchen. It became okay to gift a DVD set of ‘Friends’ for Diwali if that’s what your friends were into, it had to be personal at the end of the day. Hundreds of websites sprung up, selling all things related to Diwali, you could ship from the US to India (like we need more ‘diyas’) or you could ship from India to the world (that makes more sense).

This year the craze seems to be more opulent. Singapore holidays, shopping bonanza’s and Frazer & Haws silver diya’s are all passé. People are gifting not for material pleasure but for the soul. Books on spirituality like the ‘Speaking Tree’ are supposedly a favourite. Another great campaign is by the MMTC, promoting gold in a more organic way, the World Gold Council seems to make the whole thing Uber chic and beyond the middle class. Diamonds are being marketed as a special high end gift as well, in fact there is a marked conversion in women buying diamonds instead of the customary gold during ‘dhanteras’. ‘Dhanteras’ is celebrated on the 13th day of the dark fortnight of Diwali and it falls a day or two before Diwali. It is marked as the day of eternal good fortune and people celebrate it by buying something new for their home or indulge in a new investment. I wonder if anyone is marketing investment schemes this year, sounds like a good idea to me! Anyone listening?