Today is a day as good as any to resume my blogging activities. A little while back, I read a comment on Facebook (FB) that I could not comprehend. That person compared FB with blogging, saying that FB has made it so much easier to blog. I then wondered aloud how anyone could compare FB with blogging…

Well, it’s been almost four months since my last post on my blog, but I have been actively tweeting and updating my status on FB all this while. Indeed, some would say that’s an understatement. Whatever it is, I now definitely get the point that that person was trying to make with that comment…

Now, let’s come to the point of this blog posting. Today is the day we celebrate Diwali in Malaysia. For some reason, we call it Deepavali. I’m sure there’s a linguistic or cultural reason for the slight change in name. More importantly, though, is the significance of Diwali.

Some people in Malaysia think that it’s the Indian new year. You see, Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural country. We have Malays, Chinese, Indians, Dayaks, Kadazans and too many others for me to list here. Anyway, the point is, the Malays have Eid Fitr, which is considered their new year celebrations, and the Chinese, obviously, have their own lunar new year celebrations. (Am not sure about the Dayak and Kadazan, though. Sorry.) Thus, some Malaysians think that Deepavali is the Indian new year celebrations.

Well, that is not entirely true. The Indians have their own new year celebrations. Indeed, they have several, depending on which Indian community you are from. For example, the Tamils have Puthandu and the Sikhs have Vaisakhi. So, Diwali or Deepavali is actually not the celebration of the Indian new year.

Diwali is the celebration of the triumph of good over evil. If there’s anything that’s really worth celebrating today, that’s what I’d celebrate. And, you know what I really like about Diwali? No, not all the open houses and food that they serve. I can visit my Indian friends anytime. I can go down to the local Indian restaurant anytime. But do you get to see all the lamps lit to symbolise the victory of good over evil all the time?

Now, my friends, even if you’re not Indian or Hindu, I urge you to join in the festivity of Diwali by lighting a lamp (even if it’s in the cyber-world) and let that light signify your celebration of the triumph of Good over Evil.