Thanks Waldemar.
Why to repress joy in the first place?
Express & share joy, it doubles.

Truly yours
Deepak Loomba


On Sat, 14 Nov 2020 03:20 Waldemar Schmidt, <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> *CAUTION: *This email originated from outside of JMU. Do not click links
> or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is
> safe.
> ------------------------------
> Thank you for the well wishes.
> And, thank you for explaining Diwali.
>
> Happy Diwali to you and yours, Deepak!
>
> Human joy is hard to repress - it will just out.
> Important lesson in that, eh?
>
> Best regards,
>
> Waldemar
>
>
> *Waldemar A Schmidt, PhD, MD*
> (Perseveret et Percipiunt)
> 503.631.8044
>
> *Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value. (A Einstein)*
>
> On Nov 13, 2020, at 10:38 AM, Deepak Loomba <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> *CAUTION: *This email originated from outside of JMU. Do not click links
> or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is
> safe.
> ------------------------------
>
> Colleagues,
> I thought I give you a breather from trumping Trump, pouncing Pence,
> bobbing Biden, catty Kamala, psyched out psychology.
>
>
> *I wish you a prosperous Diwali. *
>
> Tomorrow is India's major festival of lights called Diwali. Being an
> Indian it is both my honour & pleasure to introduce & acquaint you all to
> the free & plural India.
>
> Though there is a background story about Diwali
> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__en.wikipedia.org_wiki_Diwali&d=DwMD-g&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=MLH1PsNWmok1y--oySOwLq3s8V0DEd0q3HZruBfSwhM&s=gLzBZNq7uFqspeOGq5qrQC8cH7ahKbW1HdiJ7z8SwaY&e=>
> (which is the real cause/reason of celebrating Diwali, which can be learnt
> on the quoted wikipedia link.
> But here are many real life, lesser known, fun & practical facts that
> might surprise you.
>
> All houses are cleaned to every nook and corners up to a day before Diwali.
> 4-5 days before Diwali (not this year owing to COVID) everyone's visiting
> relatives, friends, customers & clients, investors, carrying gifts.
> Two days before Diwali is Dhanteras - a day most Indian families go out
> traditionally to buy an object of metal. The prosperous buy Gold jewellery,
> less prosperous buy a utensil poor would buy steel spoons - but each with
> equal vigour within his means. Its a tradition & a way to force save money
> in gold & precious metal. Just to give you an understanding of the scales
> of India - on Dhanteras (2 days before Diwali) 30-40 Tons of gold was
> bought by Indians on one single day. Silver sales are three to four times
> on this day and Stainless Steel utensil & cutlery Sales are 300-400 times
> on this day. It is a mode for Indians to save something for future.
>
> Diwali is generally considered to be victory of good over evil and oil
> lamps are traditionally lit. Though we all hang Christmas Lights on our
> Balconies and inside houses, but lighting the traditional oil lamp at least
> a few of them is followed as a strict tradition.
>
> Diwali is also considered as the festival of prosperity. It is occurs
> always in Oct. - Dec. in concurrence to a specific Indian calendar, of the
> 300 calendars that exist in India.
> So most business/offices open on Diwali morning. The Chief guests are
> invariably accounts head & proprietor/owner, because the books of accounts
> are on this day every year baptised (nearest analogue) and Lakshmi, the
> Goddess of Riches is prayed to to bless the books of accounts. Since all
> businesses maintain accounts on computers, they take a printout, bind it
> and pray using it many others carry small symbolic cash books, especially
> for the occasion. Almost all business & families in north India would buy a
> silver coin. All businesses wrap up praying with books of accounts to
> Lakshmi by noon. After which families go out for shopping as Diwali days
> are considered auspicious for purchasing (so currently we are having
> Flipkart & Amazon Bonanza Online sales going on:-).
>
> There is special food (we, Punjabis invariably mustard leaves' puree with
> cornflour pancakes), new clothes, lots of sweets. Evenings are spent
> organizing a family prayer followed by the most exciting for kids. A
> session of bursting crackers and bombs and bengal-fires, sparkles, rockets.
> Though Delhi has banned cracker owing to pollution, but in my childhood we
> would start purchase 7 days in advance, not to let dad feel that is is
> overdone (so buy a little daily). We would travel to special areas &
> markets where some special super bombs (which would shake the beat of
> heart, pretty much like a hand grenade) were made to make purchases. Sept.
> month pocket money invariably would be saved to max, to spent additionally
> and beyond the monetary ration given by parents to burn off in crackers on
> Diwali. Crackers would be burnt for 1-2 hours at a stretch. Dogs on Diwali
> evening would always be difficult to find as they hide under beds & sofas.
> The sounds in cities with close buildings are defeaning. Bursting of
> crackers stops only by midnight.
>
> In childhood, all of us would immensely enjoy, from the core of our
> hearts, spending wee hours searching for unexploded crackers & enjoy
> bursting them.
>
> Day after Diwali is Vishwakarma Day. Vishwakarma was a an ancient talented
> architect/constructor. It is a holiday & is celebrated as labour day. On
> this day all manufacturers go to factory for a while to baptise the
> equipment - from expensive semiconductor equipment to a hammer, who every
> uses whatsoever tools - does a prayer to his tool that it works and
> provides prosperity and food for the family. So prayer by
> financers/accountants of books of accounts precedes Diwali celebration
> tools follow. It is important to mention that these are traditions of north
> India. These traditions of celebrating Diwali change every few hundred
> kilometers, as language, food & aparrel change in India. In north India for
> some funny unknown reason all 7 days preceding Diwali, gambling on playing
> card games popularly called 'Flash' (restricted to adults) among family &
> friends is very common (though some families deride it). Alcohol
> consumption (in North India) too goes up preceding Diwali. But the Diwali
> day is strictly kept free of alcohol.
>
> Religious ceremonies are very subjective to families and are not uniform.
> As an example - in my family - My wife Harsh (an artist Painter and Senior
> Research Fellow to Govt. of India) and my Son (a freshly, just-minted
> Mechatronics Engineer) are agnosts, while I am an atheist. So we have no
> prayers. But we enjoy doing traditions (except praying) without thinking of
> their reasonableness or rationality. I firmly believe that a life spent
> strictly by reason is an unreasonable life :-).
>
> Diwali is pan-religious festival. All children buy and burn crackers
> exchange gifts irrespective of them being Hindus, Muslims, Christians,
> Jewish or Zorastarians. Quite like we in our family buy Christmas tree and
> decorate it, cook great food and dine together irrespective of being
> Christians or not.
>
> I desire to wish you all a *Happy & prosperous Diwali* once again.
> Yes, ideal Diwali wishes are "Wishing you prosperity". Here is a card our
> family has made for this interesting friendship circle I have build thanks
> to Gregg!
> <joglhdmgamlbnppe.png> ############################
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