Published on November 6 at 23:05 via Starnieuws, this reflective op-ed by community figure Jack Mohanlal re-centers the long-overlooked foundational meaning of Diwali, tracing its origins as an ancient harvest festival honoring the natural forces that sustain agricultural abundance, before evolving over centuries into a widely celebrated observance of mindfulness and moral triumph rooted in historical narratives of virtue prevailing over vice.
The piece opens by noting that Diwali’s universal symbolic identity as the victory of light over darkness, and goodness over evil, carries a deeply personal call to action: every individual carries inherent “dark traits” that range from gossip, envy, unfair treatment of others, lying, fraud, bribery, antisocial behavior, discrimination, and hatred to exploitation, abuse of power, partiality, corruption, and double standards in judgment. Yet the author laments that the vast majority of practicing Hindu devotees today reduce the festival to its most superficial, literal markers: scrubbing their homes and gardens, adhering to vegetarian diets, and lighting traditional clay diya lamps, while entirely sidelining the far more critical core mandate of Diwali: the full, unflinching purification of one’s inner self and mind.
Mohanlal outlines the path to illuminating these hidden dark sides: the true spirit of Diwali calls on every person to recognize and acknowledge their own harmful impulses, conduct a rigorous, impartial self-audit of their actions over the preceding period, and honestly assess how much they may have participated in unethical conduct. He notes that the greatest barrier to this practice is that most people either fail to recognize their own missteps, or actively refuse to acknowledge them.
The op-ed issues a direct, urgent call for readers to make a firm personal commitment to abandoning unethical behavior and walking the path of dharma, the righteous moral way. He calls out corrupt politicians who enrich themselves at taxpayer expense, and unscrupulous traders who inflate prices of essential goods to exploit low-income communities, urging them to hold up a metaphorical mirror to their actions and ask themselves whether their conduct is just, and whether they are profiting at the expense of the most vulnerable. These critical self-reflections, he argues, should drive tangible, positive behavioral change across all sectors of public life.
Mohanlal further decries the pervasive two-tiered justice system that fails to deliver equal treatment for ordinary citizens and high-ranking officials: it is unconscionable, he notes, that a government minister may be allowed to await trial from the comfort of their home, while a low-income layperson is locked in pre-trial detention for comparable alleged offenses. He calls on judges, police officers, and all guardians of the rule of law to critically audit and dismantle this systemic class-based bias. He also urges religious priests to detach themselves from excessive material pursuits, and refocus their work on instilling strong, universal moral values in their congregations.
All public servants, from politicians and doctors to police officers and teachers, are reminded that they owe full, unwavering service to the communities they serve, bound by the oaths and promises they took when assuming their roles. They must never abuse their power or position themselves above the public, as their only legitimate role is to act as humble servants of the people. The author cites a rare, praiseworthy example of a government minister who has chosen to serve the public completely pro bono, and calls on more public figures to follow this noble model, noting that while full unpaid service is not a universal expectation, exorbitant, exploitative compensation for public service is equally unacceptable. He adds that national governments should embed Diwali’s universal moral message across all institutional layers, and enforce strict accountability for ethical conduct.
Mohanlal closes by emphasizing that the diya lamps carry a profound symbolic meaning beyond decorative light: they burn their own wick and oil away selflessly to cast light on the surrounding darkness, a metaphor every devotee should embody by serving their community without expectation of reward, practicing selfless action to fulfill their karma. Reducing Diwali to only cleaning physical spaces and buying new clothes is a profound disservice to its legacy; the true observance requires consistent, lifelong cleaning and maintenance of a pure, ethical inner self. He adds that no one’s hidden unethical actions escape the notice of the divine, and the universal law of karma ensures no one evades accountability for harmful conduct. Only by being fully honest with themselves can people act with integrity toward others, fulfilling the true promise of goodness triumphing over evil at an individual level. The piece closes with a warm wish of Subh Diwali for all readers.