People across India revel in Deepavali; Delhi sees best air quality in last eight years

People across India celebrated Deepavali with pomp, exchanging sweets and gifts, visiting temples and greeting each other. PM Modi celebrated with soldiers in Himachal Pradesh and UP CM Yogi Adityanath celebrated with forest dwellers in Gorakhpur.

Buildings were decorated with earthen lamps and colourful lights as people across the country celebrated Deepavali with pomp on Sunday and a relatively better air quality than in previous years brought much relief to revellers in Delhi.

Despite the national capital recording its best air quality on Deepavali day in eight years, pollution levels may rise due to low night temperatures and sporadic burning of firecrackers though there is a ban on their manufacture, storage, sale and use within the city.

One of the most popular Hindu festivals, Deepavali is associated with the day Lord Ram is believed to have returned to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman after defeating Ravana during his 14 years in exile and is seen as a celebration of the victory of good over evil.

People, dressed in their finest, exchanged sweets and gifts, visited temples and greeted each other, and celebrations across the country were largely incident-free. However, in Uttar Pradesh, nine people were injured in a fire that gutted seven shops at a temporary firecracker market on the outskirts of Mathura.

President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people of the country and hoped the festival will bring happiness and wellbeing.

Like previous years, Prime Minister Modi celebrated Deepavali with soldiers. This time it was in Lepcha in Himachal Pradesh.

Security forces have a big role in maintaining peace and keeping India’s borders safe at a time of rising global expectations from the country, Mr. Modi said while addressing soldiers.