Diwali Is About Finding Lighthouses

Diwali or Deepavali is a people’s desire, effort, and some success in eliminating darkness, ignorance, and evil. What is darkness, ignorance, or evil may be questionable. But that there are situations where there is an absence of light, absence of truth and knowledge, and absence of good is quite evident. It is a good day to light a few lamps in our lives, read a book to dispel ignorance, mend a conflict, and promote good.

On 9 October 204 India lost one of its finest citizens and industrialists, Ratan Tata; and in the same breath, he was perhaps India’s finest philanthropist too. As the news about his demise and condolences poured in on every social media and broadcast media, there was another face that was appearing on the margins and even being highlighted by many—Shantanu Naidu. They met in 2014, when Shantanu Naidu was just 21; their common interest was love for dogs.

Shantanu Naidu, as living and working with Ratan Tata has written a book of his experience with Ratan Tata, I Came Upon a Lighthouse: A Short Memoir of Life with Ratan Tata. In it he explains, borrowing the words of Paulo Coelho, how the entire universes conspires to make something happen; so many events, people, and in his case even dogs have to work together for two individuals to cross paths. And that happened in his meeting with Ratan Tata. Shantanu continues saying, when we see a lighthouse move towards it with all your force, and never away from it. Shantanu just moved towards Ratan Tata; and the rest is history.

Diwali, most represented by series of lamps and lights lighting up houses, campuses, and streets, must also become a day we deliberately recognise lighthouses and move towards them.

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