New Delhi, 20 October. Diwali is a festival of light, but its true essence shines brightest when it brings hope into the lives of the underprivileged. This year, ahead of the festival, two inspiring efforts—one in Prayagraj and another in Bengaluru—set meaningful examples of celebration rooted in compassion.

In Bengaluru, Colonel Pankaj Sinha, Commanding Officer of the 8 Karnataka Battalion NCC, visited an orphanage on Govind Rao Street in Kumar Park West, Sheshadripuram, on 18 October. Instead of buying brass, silver, gold or utensils on Dhanteras, he and a group of NCC cadets chose to spend time with mentally and physically challenged children, spreading joy and warmth.

Meanwhile, in Prayagraj, the Hare Ram Seva Sansthan, led by Assistant Professor Dr. Anant Singh, organised a relief distribution drive on 17 October under the Naini Bridge at Gaughat. Essentials were provided to a large number of differently-abled people, destitute men and women, and economically disadvantaged but talented children. The initiative saw active participation from teachers and students of CMP Degree College.

Held just ahead of Diwali, the relief effort was led by the institution’s chief trustee, Mr. Anant Singh Jeliang (Assistant Professor, CMP Degree College). The organisation distributed drinking water bottles, earthen lamps and wicks, notebooks, pens and pencils, biscuits, flour, rice, pulses, sanitary pads and other daily-use items free of cost to needy families.

Chief Trustee Anant Singh said, “The goal of Hare Ram Seva Sansthan is to bring relief to the needy during these times of inflation.” He added that hundreds of volunteers from the organisation are consistently working among marginalised communities to ensure that no one sleeps hungry. He appealed to the public to join hands in this mission of humanitarian service.

Hare Ram Seva Sansthan has been working for several years to support vulnerable and economically weak sections of society. The organisation has consistently delivered various forms of relief work to ensure that every section benefits.

Among those who contributed to the event were Dr. Archana Pandey, Dr. Prem Prakash Singh, Dr. Naveen Upadhyay, Dr. Ritesh Tripathi, Dr. Sapna Maurya, Dr. Manish Singh, Deepak, Avinash, Nitesh, Sachin, Sahiba, Sumit, Anushka, Jannat, Sunny, Noori, Sejal, Ayush, Prashant and several others.

Meanwhile, reports from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Myanmar indicate that various individuals and organisations abroad also enhanced Diwali celebrations this year by extending help to economically weaker communities. Temples and gurdwaras played a particularly significant role in these efforts.

Special Report by Manjari