Sojern Celebrates Diwali—The Hindu Festival of Lights

Diwali is a festival of lights that celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and the human ability to overcome. It is India's biggest and most important holiday of the year, and Sojernistas from around the world gathered together to honor this tradition. 

The festival is associated with Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity and good fortune. Diwali is customarily celebrated for five days and has become a national Indian festival. Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and others commemorate this holiday wherever they are in the world–each group with its own customs and traditions.

"Diwali symbolizes removing ignorance and despair by spreading knowledge and joy,” said Gowtam Kamath, staff technical program manager. “During Diwali, we illuminate the earth and sky on the dark night of a new moon day. It signifies illuminating our minds and hearts on the path of enlightenment."

People today celebrate Diwali by:

• Uniting with family and friends
• Lighting clay lamps and placing them around the house
• Wearing bright and colorful clothes 
• Preparing sweets and delicacies
• Exchanging gifts
• Lighting firecrackers and lanterns
• Listening to music, dancing, and having fun

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One of Sojern’s key values is Embrace Inclusion, where we celebrate and encourage our team to participate in various holidays throughout the year. In October, Sojernistas celebrated Diwali throughout multiple offices around the world. We came together to share delicious authentic food and sweet treats. 

We designed our own lamps to celebrate because the word Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali, meaning "rows of lighted lamps". We continued to get creative with rangoli art using colored sand and patterns. Our new office decorations and music created the perfect atmosphere. Members of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council shared an educational and entertaining video sharing their family traditions around Diwali, which was well-received and became a memorial celebration for all. 

"Diwali is a celebration of Lord Rama’s return home after 14 years of exile,” said Camille Venturina, senior regional sales manager. “Seeing my APAC colleagues gathered under one roof after 3.5 years of social distancing in Singapore was a good reason to celebrate, and why I can relate to Lord Rama’s experience of coming home.”

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