It's the Diwali season. Around our area there are numerous houses decorated with fairy lights and the Indian restaurants and Sari shops are advertising their Diwali specials. This Hindu festival of lights is a celebration of light over darkness, the victory of good over evil, the uplifting of spiritual darkness. (The Sanskrit word Deepavali, literally means "an array of lights": Deepa/Dipa means "lights or lamps", Avali - a row of...)
Having lived and worked in Sri Lanka, Diwali is not new to me and my family. But we were reminded again this weekend of the fact that you cannot out-give a Sri Lankan.
Sandy is the English as a Second Language (ESOL) tutor for a Sri Lankan Tamil lady who has lived through a horrific experience. Physically and emotionally abused as a result of the war in her homeland she, with her husband and four children, have escaped to New Zealand. Here, though desperately poor, she is trying to rebuild her life and provide for her children.
On Saturday Rani and her husband where on their way to buy a new outfit for their daughter as part of the Diwali celebration when they stopped at our place to deliver a very large basket of 'Diwali Treats'. A basket that must have cost them much more than they could afford - and certainly more than they would be spending on themselves and their children.
From their little - they gave much!
