I have so many happy memories associated with the festival of lights Diwali and the preceding days of Dhanteras and Lakshmi Puja.

But, I never quite understood what the fuss was really about. Why do people consider it so auspicious to buy gold, or new utensils only this time of the year? Or why does one have to work so hard (pull all nighters) for Goddess Lakshmi? Isn’t God always around anyway? And isn’t every day just as good as any to buy utensils?

As I grew older and learned more about finance, I once again became skeptical about these beliefs.

How can we welcome wealth by spending money on utensils and overnight havans? Why are we constantly spending more to celebrate ‘dhan’ – wealth, that is defined as abundance of money?

The answer, I discovered, is that these revered traditions help us realise the importance of wealth. ‘Dhan’ is to be appreciated and not squandered. 

While full page shopping ads tend to reinforce the consumption aspect of these festivities, our traditions focus on family & community, doing good and appreciating what we have been blessed with. 

Dhanteras is a celebration of our hard work in accumulating wealth and not of our credit card! 

When we worship Lakshmi, we acknowledge the importance and humility with which accumulated wealth must be treated. 

Diwali is about sharing and celebrating small joys, sweets and sparklers with our family and friends – a different kind of wealth.

That’s what Dhanteras & Lakshmi Puja mean to me and I’m no longer a skeptic.

I wish you all a very Happy Diwali from all of us at Scripbox.