Covid dims the festival of lights - 18th November 2020

Diwali, the Festival of Lights, celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world, has taken place this year with the spectre of coronavirus looming over the event.

Commemorating the triumph of light over darkness, Diwali is one of the most widely observed festivals in the Indian calendar. While houses and public places are illuminated with lights, and fireworks typically glimmer and sparkle across the land, the pandemic and rocketing levels of pollution have put a dampener on this year's festivities. Firecrackers have been outlawed in smog-filled New Delhi and the usually jam-packed temples are all but deserted as worshippers wary of infection give public spaces a wide berth.

India is currently second only to the US in terms of the number of coronavirus cases. However, Sonam Chaudhary believes that it's possible to adopt a new kind of socially distanced celebration.

Sonam Choudhary: "I think everybody in their mind, they are scared about coronavirus, but at the same time they are, kind of, adjusting to the new normal, maintaining social distancing, sanitising their hands, and to be sane, you have to get 'the life goes on'."