HYDERABAD: Hyderabad celebrated Diwali with grandeur, lighting up in its own cosmopolitan way as families gathered to revel in the festival of lights. Sweet shops bustled with eager customers, while every home seemed to glow with yellow diya lights, complemented by rangoli patterns, fresh flowers and the unmistakable sound of firecrackers. Stores around the city stocked up on crackers and festive essentials, and online shops guaranteed last-minute deliveries to meet Diwali’s demand.
Though primarily celebrated on October 31, Diwali festivities extended across the city and are expected to continue until November 2.
At My Home Vihanga in the Financial District, residents enjoyed their customary firecracker show, a spectacle they have organised over the years. “We celebrate every year on the lawn. It’s a 30-minute display with 500-shot firecrackers,” shared resident Praveen Rao.
Diwali wasn’t the only celebration at Vihanga. In its cosmopolitan festival spirit, at Clubhouse 1 of Vihanga, the Bengali community erected a pandal for Kali Puja, which is a three-day festival starting October 31.
Other pockets of the city celebrated Bengali Kali Puja. The popular Bengali pujas attracted sizable gatherings, with cultural programmes and stalls featuring Bengali sweets, sarees and most importantly food. “We had Bengali biryani stalls, sweet stalls and one stall was also selling the Kolkata special Jhal Muri (spiced puffed rice),” explained Subrata Ganguly, general secretary of the Bangiya Sanskritik Sangha.
Other prominent Kali pujas, such as those at Hyderabad Kalibari in Sainikpuri and Uttarayan Socio-Cultural Association at the GHMC grounds in Ameerpet, saw nearly 2,000 attendees each, all sharing in rituals and bhog (known locally as prasad), typically including khichdi. “As with every year, this celebration by Uttarayan brought together people from different communities and cultural backgrounds,” said Subroto Banerjee, general secretary of the association. This three-day festivities will include cultural programmes, bands and singers from Kolkata.
On the other side of Hyderabad, the Bhagyalakshmimi temple near Charminar celebrated Diwali with Ayodhya in mind. The temple was decorated to resemble Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, and it became a spectacle in its own right. Families gathered here to pray, set off firecrackers and celebrate Diwali with Ram Mandir as an inspiration.
While the city was engulfed in the sound of firecrackers, several gated communities took steps to reduce the environmental impact. “We organised a green drive, urging residents to choose eco-friendly firecrackers and keep their use minimal. We’ve also limited firecracker activity to a single area,” said Venkat Rahul, treasurer of Honer Vivantis’s community association. Similarly, at Golf View, firecracker use was confined to specific spots. “We asked people to avoid rockets and to bring in clothes drying outside to prevent any fire hazards,” said Dr A. Narasimha, a resident of Golf View.
As the celebrations continued, the aftermath also became evident, with firecracker debris scattered across various neighbourhoods and animals left stressed by the noise.
For stray animals, Diwali is especially tough. “Rescuing animals is part of our daily work, but during Diwali, it gets intense,” said Sonam Singh, vice president of Deven’s Hope Society, an animal shelter. “The animals shiver, get anxious and start panting. In the worst cases, people burst crackers right next to them, sometimes even attaching them.” Since Diwali festivities began, Deven’s Hope Society has been flooded with distress calls, Sonam added.
