Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik

Come Diwali, everyone revisits the story of this festival. It is what people do during festivals, trying to understand their origin. Some seek rational explanations: it is harvest time, and so time to party, for example. Some are happy with narrative explanations that are indifferent to reality: it is when Ram returned to Ayodhya. It is the latter which is far more enchanting and hence far more popular. And the more popular a festival, the more rich the stories. Diwali is a case in point. Everybody agrees that Diwali is a festival of lights, and sweets, and crackers. Of course, with rising noise and dust pollution, the noisy part of the festival is gaining much disrepute. This is one global Hindu festival that American Indians are at pains to tell meets with the approval of the US President. But, why is this festival celebrated?