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Diwali lights up India
From CNN's Seema Mathur
(CNN) -- Firecrackers and candles light up India as Hindus across the nation celebrated the religious holiday of Diwali. "This is a festival which conveys a message of peace. And it takes the country and world towards light," according to Lal Krishna Advani, India's deputy prime minister. During Diwali, Hindus across the world celebrate good triumphing over evil and they light lamps to welcome Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. The five-day Diwali festival is the biggest celebration on the Hindu calendar and signifies different things to people across the country. It is also celebrated by Sikhs. In north India, Diwali honors the homecoming of Rama -- the most revered Hindu deity -- to his capital city of Ayodhya after his victory over the demon king Ravana. Diwali's celebration of light began when Rama returned to his kingdom after being exiled in the forest for 14 years and was welcomed home with lights. The festival, which culminated on Saturday, also marked the beginning of the Hindu New Year, with business people regarding it as a good day to start their accounts. Others use Diwali to celebrate a successful harvest. Sales surge as Indians clamor to buy sweets, oil lamps and lots of presents, triggering optimism at the Bombay stock exchange. "We are expecting that we will have an all-round progress in India in the economic area which will reflect in the capital markets," says one officer from the exchange. But for Hindus who have been displaced because of fighting in Kashmir, celebrations are not so grand. "We used to celebrate Diwali freely as we had a lot of space in our own houses. But here it is so confused, we cannot even light fire crackers," says Kashmiri Rakesh Handoo. Still Hindus have faith on this day that all obstacles can be overcome.
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