Page 2 - Diwali

Delhi's air quality lowest in last 5 years after Diwali, still 'very poor'

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 312 was the second best for the Diwali day in seven years

Humanoid robots lead Diwali celebrations at Jaipur housing society

Residents of Gulmohar Garden Society here experienced a unique Diwali this year as they celebrated the festivities with four humanoid robots. The robots, made by Club First Robotics in Jaipur, led the celebrations as they lit sparklers and crackers, shook hands with the residents and greeted the guests. Speaking of the idea behind the event, robotics expert Bhuvnesh Mishra said, "When all of us are celebrating Diwali, personnel in the fire brigade and police and sanitation workers are performing their duties away from their families. In such situations, these robots can become their support." These robots can efficiently accomplish tasks such as extinguishing a fire in an emergency or repairing a choke in a sewer line, Mishra said. The robots that took part in Gulmohar Garden Society's festivities included Xena 5.0 All Terrain Robot, Xena 6.0 Solar Manhole Cleaning Robot, Sona 3.5 AI Humanoid Robot and Sona 2.5 Service Robot Men. Sona 2.5 manned the food service at the cafeteria w

111,000 earthen lamps lit in Ujjain's Mahakaleswar Temple on Diwali

Diwali was celebrated at Ujjain's Mahakaleswar Jyotirlinga by lighting 1,11,000 earthen lights on Monday.Celebrations of Diwali, the festival of lights, began early Monday morning at Ujjain's Mahakaleswar Jyotirlinga as thousands of devotees thronged to the temple to offer their prayers on this auspicious day.A special aarti is being offered at the Mahakal Temple to mark 'Naraka Chaturdashi'.After the evening aarti of Baba Mahakal by the Mahakaleshwar Temple Committee along with the members of the Mahakaleshwar Management Committee, the Chairman of the Mahakaleshwar Temple Management Committee and the Mahant of Mahakaleshwar Temple, started the Deepotsav by lighting the lamp.Devotees coming to the people also enjoyed the festival by lighting the lamp. The children of the orphanage also lit the lamp. The District Collector Ashish Singh was also present at the event."As per the tradition, lord Mahakal has been offered Chappan Bhog and fuljhari," priest Mahesh Sharma told ANI.Narak ...

Indian Americans help light our way forward, says Jill Biden on Diwali

As the United States charts its way forward, Indian Americans help light the path with courage, kindness, persistence and love, First Lady Dr Jill Biden has said. The Bidens had invited more than 200 Indian Americans from across the country for the largest-ever White House Diwali party of the current administration. Addressing a jam-packed East Room of the White House, the first lady appreciated the role of Indian Americans in enhancing the US' socio-economic fabric. As we chart our path toward the future, this community helps light our way forward with courage and kindness, with persistence and faith, with love. I'm grateful that today these diyas have guided you to this home, a home that belongs to all of you: The White House, Jill Biden said in her remarks on Monday. Quoting Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, she said, The sky is flushed with the dawn and my path lies beautiful. Ask not what I have with me to take there. I start on my journey with empty hands and an expected ..

Apple CEO Cook extends Diwali wishes; gives shoutout to Mumbai photographer

Apple CEO Tim Cook took to Twitter to wish everyone Diwali. And what made his wish even more special was the photo Tim attached with his tweet.Tim attached a photo clicked by a Mumbai-based photographer Apeksha Maker and wrote, "This photo beautifully captures why Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights. Wishing all who celebrate a holiday full of joy and prosperity. #ShotoniPhone by Apeksha Maker."The photographer shared Tim Cook's shoutout and said that she is "humbled" that Tim shared her photo."Humbled & stoked to have #TimCook @apple post my #shotoniphone image for Diwali! Wishing you all a prosperous one," Apeksha wrote on Instagram.Talking about the latest update from Apple, the tech giant will soon be releasing iOS 16.1 soon. According to GSM Arena, rumours that suggested the iPadOS release would also be labelled iOS 16.1 might be true as it would make sense for the company to re-sync the version numbers of its mobile operating systems.With iOS 16.1, users will be able

Joe Biden, First Lady host largest ever Diwali reception at White House

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden on Monday hosted a Diwali reception at the White House in what they called the largest since the People's House started celebrating the festival during the George Bush administration. More than 200 eminent Indian Americans attended the reception at the East Room, a venue which has witnessed some of the landmark events related to the India-US relationship, including the signing of the nuclear deal and the joint press conference by then US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2008. The reception saw some enthralling cultural events, including performances by sitarist Rishab Sharma and dance troupe The Sa Dance Company. The guests, dressed in traditional Indian attires such as saree, lehenga and sherwani, relished some mouthwatering Indian delicacies. The room is full at the East state dining room This is a real celebration of what the Indian American community has achieved in the United States.

Delhi's air turns 'very poor', but still 2nd best on Diwali in 7 years

Delhi's air quality turned "very poor" on Monday amid an increase in stubble burning, bursting of firecrackers and moderately unfavourable meteorological conditions which allowed accumulation of pollutants. However, the 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 312 was still the second best for the Diwali day in seven years. Before this, the city recorded an AQI of 281 on Diwali in 2018. Delhi had recorded an AQI of 382 on Diwali last year, 414 in 2020; 337 in 2019; 319 in 2017; and 431 in 2016, according to the Central Pollution Control Board data. The neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad (301), Noida (303), Greater Noida (270), Gurugram (325) and Faridabad (256) reported poor to very poor air quality. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". The relatively better air doesn't mean it's good air. The PM2.5 levels at 25 monitoring stations in the national .

Real-time monitoring of sound, air pollution on Diwali underway in Bengal

West Bengal Environment Minister Manas Bhuniya Monday said the new central control room at Paribesh Bhavan here is monitoring sound and air pollution in real time on Diwali and Kali Puja. Bhuniya, who inspected the control room at the West Bengal Pollution Control Board headquarters, told reporters that experts from IIT-Delhi are examining the data at regular intervals, particularly during evening, and passing on the information to departments concerned. "If there is any data about violation of sound limits prescribed by the WBPCB, we will mark the hotspots and officers of the respective police stations will be alerted, and the offenders will be tracked," he said. Over 100 mini control rooms at the district level across North and South Bengal are functioning since the evening and feeding data to the central control room every minute, an Environment Department official said. WBPCB chairman Kalyan Rudra said so far, the situation has not turned alarming, which can be attributed to th

Recovery tracker: Dip in railway numbers, fewer flyers ahead of Diwali

Weekly vehicle registrations surge to nearly 600,000

People revel in Diwali spirit after two years of muted celebrations

Colourful lights illuminated buildings and earthen lamps dotted houses as people across the country celebrated Diwali with pomp on Monday after two years of muted festivities due to the pandemic. People, dressed in their finest, exchanged sweets and gifts, visited temples and greeted each other. Some restrictions on bursting of firecrackers, particularly in the national capital, however, remained in force. President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people of the country and hoped the festival will bring happiness, wellbeing and strengthen the spirit of mutual cooperation and harmony. Like previous years, Prime Minister Modi celebrated Diwali with soldiers. This time it was in Kargil. Addressing the soldiers, he said India is against war but also underscored the need for strength to ensure peace and asserted that its growing power boosts the chances of global peace and prosperity. India stands for peace and has always ...

Cyclone 'Sitrang' brings rain, high wind dampening Diwali cheer in Bengal

As cyclone 'Sitrang' moved north-northeastwards and lay 260 km southeast of Sagar island on Monday, the Met department warned of heavy rain in coastal Bengal and northeastern states, dampening festive spirits on Diwali and Kali Puja. Intermittent showers since morning forced people to remain indoors as most Kolkata streets wore a deserted look on a festive evening which would normally have attracted tens of thousands to visit marquees with idols of Goddess Kali and see the bring lights of the city. Squally wind accompanied by light to moderate rain affected the coastal districts of the state, while Kolkata also witnessed an overcast sky with light precipitation. Moving at a speed of 33 kmph in a north-northeastward direction, cyclone 'Sitrang' lay 260 kmph southeast of Sagar island at 2.30 pm over the northwest Bay of Bengal and is very likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm, packing wind speed of 90 to 100 kmph, gusting to 110 kmph by Monday night. It is likely t

Army chief reviews security situation along northern borders in Sikkim

Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Monday visited forward areas in Sikkim to review the security situation along the northern borders and also greeted soldiers on Diwali. Gen Pande visited military stations in north Bengal and border areas of Sikkim on October 23-24, the defence ministry said in a statement. He wished all ranks on the occasion of Diwali and also reviewed the security situation along the northern borders of Sikkim, the ministry said. The Army chief expressed satisfaction at the pace of infrastructure development along the border areas. He was accompanied by Lt Gen R P Kalita, Army Commander of Eastern Command, and Lt Gen Tarun Kumar Aich, GOC Trishakti Corps, the statement said. At Sukna Military Station on Sunday, Gen Pande interacted with the troops during a programme showcasing India's cultural heritage and unity in diversity, which was organised on the eve of the festival. On Monday, the Army chief, accompanied by Kalita and Aich, visited forward areas in north

Punjab, Haryana lit with Diwali spirit; Mann visits Gurudwara with wife

Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated across Punjab and Haryana on Monday with great fervour and enthusiasm. Devotees queued up at temples and gurudwaras across Punjab and Haryana including Chandigarh to worship their gurus and deities. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann along with his wife Gurpreet Kaur offered prayers at Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Mohali. He also bought some diyas from a roadside vendor. Cities across the two states were lit with candles, diyas (earthen lamps), and electric lights, as people did rounds of each others' houses and exchanged sweets and gifts. Everywhere, people thronged the market places for last-minute shopping as shopkeepers selling Diwali items and sweets made a brisk business. To ward off any bad incident, security was tightened across the two states and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, especially in and around vital locations, markets, and places of worship, officials said. In Amritsar, the Golden Temple, the holy Sikh shrine, gleamed

Vehicular trauma cases rise in Gujarat; Chandigarh on alert during Diwali

A total of 621 cases of vehicular traumas were recorded in the state of Gujarat when compared with the average of 424 cases in a single day

PM Modi calls on President Droupadi Murmu, both exchange Diwali greetings

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met President Droupadi Murmu and they exchanged Diwali greetings and also shared their "desire for peace, prosperity and a better tomorrow for the whole of humanity". "It was my pleasure to receive Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji today. We exchanged Diwali greetings and shared our desire for peace, prosperity and a better tomorrow for the whole of humanity on this festival that marks the victory of light over darkness," President Murmu tweeted, along with the pictures of the meeting. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi celebrated Diwali with soldiers in Kargil.

Maha CM greets people on Diwali, stresses on expediting state's development

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday greeted people on Diwali and the CM laid emphasis on speeding up development of the state. This is Shinde's first Diwali as chief minister. He was sworn in as the CM on June 30 this year after the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Wishing citizens of the state while attending a Diwali event in his hometown Thane, Shinde said, May this Diwali bring prosperity and good health to you all. "We have to put the development of the state on a fast track, and give justice to all sections of the society. An era of development has begun, Shinde added. Referring to India's victory over Pakistan in a nail-biting thriller in the ICC T20 World Cup tie on Sunday, the CM said, "We played a similar match three and half months back and won. The state and the country had seen it." On the festive occasion, he also announced City and Industrial Development Corporation's (CIDCO) new hou

Tax on Diwali gifts: How various sources of gifts are taxed

PM Narendra Modi lands in Kargil to celebrate Diwali with soldiers

Continuing with his annual tradition of celebrating Diwali with soldiers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday arrived in Kargil.

PM Modi greets Indians on Diwali, wishes 'joy and well-being' to all

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday greeted people on Diwali and wished that the festival brought them joy and well-being. He tweeted, "Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali. Diwali is associated with brightness and radiance. May this auspicious festival further the spirit of joy and well-being in our lives. I hope you have a wonderful Diwali with family and friends.

Diwali an occasion to strengthen harmony, says President Droupadi Murmu

On the eve of Diwali, President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday extended greetings to fellow citizens