Delhi In Diwali Mood With Indians Preparing To Head Home

By M.Santhiran M.Santhiran, Bernama's correspondent in New Delhi shares his take on the Indian capital city and its unique social narrative. NEW DELHI, Nov 2 (Bernama) -- There appears to be a hive of activity in New Delhi though the temperatures have been falling below 20 degree Celcius as the winter starts to set in. The bazaars and shopping malls appear decorated in colours and lights. Stalls selling fireworks and firecrackers have started mushrooming, and tickets to the destinations outside Delhi are mostly sold out. It is the clearest sign for the locals that Diwali, the festival of light, is around the corner. Indians are already thronging shops and malls or are on online buying spree. Local TV stations and dailies are capitalising on the festive mood by airing and publishing advertisements on various promotions respectively. After more than a week of festivities of Dasara or Navaratri, major cities are expected to witness an exodus of millions of people to their hometowns with two popular modes of travel, air and train, with both being fully booked. According to local media in some major cities it is almost impossible to secure air or train tickets up to the end of December. Prime minister Narendra Modi had expressed his concern over the lack of transport avenues for the masses to get back to their hometowns. The shortfall in airline capacity comes as a surprise to many as now there are more budget airlines and more flights to the destinations. Even some Malaysian friends who initially planned to travel to some major cities in India during Diwali and school holidays are lamenting that they have to change their itinerary due to problems in finding flights or other mode of transportation. MORE AND MORE INDIANS TRAVEL ABROAD DURING DEEPAVALI With government agencies and companies traditionally going on a long break, and with better purchasing power, Indians nowadays take the opportunity to travel overseas during Diwali. Some of them even travel to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia to witness the celebration in these countries. Local tour companies reported that they have received more bookings this year compared with the previous years. This is partly due to better economic growth enjoyed by the country of late. Here in Delhi, tour company operators claim that some Delhiites want to get away from the capital city to escape from the polluted air during Diwali. They claim the firecrackers and fireworks will worsen the Air Pollutant Index (API) of the city, where World Health Organisation (WHO) listed New Delhi as the most polluted city in the world since last year. Even the Indian Supreme Court on Thursday refused to issue ban on firecrackers and fireworks even though more civic bodies were in favor of the move. Several religious groups also claimed its part of the Hindu culture. SECURITY ON HIGH ALERT As there is a high risk of terrorist groups targeting crowded areas especially local markets in the capital during the festive period, more police personnel and Border Security Force (BSF) have been deployed. Delhi is already known for high security protocol, and with Diwali around the corner the already tight security is being gradually stepped up further. For the past few weeks the social media have been quoting the Delhi police's intelligence reports that terror groups including IS may strike during the festive period. During my recent visits to two of the biggest wholesale markets in Delhi, the Sardar Bazar and Chandni Chowk, people were busy doing their shopping early, as they fear as the days go by the security would be extremely tight. Also they want to avoid the last minute shoppers and bargain hunters who will congest the place. Some shopkeepers alleged that partial closure of roads leading to these areas and security screening forced more people to switch to online shopping. As for me, I will be heading back home for Deepavali (this is how Diwali is called in Malaysia) to celebrate with my family and friends. Wishing all Malaysians a very Happy Deepavali. -- BERNAMA