Diwali, or Deepawali, is one of the biggest and brightest festivals of India. The festival of lights has deep religious significance for many, who believe that this was the day when Lord Rama returned home after fourteen years of exile.
However, apart from being an integral part of India’s religious and spiritual beliefs, Diwali is also deeply connected with India’s economy, agriculture, and ecology.
Economy & ecology connection
Diwali celebrations centre around the agricultural calendar, harvest cycles, and pest management practices across large parts of India. The timing of these celebrations and the customs attached to them reveal a sophisticated understanding of seasonal rhythms, food security, and environmental impact that dates back over 2,500 years.
The end of kharif seaso
Diwali occurs at a time in India's agricultural calendar when the kharif season comes to its conclusion. During this season, crops are sown during the monsoon months of June and July. The cycle ends with harvesting between September and November.
In tune with this, Diwali typically falls in October or November, coinciding with the harvest of rice, the primary kharif crop and a staple that has been key to Indian civilisation.
Celebrating rice harvest
This timing transforms Diwali into a harvest festival, marking the culmination of the agricultural year. In rural areas, the festival celebrates the abundance of freshly harvested rice. It is reflected in the food traditions as well, with families making either Kheer or Poha delicacies.
Since Diwali has profound economic significance, farmers offer prayers and express gratitude for their harvest, marking a period of prosperity after months of cultivation.
Diwali’s pest management practice
The other key dimension of Diwali as a festival is even more fascinating. It is basically the ecological dimension, as a sophisticated pest management festival.
The post-monsoon months of October and November mark a critical period in several parts of India, when insect populations reach their peak breeding season. Many of these also threaten crops and the harvest. To battle that, ancient agricultural communities ingeniously embedded pest control into Diwali traditions. There are light traps in the form of Diyas, which attract insects such as moths, leafhoppers, plant hoppers, and rice bugs.
Once attracted to the flames, these insects perish in the same flames. In fact, rural communities of Bengal and Odisha also burn bundles of jute sticks.
Whitewashing homes with lime is also a significant part of Diwali traditions. Lime acts as a natural fungicide and creates an alkaline environment inhospitable to insects and their eggs. This practice prevented pests from taking shelter in homes during the post-harvest period.
There are many such practices that are part of various communities and were established thousands of years ago. Even today, these are part of our rituals and traditions, with some also taking modern forms.
