Deepavali Fast Losing Significance

As Deepavali nears my mom often talks to me about the good old days when she used to celebrate Deepavali with so much pomp and pageantry. She spoke about how much fun she and her sisters had dressing up in the very best of Indian fashion and wearing the traditional long plait and with hair full of jasmine flowers. She talked about how she used to watch old movies and be inspired by the fashion of the various Tamil movie stars. Such a large contrast to the way Deepavali is celebrated in my time. There is really very little sense of community amongst the Indians today. Most of us are all over the world with relatives in multiple countries. Next year a big chunk of my family will migrate to Perth and the festivities will take on an even smaller significance in our lives. I feel sad that globalization, work pressures and business travel has made Deepavali so insignificant in the lives f many modern corporate professionals. We barely have time to go shopping for a new attire for Deepavali. And of course shopping in a haste takes away much of the joy of shopping and trying on new things. Oftentimes it almost feels like I am rushing to meet a deadline and ensure that I have a set of new clothes to wear to the temple on Deepavali. How does one recapture the spirit and significance of Deepavali? The triumph of inner light over darkness? I continue to search for a way that resonates with my deepest sensibilities and spirituality.