Happy Diwali!

Oh, man, am I a bad Hindu. (I’m also a bad Christian and a bad Jew.)

There was a reason I said that The Ganesh Project doesn’t have any particular religious leanings. It’s because I have none. I’m attracted to the symbol of Ganesh because of his connection to wealth and the removal of obstacles. I think it’s ironically hilarious that Ganesh will also put obstacles in your way just to show off a bit and to put you in your place. And yeah, he’s put me in my place on occasion.

But today is the first day of Diwali! Happy Diwali!

Okay, to be honest, I hadn’t heard of Diwali before Tina told me about it last night. I’m like, “Wait. Who’s Wally?” Apparently, the Indian population (at least in Massachusetts) is pushing for a school holiday to observe Diwali. The school systems observe Christmas and Hanukkah, so why not Diwali? After all, it is one of the most important festivals within Hinduism, so why not?

Life is a celebration. Celebrate it. In my humble opinion, we don’t need a religion to tell us to celebrate but if that’s your leaning, I say embrace it. And you get to celebrate with some heavy hitters. Diwali is associated with Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity and, our favorite, Ganesha, god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles.

Happy Diwali!