Participation of women in the Deep Utsav or the Diwali as a community event will provide them a room for celebrations, cultural assimilation, environment management, leading to their societal recognition.
We have seen in the villages how people celebrate the Diwali in an eco-friendly manner, starting from decorating houses with diyas, lights and festoons, preparing special foods and homemade rangoli etc.
Diwali should be organised as a community event in Diwali Bazar wherein Diwali-related items such as earthen lamps, candles, floating candles, pooja thali, idols of Ganesh and laxmi and other gift items are available for sale. Besides, floral decoration, fire dance, rangoli, kacchi gori, puppet show should be added as extra attraction.
Stalls of food should be put up to serve food to one and all. Handloom exhibition should be organised through Government patronage. Apart from this, cultural programme should be organised every evening from 5.30 pm onwards during the Utsav. local artistes should be given an exposure to showcase their talent with arrangement of singing, dancing, one act play, storytelling, kirtan and pala etc. The exhibitors should participate in health, hygiene, water and sanitation issues. Besides, child rights, violence against women, respect to senior citizen, environment management and skill development should be focused during the community festivals. The patrons can also indulge in other activities like adventure zone, kids zone, baby shows competition, kids fashion show and much more.
In this way, Diwali will facilitate women empowerment who face common problems such as low wage, difficulties in raw material procurement, marketing support etc. Therefore, the Self Help Groups of women (SHGs) should facilitate loans to the rural women.
For this, the Government of Odisha should provide space for setting of Make in Odisha and Start up Odisha programmes which will create link with the festival and promote tourism, education, health, skill development and commerce, etc.