EVERY year, Deepavali arrives not just as a festival, but as a reminder — that even in the darkest of times, light is never truly lost. It waits, quietly, in each of us.
This celebration was never meant for one faith alone. It belongs to all who believe that goodness can still win. Call the source of that light what you will - Ishwarah, Allah, Jehovah, God, or simply the Universe. The truth remains the same: there is a power that stirs us to rise when we fall, to forgive when we are hurt, and to build when the world seems to crumble.
Deepavali is the story of humanity itself - our endless battle between light and darkness. Between kindness and cruelty. Hope and despair. And what makes this story beautiful is that light does not need everyone to shine. It only needs enough. Enough people of goodwill, enough people who refuse to hate, enough who choose empathy over indifference.
Malaysia has proven this truth time and again. In our moments of trial - political, racial, economic - it has been the simple decency of ordinary Malaysians that has kept this nation together. When darkness tried to divide us, light came from the most unexpected corners: a neighbour helping another, strangers giving what little they had, voices rising not in anger, but in unity.
We are not perfect - no nation is. But we are a living example that enough light, shared by enough hearts, can hold even the fiercest darkness at bay.
And today, the world needs that lesson more than ever. When conflict, fear, and cynicism seem to dominate, it is easy to feel powerless. Yet Deepavali reminds us that we have never been powerless. The smallest flame still defeats the deepest night.
So light your lamp this year - not just for tradition, but as a declaration. A declaration that you believe in that there is still enough goodness in humanity. That you still believe compassion is stronger than cruelty, love is braver than hate, and truth, though often quiet, is louder than all lies combined.
Let us be the light - not perfect, not all-knowing, but enough. Enough to guide one another through the shadows. Enough to show the world that unity is not a dream; it is a decision.
A happy and blessed Deepavali, my friends.
May your homes be bright, your hearts unburdened, and your light - however small - shine far enough to touch another soul. – October 20, 2025
Datuk Dr Vinod Sekhar is the publisher of the Vibes and Chairman of the Petra Group
