Tu na Hindu banega na Musalmaan banega, insaan ki aulad hai insaan banega. This is the motive behind every festival. There are certain parts of the world which, once visited, makes an unerasable mark in your heart, India is one of them. Indian calendar is full of festivals. Being a secular country it houses more than four religions and every religion has its own set of festivals that the entire nation celebrates. People in India celebrate all the festivals with great enthusiasm which dignifies unity.

People have got different ways of celebrating the festivals. When talked about this with our lucknowities, they came out with different aspects:
Says, Deepak Mervyn Mathews, a teacher, “Unity and diversity is what our country teaches. Whether it is Christmas, Diwali, Eid or Guru Parv, it is a festival for me. Food, gifts, new attire and decoration are what I enjoy. And last but not the least, helping underprivileged people, giving alms to them and praying for them makes my festival complete.”

Deepa Kumar, a housewife, says, “Festivals are like happiness coming in our home. Houses are white washed and decorated beautifully. We decorate the temple and statues of all the lords and offer prayers in the morning. A common belief that guests are like lord, inspires us a lot. We make special preparations and present a small gift from us to our guests. We celebrate every festival together with great enthusiasm.”
Raza Haider Zaidi, a retired office superintendent, says, “During the festive season my first work is to help those people who don’t even have money to make new clothes. Then we decorate our house and special cuisines are prepared for the guests. Whether it is Diwali, Christmas, Guru Parv or Eid, I celebrate all the festivals with my friends. Outing, sharing gifts, cuisines are special attractions.”

M.L. Verma, an assistant manager, says, “When the festive season comes, I help my wife in cleaning and decorating up the house. We decorate the temple and pray in the morning. We make new attires for our family members. Different dishes and sweets are prepared for the guests. On the occasion of festivals, we distribute clothes and sweets to the under privileged people, and their smile is like a blessing from God.”