Bihar Catholic colleges celebrate eco-friendly Diwali

November 12, 2012 - Students of two Catholic colleges in eastern India’s Bihar state gave the message of celebrating the festival of Diwali in an eco-friendly way. Ahead of Diwali on Tuesday, students of St. Xavier’s College and St. Xavier’s College of Management and Technology in Patna celebrated the festival on Saturday by lighting traditional lamps and said no to crackers and environmental and noise pollution. Some of their posters prepared for the occasion read- “No to crackers, no to air pollution” and “Light from light, spread the light of wisdom”. As hundreds of earthenware lamps were lit students and staff sang songs on light dispelling darkness. Earlier, they prayed a traditional Vedic hymn “From untruth to truth, from darkness to light”. Chief guest Fr. Martin Pora, the director of Xavier Institute of Social Research, said the real meaning of the Vedic hymn is dispelling the darkness of poverty, illiteracy and violence, which, he said, is the duty of all.