The light touch: Islington gastropub The Tamil Prince is celebrating Diwali on 24 October
(Picture: Press handout)Is there a religious festival more suited to restaurant-going than Diwali, the Hindu festival of light? The five-day celebrations are marked by wearing one’s finest clothes, sharing family feasts and exchanging gifts — and where better to do any of that than at the table of one of London’s best Indian restaurants?
For Hindus, Diwali celebrates the return from exile of Lord Rama and the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, as well as honouring Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good fortune. But Hindus aren’t the only ones celebrating Diwali. Sikhs mark the end of the imprisonment of sixth guru Hargobind Singh in 1619; Jains celebrate the moment Lord Mahavira, the last Tirthankara, achieved Nirvana; and some Buddhists celebrate Diwali, too.
