Overview
- Celebrations spanned cities nationwide on October 20, with temples, markets and homes illuminated despite rain in parts of Tamil Nadu and crowded festivities from Amritsar to Kolkata.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent the day with naval personnel aboard aircraft carrier INS Vikrant off Goa and Karwar, addressing sailors, joining a deck yoga session and reviewing a steampast and flypast.
- Delhi’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index rose to 345 in the very poor range, and officials warned of potential movement into severe levels following widespread fireworks despite regulated green-cracker rules.
- Leaders including US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, Canada’s Mark Carney, Singapore’s Lawrence Wong and UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed shared Diwali messages, joined by the United Nations and other missions.
- In Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sent greetings that emphasized minority rights as Hindu communities held temple ceremonies in cities such as Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, with local leaders renewing a call for a cremation ground.