Overview
- More than 2.6 million oil lamps illuminated Ayodhya’s Saryu River ghats, retaining a Guinness World Record as priests led mass prayers and thousands of volunteers coordinated the spectacle.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the festival with Indian Navy personnel aboard aircraft carrier INS Vikrant off the Goa–Karwar coast, continuing his tradition of celebrating with the armed forces.
- India’s top court relaxed New Delhi’s blanket firecracker ban to allow ‘green’ fireworks during specified hours, as SAFAR reported fine-particulate levels in parts of the capital at 347 on the AQI, about 14 times the WHO daily guideline.
- World leaders and international missions shared greetings, with messages from the UK’s Keir Starmer, the UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Australia’s Anthony Albanese, Singapore’s Lawrence Wong and the United Nations.
- Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended Diwali wishes and reaffirmed constitutional guarantees of equal rights and religious freedom for minorities.