'Still feels like Diwali': How Dubai expats plan to celebrate on working, school day

As the Indian community in the UAE gears up to celebrate Diwali on Monday, this year’s “festival of lights” comes with a familiar weekday reality —office hours, school schedules, and after-work rituals taking the place of all-day festivities.

With the first day of school after the mid-term break coinciding with the start of the work week, many families said this Diwali will be about balancing routines with rituals—lighting lamps not at dusk but maybe a little later for some.

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While Diwali in the UAE may lack the all-day hustle and bustle of celebrations back home, for many families, its essence — the togetherness, light, and reflection — remains intact.

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'Still feels like Diwali'

For Anuradha Chakraborty, a Dubai resident, celebrations will begin only after her daughter returns from university.
“My daughter has evening classes on Diwali day. Since she’s in her fourth year at Heriot-Watt University doing Computer Science, she usually has classes from 6 to 9pm. However, her professors have said that Indian students can go home early on Monday if they wish to celebrate,” she said.
“Although the festival is important, studying is also equally important. When you are living in a foreign country, you have to follow the rules of that country,” she added. “I’ll have some guests over late evening, wait for her to return, and then we’ll light the lamps and sit down for dinner.”

“It may be a working day, but once those diyas are lit, it still feels like Diwali, I think it’s the vibe,” she added.

Quiet reminder of home

For Divisha Modi, a physiotherapist living in Greens, Diwali will start early and end late.
“I will go to work as usual — I have patients lined up. But before going to work, I might visit the temple in the morning,” she said. “My son is returning to school after a week’s mid-term break, so it’s back to school for him and back to routine for the entire family.”
Evening time, she said, is when the festive touch returns. “After I return from work, I’ll call up my family in India to wish them. We’ll switch on the lights we’ve put up in the balconies. That glow itself feels festive.”

In many Indian households across the UAE, that evening glow will symbolise connection — a quiet but meaningful reminder of home.

Weekend celebrations, weekday routines

Dubai resident Karthik Chopra said his family had already had their festive moments over the weekend.

“Frankly, it’s going to be a working day for everyone. My wife and I are both working, and my son returns to school after his half-term break. The weekend was all about enjoying with friends and family, but Monday is back to the grind as usual,” he said.

“My son helped in decorating the backyard with lights and lamps — that was the high point during the weekend. Also, my wife made the Rangoli (colourful patterns on the floor). It was a fun, family activity, we lent her a hand.”

“On Monday, after school, my son even has co-curricular activities, so by the time he’s back, it’ll be around 4.30pm. Once my wife and I return from work, we’ll light the earthen lamps — it’s more symbolic than ever, and more for our son, to give him a glimpse of the Indian culture.”

Chopra added that his family has already prepared a few festive favourites to savour through the week. “My wife, with the assistance of the house help, made laddoos and gujiyas (Indian sweets), and we’ve bought some kaju katli and soan papdi from an Indian sweet shop nearby. Even if we can’t have a big celebration on the day, those sweets bring that unmistakable Diwali flavour to our home. Additionally, we may have some neighbours visiting us briefly to exchange greetings, as we have an Indian family living next door.”

Nandini Sircar

nandini@khaleejtimes.com

Nandini Sircar has a penchant for education, space, and women's narratives. She views the world through a prism of learning: whether it's the earthly pursuit of wisdom or the unearthly mysteries of space. In her written universe, women and children take centre stage.