IPOH: New clothes and traditional prayers mark the arrival of Deepavali for M. Indira Gandhi’s family, just as they do for thousands of Indian households across the country. Yet beneath the festivities lies a lingering, painful void.
For Indira, 51, the Festival of Lights is a poignant annual reminder of the absence of her youngest daughter, Prasana Diksa. In fact, Indira and her two older children, now aged 29 and 28, can barely recall a time when Prasana was with them to celebrate.
Prasana was taken in 2009 when she was just 11 months old, following the end of Indira’s marriage. That infant would now be an 18-year-old woman.
That same year, Indira’s former husband unilaterally converted their three children to Islam, a decision the Federal Court ultimately quashed in a landmark 2018 ruling. Despite a court order directing her ex-husband to return Prasana to her mother, both father and daughter remain untraced to this day.
Since their separation, Deepavali has become a much quieter affair.
"There are still prayers at home, and I continue to buy new clothes for my two older children, but the celebrations are kept simple," said Indira, who runs a home-based baking and catering business, while also giving primary school tuition to supplement her income. "After prayers, we usually head to my mother's house nearby to spend time with the family."
Despite the heavy heartache, Indira continues to observe the festival's traditions. But to her, the brightest Deepavali gift would not be new clothes, elaborate decorations, or a house full of guests.
"It would simply be having Prasana back, so that our family could finally feel whole again," she said. "I always feel that my family is incomplete without her."
Unfulfilled as her wish remains, Indira refuses to give up hope of one day welcoming her daughter home and celebrating the festival together.
"As long as I am alive, I will keep waiting," she said. - Star
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