Inside India - Diwali

An Indian girl and underprivileged children celebrate the eco friendly Diwali festival with glowing sky lanterns in Calcutta, India. Piyal Adhikary / EPA

An Indian Hindu woman holds an earthen lamp and performs rituals for her ancestors on the banks of Bindu Sagar, considered to be a holy pond, on Diwali festival in Bhubaneswar, India. Biswaranjan Rout / AP Photo

Indian widows wave sparklers as they participate in a celebration for the Hindu festival Diwali on the banks of the Yamuna river in the northern city of Vrindavan. Roberto Schmidt / AFP

Hindu devotees offer prayers to Goddess Laxmi on the occasion of the Diwali festival in Bhopal, India. Sanjeeev Gupta / EPA

An Indian man dressed as monkey god Hanuman blesses bystanders as he participates in a procession on the eve of Diwali in Allahabad, India. Rajesh Kumar Singh / AP Photo

Indian residents living in the Mahila ashram, a home for widows, raise their lit earthen lamps on the banks of the Yamuna river as they participate in a celebration for the Hindu festival Diwali in the northern city of Vrindavan. Roberto Schmidt / AFP

Fireworks light up the night sky during Diwali festival in Ajmer, India. Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of Hinduism’s most important festivals dedicated to the worship of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth. Deepak Sharma / AP Photo

Tenements housing mostly fishermen families are illuminated with lights to celebrate Diwali in Mumbai. Rafiq Maqbool / AP Photo

A Sikh man stands next to lit lamps at the Golden Temple, the holiest of Sikh shrines, on the occasion of Diwali festival and Bandi Chorh Diwas in Amritsar, India. Raminder Pal Singh / EPA

A young Indian girl laughs as she plays with a firecracker during Diwali, the festival of lights, in New Delhi. Altaf Qadri / AP Photo

Our weekly view of news and daily life on the Indian subcontinent.

Edit and sequencing by Assigning Photo Editor RJ Mickelson