Sangram Singh: As kids, we’d run away with candles lit outside other villagers' homes

Sangram Singh has fond memories of Diwali celebrations in his village in Haryana. The wrestler shares with us that as a child, Diwali for him was not about bursting crackers, but was about picking up candles from people's homes. "We were a gang of boys who would keep a tab on who’s lighting candles at his home. And as soon as we would get a chance, we would pick up some of the candles and run away with them, just for fun.Also in our village, some people used to keep sweets, after doing puja, outside their homes. We would wait for that too, so that we could eat those sweets. We were foolish but those were different kinds of experiences," says Sangram.

Sangram says that now, Diwali for him is not just about celebrations with friends and family, but also about doing simple things that can make others happy. "First, I only get earthen lamps during Diwali and I urge everyone to do so, so that people who make these diyas can earn money and have a good Diwali. Also I celebrate the festival with special children. I take homemade sweets for them like halwa or jaggery and spend some time with them. I think each one of us should try and do small things on Diwali so that those who are not as privileged as we are can also have a good festival," adds Sangram.