By Mata Press Service

In a world emerging from the darkness of the COVID pandemic but still plagued with war, food shortages and inflation, a Vancouver entrepreneur is on a mission to instill hope for a better future with a simple message – ‘light it forward’.

Grounded in the tradition of giving, Harbinder Singh Sewak’s message of hope sits in eco-friendly colourful earthen-pot candles called diyas.

“Lighting the diyas symbolizes the dispelling of darkness and going into light with hope in your heart,” said Sewak, whose association with special-event illumination have been making headlines over the past few years in British Columbia.

“This year our diyas have a greater meaning and our aim is to get everyone irrespective of race and religion to give them as a simple gift of hope and light that hope forward,” he said.

Diyas are traditionally associated with Diwali, one of the major festivals celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists to symbolize the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

It is an ancient Indian practice to symbolically light the diyas during prayers, rituals and ceremonies and during the ‘Festival of Lights’ or Diwali, which this year falls on October 24^th.

Sewak said diyas are usually bought for use at home by Canada’s 2.5 million-strong South Asian community and not traditionally thought of as something that can be gifted to anyone.

“We hope to change that and make the gifting of diyas a year-round Canadian tradition,” he said.

“In multicultural Canada, diyas can be a symbol of our country’s diversity and a very timely reminder that light will always overcome darkness when we look out for one another.

“Given what we have all just lived through these past two tumultuous years, lighting it forward with diyas will showcase the collective effort of Canadians to triumph over adversities,” he said.

“By gifting our diyas you are telling friends, neighbours and family that they have someone to count on.”

Sewak’s company Alooatta, specializes in an array of products made from natural ingredients sourced in British Columbia.

It’s signature ‘BC Naturals’ branded diyas are clean-burning and created from eco-friendly vegan soy wax. Each candle is custom blended with essential oil blends and hand-poured into clay pots shaped that come in traditional designs.
The company hit the headlines in 2019, when Sewak collaborated with his master designer, Madu Dhasanayaka, to make a mega candle to commemorate the 550th birthday of Guru Nanak, the spiritual founder of Sikhism.

The Guru Nanak commemorative candle burned continuously at a Surrey Sikh temple for a symbolic 550 hours and is believed to be the longest burning candle ever made. It was poured by Dhasanayaka, who laboured for more than 2,000 hours creating the work, which cost $25,000.

Last year, Alooatta Diwali gift sets, candles and diyas were snapped up on Amazon, propelling the Vancouver company’s products to the bestseller lists of the global digital online retailer.

“Our products compete among the world’s best when it comes to nutrition, quality and scientific research to keep you, your family and our planet healthy, naturally,” said Sewak, a recipient of the World Sikh Awards in London, for his work to highlight social issues facing immigrants in Canada.

“We use traditional and indigenous knowledge and modern science to ensure our products are environmentally friendly, free of toxic chemicals, free of animal testing, and are made in BC,” said Sewak.

BC Naturals Diwali Diyas are available on Amazon.

‘Light it forward’ with diyas and let them know they have somebody to lean on

According to Canadian Social Survey data from January to March 2022, three-quarters (75%) of people aged 15 years and older said that they always or often have someone to depend on to help them when they really need it.

This Diwali, one of the ways to show that you are around to lend someone a hand, is by gifting them a diya to symbolize your enduring gift of hope, says Vancouver entrepreneur Harbinder Singh Sewak.

Data from Statistics Canada