Pakistani influencer celebrates Diwali for the first time in Karachi. Video goes viral

A Pakistani content creator shared a video of him celebrating Diwali for the first time in Karachi on social media which has gone viral.

The video, shared by Bilal Hasan on Instagram, has clocked over millions of views as it perfectly showcased his heartwarming experience.

“Diwali in Pakistan. Maine kabhi zindagi mein Diwali nahi manayi until today [Diwali in Pakistan. I have never celebrated Diwali until today],” Hasan said.

“Sindh is home to Pakistan's largest Hindu community. Karachi, being the largest city, has some of the liveliest and most vibrant celebrations [of Diwali] in the country,” he said.

In his video, Hasan was seen soaking up the festive spirit at the bustling Swami Narayan Temple, where locals gathered to celebrate the festival of lights. The temple, lively with families and friends lighting firecrackers and enjoying sweets, showcased vibrant Diwali celebrations.

“Ab ye saari baatein suni thi. Apni aankhon se kabhi dekha nahi tha. Tyohaar ki khushi mein maine apne dost Ehbab ko Eidi style lifafe taiyar kiye aur nikal pada Swami Narayan Mandir [I had always heard of these stories of people celebrating Diwali but never witnessed it from my own eyes. So, I and my friend Ehbab, prepared some Eidi-style envelopes, and headed to Swami Narayan Mandir].” Hasan said.

“This is Karachi's largest temple and centre of Hindu life in the metropolis. The place was packed,” he added.

“Maine labhi zindagi mein aisa manzar Karachi sheher mein nahi dekha. Har kone se har qism ke pathake nikal rahe the. Anar se leke paiti bum tak. And everything in between. This truly was the festival of lights [I had never witnessed such a vibrant scene in my life in Karachi city. There were firecrackers on every corner of the street,” Hasan added.

Adding a personal touch, Hasan embraced the Diwali tradition of giving Eidi-style ‘lifafas’ – envelopes – to friends who, in turn, surprised him with an assortment of mithais [sweets].

Earlier this year, a video of Navratri celebrations in Karachi, shared by influencer Dheeraj Mandhan, showing locals enjoying dandiya went viral on social media.

This year, Diwali, the festival of lights, was celebrated on October 31. The videos like these are all about shared humanity, joy, and the simple act of lighting up someone’s day.

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