HARRODS, OR THE TRIUMPH OF LIGHT

There are nights when mankind, weary of the shadows of the world, feels compelled to kindle a thousand lights, as though to remind the heavens that hope still endures. So it is with Diwali, a name derived from Sanskrit meaning “a row of lights”, the great Indian festival in which light triumphs over darkness. In London, the illustrious Harrods has adorned itself with the splendours of the East to celebrate this universal communion with light. Alongside Indian couturier Gaurav Gupta, the celebrated Knightsbridge department store brought to life a magnificent spectacle inspired by the Ramayana, where fabrics, movement and illuminations seemed to weave a living poem.

For peoples, however distant in their beliefs and customs, are united by the same longing to conquer the night. Harrods has understood this well, as visitors from India, South Asia, the Gulf and Britain’s diverse communities gather beneath its illuminated vaults.

Thus, beneath the chandeliers of Harrods, one eternal truth echoes through the centuries: light belongs to no nation, no religion, no empire; it belongs to all humanity. Festivities fade, shop windows grow dark, magnificent garments return to the silence of wardrobes, yet in the hearts of men and women lingers the memory of those fleeting moments when the world seemed more beautiful, more fraternal and more generous.

FM