“I don’t ever remember a rainy Diwali day.” said a resident of Chandmari area in disappointment. The feelings echoed throughout Guwahati as incessant rain made the celebrations unlikely.

Cyclone Sitrang has brought rain to all parts of north east India with the states of Tripura, Meghalaya, Assam and Mizoram on high alert for heavy rainfall. The storm that formed in the Bay of Bengal made a landfall in Bangladesh around 9:30 pm – 11:30 pm on Monday.

As night set in on Guwahati earlier than other days, the rain also got heavier. But around 7:00 pm, the rain stopped for some minutes, giving room for some activities though rain interrupted again.

The decorative lights put up on buildings brightened the city, but people preferred to stay indoors and close to home. The tradition of visiting people’s houses to exchange Diwali greetings was also put on halt as the city witnessed a dip of temperature.

However, all celebrations were not cancelled completely. Loud bangs could be heard once in a while. But for most of the people, Diwali was an unusually quiet night. Instead of the usual community bursting crackers and playing with sparklers in open areas, the citizens burned diyas at home and decorated their houses with rangoli.

On the other hand, rain is not all bad news for citizens who are not fond of pollution associated with Diwali. Authorities in Guwahati have been trying to promote green Diwali. The Pollution Control Board of Assam (PCBA) had issued a statement on 11 October 2022 that put a complete ban on noise-emitting firecrackers between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am in Assam.

Celebrations on Tuesday night remains uncertain as more rain is predicted in the region. PH, a resident of Chandmari, disappointed that he could not burst firecrackers at Diwali, consoles himself by hoping to burst his stock when India wins the T20 World Cup 2022.