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Over 10,000 citizens contributed oil for the event that concluded with a world record, they said.
Manufactured with around 1,000 kilogram steel, the world’s largest diya measuring 3.37 metres in diameter was lit here on Saturday evening by chief guest of the event Lt Gen K J Singh (retd), former general officer commanding-in-chief of Army’s Western Command, to spread the message of world peace, unity, secularism, and humanism.
Over 10,000 citizens including 4,000 residents of ‘Hero Homes’, representing the diverse fabric and diversity of Indian society, pooled in 3,129 litres of organic and diya-appropriate oils to create this unique symbol of peace.
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Themed around the festival of peace, the huge diya was lit in the presence of official adjudicators of the Guinness Book of World Record, who were present at the society of Hero Homes at Mohali to record this feat, said Ashish Kaul, CMO, Hero Realty.
He said that as per the Guinness Book of Records, this diya has been lit with 3,000 litres of cooking oil and qualifies as the world’s largest oil lamp ever lit.
Lt Gen Singh said, “this is an unconventional event combining the dual intent of celebrating Diwali as per tradition and one that also manages to spread an important social message.” He said it is befitting that Punjab which has in the past seen strife is now the location of the biggest icon of peace.
Lt Gen Singh further said, “if you look at diya, it is a medium to spread light, awareness, knowledge and knowledge related to peace.” Ashish Kaul, CMO, Hero Realty, the person behind the idea of world’s largest oil lamp, said, “I have my roots in Kashmir. For last 32-33 years, I have been looking for peaceful way to return home. That is my journey, that is a journey of every individual who wants dignity and dignity cannot be restored unless you have peace.
“So, for me as a person, it has always been a quest for peace and when I thought Diwali was around the corner, what better occasion to send out a message of peace than this.
“We have seen so much bloodshed in Kashmir, we see war in Ukraine, so I thought that true message of Diwali was celebration of peace and it is the biggest festival of peace. So, this humble diya is biggest source of inspiration for global peace”.
“I thought I must have biggest symbol of peace in the world from the land of Punjab, from this country for the whole world to know that if at all there is something which we need first and foremost, it is peace, which makes everything else meaningful,” said Kaul.
He said, “The oil in the diya, collected from various individuals irrespective of regions, languages, religions and other cultural creeds, represents the united resolve for peace and spirit of Indians.”