‘Diwali’ vs. ‘Deepavali’ debate traces back to 2021 Media postings

KUALA LUMPUR: The controversy over the terms ‘Diwali’ and ‘Deepavali’ is not new, and Malaysian media outlets have debated it since at least 2021.

Recently, Tapah Member of Parliament and MIC Deputy President Datuk Seri M. Saravanan reignited the debate, insisting that official government banners and commercial displays in Little India, Brickfields, use the traditional term ‘Deepavali’ instead of the North Indian term ‘Diwali’. While his stance gained strong backing from Tamil linguists and some community members, some observers criticised it, questioning whether linguistic debates should take precedence over pressing issues facing the Indian community or risk causing unnecessary division during festive celebrations.

Read more:
Saravanan sparked debate over ‘Deepavali vs. Diwali’ description, gets headlines in Tamil Media

However, media records show that this linguistic concern was highlighted years prior. Raghavan Karupiah, editor of Malaysiakini’s Tamil section, said he had written an extensive article on this exact subject on November 9, 2021. He also shared the article with Malaysian Indian Today (pic).

In his 2021 commentary, Raghavan explained the etymological distinction: splitting the word ‘Diwali’ yields ‘Di’ and ‘Vaali’, where ‘Di’ or ‘Thee’ refers to fire and ‘Vaali’ refers to a bucket or container used to hold that fire, rendering the term contextually inaccurate for the festival of lights. He emphasised that ‘Deepavali’-signifying a row of lit lamps-is the correct term in Southern India and across Tamil culture, whereas ‘Diwali’ is an adaptation used in Northern states.

Raghavan concluded his 2021 article by expressing hope that, from 2022 onward, the community would correctly pronounce and use ‘Deepavali’ to preserve the festival’s true meaning. Despite his written appeal, the persistent misuse of the term ‘Diwali’ on public signage even 5 years later shows the core issue remains unresolved, as Saravanan’s recent public protest underscored.