'Diwali is beautiful when it is lit up with compassion, care'

This Diwali, we decided to ask Dia Mirza about her message for her fans as well as her own take on the festival of lights.

Here's what she said.

'My mom would always use this time of year to make my name a celebration'

My fondest Diwali memory is soaking the miththi ke diye with my mother, putting them out to dry in the sun and pouring oil, rolling cotton wicks and placing them in each diya carefully... laughing and chattering and being drawn in by the beauty that small earthen lights would bring to our home each year.

My mom would always use this time of year to make my name a celebration and remind me of the symbolism of how even a small flame can add a gentle glow to a dark space... the flame of hope.

This year I am celebrating Diwali by saving lives of critically ill underprivileged children through the Genesis Foundation.

'Diwali is about celebrating triumph, rooting out evil'

Diwali is beautiful when it is lit up with compassion, care and an understanding that as one of the most populated countries in the world every choice we make has a compounded result.

Cracker pollution caused by the millions that unthinkingly burst them causes ill health. Diwali is about celebrating triumph, rooting out evil (what is bad for us), instilling hope.