Deepawali, the festival of lights is being celebrated today with great joy and enthusiasm throughout the country. Temples, houses and streets are decorated with colours and candles. The festival brings in a lot of excitement across all the sections of society irrespective of their socio-economic background. Security has also been stepped up with a view to make the festival joyful.<br/><br/>This festival is celebrated with new clothes, spectacular firecrackers and a variety of sweets in the company of family and friends. All this illumination and fireworks, joy and festivity, signify the victory of divine forces over those of wicked. The Goddess Lakshmi who is the symbol of wealth and prosperity, is also worshipped on this day. In West Bengal, this festival is celebrated as Kali Puja, and Kali, Shiva's consort, is worshipped on the occasion. In the South, Deepawali festival often commemorates the conquering of the Asura Naraka, a powerful king of Assam, who imprisoned thousands of inhabitants.<br/><br/>The President, Mrs Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, the Vice-President Mr.M Hamid Ansari and the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh have greeted the people a joyous Diwali. For the first time, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown yesterday celebrated Diwali at the 10 Downing Street, as the Labour leader and his wife lit a lamp placed amid idols of Lord Rama, Krishna from the Swaminarayan Mandir. Mr. Brown said, it was also an occasion to celebrate the strengthening of the relations between Britain and India.<br/><br/>