Feature
Read or know the significance of festival of lights Diwali
Lucknow : Diwali or Deepavali is one of the most popular festivals celebrated by Hindus and other communities across the world. The festival represents the victory of light over darkness and thus is also called the ‘festival of lights’. Diwali 2017 or Deepavali 2017 is being celebrated on October 19 this year .
Signifying the the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair, the festival is a five-day affair.
Significance of Diwali
The main night falls on the darkest new moon night (Amavasya) according to the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika, which is usually between mid-October and mid-November. Before the Diwali night, people clean their homes and offices and decorate it with lamps, lights, rangolis and diyas. They also dress up in their finest clothes and get set to perform the Lakshmi Puja with newly-installed idols of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi.
Diwali is also believed to be the occasion of Lord Vishnu marrying Goddess Laksmi. Many also believe that Godess Lakshmi was born on the day, and celebrate it as Diwali or Deepavali.
Bengalis worship Goddess Kali on this day. Lord Ganesha is also worshiped by many during Diwali or Deepavali, as he is considered to be auspicious.
Muhurat for Diwali Pooja
This year on Diwali 2017 or Deepavali 2017 the Pradosh Kaal Muhurat for Lakshmi Puja starts at 7:26 pm and ends at 8:25 pm. The Pradosh Kaal on Diwali 2017 starts at 5:54 pm and ends at 8:25 pm. The Vrisabha Kaal starts at 7:26 pm and ends at 9:24 pm.
The Amavasya Tithi for Diwali 2017 or Deepawali 2017 started at 12:13 am on October 19 and will end at 00:41 am on October 20.
The Mahanishita Kaal Muhurat for Lakshmi Puja on Diwali 2017 starts at 11:40 pm and ends at 12:31 am on October 20, 2017. The Mahanishita Kaal on Deepavali 2017 starts at 11:40 pm and is up to 12:31 am on October 20, 2017.
The auspicious Choghadiya Muhurat for Lakshmi Puja on Diwali 2017 or Deepavali 2017 are as follows. The morning Choghadiya Muhurat is from 06:28am to 07:53am. The night muhurat is from 12:06am to 12:41am on October 20.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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