Nicosia [Cyprus], November 11: For the first time ever, Diwali was celebrated at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia. The evening of November 9, Cyprus Glows: Diwali 2026, was organised by the Help2Live Charity Foundation, founded by Mr. Dipak Kumar, in collaboration with the High Commission of India in Cyprus.
H.E. President Nikos Christodoulides and First Lady Philippa Karsera hosted about 150 guests, among them Bishop Gregorios of Mesaoria, the Attorney General, ministers, members of parliament, diplomats, business leaders and members of the Indian community. The initiative came from Mr. Dipak Kumar, who has run Help2Live in Cyprus for 15 years entirely with his own funds.
Opening his welcome address, Mr. Dipak Kumar thanked the President for opening the doors of the palace to the festival of lights for the very first time, calling it a gift to every Indian who calls Cyprus home. His name, he explained, means a diya in Sanskrit: a lamp, a source of light. “This is my relationship with Diwali,” he said.
The #DiwaliHug
The evening also gave rise to the #DiwaliHug. Mr. Dipak Kumar began it with a warm embrace of H.E. President Christodoulides, a simple gesture that summed up what the festival stands for.
{{/usCountry}}The evening also gave rise to the #DiwaliHug. Mr. Dipak Kumar began it with a warm embrace of H.E. President Christodoulides, a simple gesture that summed up what the festival stands for.
{{/usCountry}}Diwali marks the victory of light over darkness, and at its heart is a timeless idea: what unites people is far greater than what divides them. Like the light of a diya, a hug does not ask about nationality, faith or language. It reaches everyone it touches. At a time when the world often feels divided, the #DiwaliHug is a reminder that love and care for one another can still bring people together.
Mr. Dipak Kumar is now inviting people across Cyprus and beyond to keep the spirit of Diwali alive: hug a loved one, a friend or even a stranger, share the moment with #DiwaliHug and tag @indiansincyprus.
The idea echoes a line from his speech. A lamp, he said, never asks whose house it is lighting. Once lit, it shines for all, whatever their religion, language or colour.
Fifteen years of lighting lamps
Cyprus has been Mr. Dipak Kumar’s home for more than 20 years. He founded Help2Live with one humble wish, he told guests: to be true to his name and light a lamp wherever the darkness is deepest.
The foundation supports orphaned children with care and education. It built a full rooftop garden for cancer patients at what is now the German Medical Institute, where patients sit with their families and look out to sea. “We cannot always add days to our life, but we believe we can add light to those days,” he said.
Help2Live also visits elderly people in care homes, delivered groceries and medicines during the pandemic, has stood beside the families of fallen Cyprus Police officers for years, and sponsors football, volleyball and marathons for young people. It funded an exhibition in Warsaw on Cyprus’s Holy Twelve Days of Christmas with the Church of Cyprus and the Cyprus Police: Orthodox Cyprus, he noted, presented in Catholic Poland by a foundation started by a Hindu.
None of it, he stressed, was done alone. Help2Live works hand in hand with other charities because “this was never about one name”.
Straight after his address, the evening’s host announced a donation of €20,000 from Help2Live: €10,000 for the Alkionides Foundation and €10,000 for Radiomarathon.
Mr. Dipak Kumar also spoke of the long ties between the two nations, recalling that Lilla Irene Clerides, wife of the late President Glafcos Clerides, was born in India as Lilla Erulkar. Calling Cyprus an all-weather friend, he likened the bond to the friendship of Krishna and Sudama and, with folded hands, appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help Cyprus on electricity, direct flights and security. “India is the land that gave me birth, and Cyprus is the land that gave me purpose,” he said, before closing with Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: the whole world is one family.
How the leaders spoke
H.E. President Christodoulides thanked Mr. Dipak Kumar for his support to the Cyprus Glows – Diwali event at the Presidential Palace of Cyprus. He said the evening reflected the close bonds between Cyprus and India and the Indian community’s contribution to Cypriot life. He pointed to Prime Minister Modi’s 2025 visit, his own state visit to India in May 2026 and the India–EU trade agreement due to be signed next month. “The light we create together can reach much further than what each of us could create alone,” he said.
High Commissioner of India H.E. Manish greeted the room with “Namaste, Kalispera, and Happy Diwali” and thanked the President and First Lady for a generous expression of friendship. He also thanked Mr. Dipak Kumar for his support to the Cyprus Glows – Diwali event at the Presidential Palace of Cyprus. Diwali teaches, he said, that “goodness deserves our courage, knowledge deserves our pursuit, and hope deserves our care”. He reaffirmed India’s support for Cyprus’s sovereignty, with the two countries marking 65 years of diplomatic relations next year.
Light, music and flavour
After the President’s address, the First Lady, the President and the High Commissioner were invited on stage for the ceremonial lamp-lighting. Guests enjoyed Indian dance performances and Indian cuisine at the gala dinner, and the evening closed with a concert by two of Greece’s best-loved musicians, Giorgos Theofanous and Giorgos Papadopoulos.
For Help2Live, it was a historic first that brought Diwali to the heart of the Cypriot state, and a hug it hopes will travel much further.
Note to readers: This article has been produced on behalf of the brand by HT Syndication.
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