Indian Basketball Courts Light Up During Diwali
First documented by Ekalavyas in 2018, the #CourtsofDiwali trend has only grown in 2025, with arenas across the country celebrating the Hindu festival symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness
Only in India can basketball meet spirituality in such unique fashion.
An annual trend first documented by Ekalavyas in 2018, come October-November, basketball courts across the country are lit up by traditional lamps (‘diyas’) and LED string lights.
Diwali - one of India’s most popular festivals that celebrates the triumph of good over evil - is symbolized by light winning over darkness.
Adding a basketball twist to this, the Indian hoops community deck their local courts with shimmering and flickering lights, carefully placed along the regular line markings - whether the sidelines, three-point arc or charity stripe.
This creates a stunning visual spectacle from above, while still retaining the distinct look of a basketball court.
What makes this truly spectacular is that unlike modern day influencer led ‘campaigns’, #CourtsofDiwali seems to be a completely organic phenomenon, a tradition probably followed for decades, but one that has come to light only in recent years, thanks to the ubiquitousness of social media.
From Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, to name just a few, each year, the Ekalavyas Instagram page gets flooded with tags and mentions.
We try our best to share as many of these #CourtsofDiwali images as possible in our Stories section, but even we can only scratch the surface, as we marvel over the diversity of these displays: from young children to older players, girls and boys, coaches and teachers, to parents and family, all dressed up in colourful kurtas and sarees, celebrating this ‘western’ sport in the ultimate desi fashion.
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