A Solovi mother in Nadi had set aside $10 for Diwali sweets for her children.

Rekha Sunkar, 39, is a laid off worker of Smart Security Service due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was a security guard, now she sells live chicken at the road side to support her three children and put food on the table.

“For this Diwali, I will only celebrate with my family at home. There will be no celebration with relatives or friends. No food will be cooked and there will be no firecrackers for my children,” she said.

“We just going to do a puja on that day.

“It is very hard to celebrate Diwali this year because we have lost our jobs,” Mrs Sunkar added.

Beside Ms Sukhar’s roadside stall, is a vegetable seller, Saras Goundar.

The mother-of-two said the thrill and expectation of celebrating Diwali this year would not be like last year.

“We always have high expectation for Diwali celebration, but this year it will be different,” Ms Goundar said.

“At the moment we still struggling with what we need to survive for each day.”

Edited by Selita Bolanavanua

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