Preparations for the festival of lights are well underway across Himachal Pradesh. While households are busy with cleaning and painting work, students in schools and colleges are eager to return home for the break. To facilitate homebound passengers traveling from Delhi, Chandigarh, and Punjab, HRTC buses will be operated toward Himachal Pradesh. Educational institutions across the state will observe a holiday period lasting around five days for the festival.
School Holiday Schedule and Timings
According to available details, this year's Diwali falls on a Sunday. Along with the standard Sunday weekly off, children will receive four additional days of leave, enabling students to reach their homes two days ahead of the main festival. Official notifications from the Himachal Pradesh education department state that students receive roughly 52 days of leave throughout the academic session, which encompasses summer breaks, winter breaks, and festival pauses.
Festival Break and Special Leaves
Under the festival break provisions, schools remain closed for two days before and two days after Diwali, keeping institutions shut from November 6 to November 10. Following Friday, November 6, schools will reopen on Wednesday, November 10. Female employees and teachers will enjoy a five-day leave window because a special holiday is granted on November 11 for Bhai Dooj. Additionally, a government holiday is scheduled for Guru Nanak Jayanti on November 24.
Challenges for Private Sector Employees
Because the festival lands on a Sunday, individuals employed in the private sector face a difficult scenario regarding extended time off since there is only a single government holiday. Consequently, employees must report back to their offices immediately following the weekend. Notably, November 9 is designated as a government-gazetted holiday within the Shimla Municipal Corporation area for Govardhan Puja, whereas it is categorized under restricted holidays in other regions of the state.
