A Song of Light: A Modern Yarn About the Festival of Diwali

A Song of Light is a novella inspired by Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol". It is a modern yarn about the festival of Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, celebrated annually in South Asia and 'little Indias' overseas. On the eve of a recent Diwali, (that glorious festival of Lights), the cantankerous and vainglorious moneylender, Salaram Baiman, comes face to face with a Shakespearean truth, to wit: "There is a divinity that shapes our ends... ." The fantastical events he experiences transforms his view of the world and of himself. That Diwali his feet are set upon a path that liberates him from his venial bondage to avarice and self-absorption. The Goddess Laxmi, the patron saint of Diwali along with her helpmates, illuminates his undestanding of the true significance of Diwali and the moral imperative of benevolence in a world that is disproportionately poor and disenfranchised.

Subash Kundanmal is the author of the novella ＂A Song Of Light,＂ inspired by the classic tale ＂A Christmas Carol＂ by Charles Dickens. He is an actor and a writer based in Los Angeles, California. He played the lead role in the film, ＂27,000 Days,＂ directed by Naveen Singh. It received 7 Film Festival Awards. He also starred in the award winning film, Song in a Convenience Store written and produced by Nicole Gabriella Scipione and directed by Silas Weir Mitchell. He co-starred in the Albert Brooks film ＂Looking For Comedy In The Muslim World,＂ Comedy Central’s ＂Windy City Heat＂ and the films ＂Ball And Chain＂ and ＂Green Card Fever＂. His television credits include the NBC pilot, ＂Overseas,＂ CBS’s ＂JAG,＂ and the ABC produced ＂ALIAS＂. He also played the father in the Mark Taper production of the ＂RICE BOY,＂ the Armenian in the stage production of ＂As Good As It Gets＂ and the Sultan of Agraba in Disney’s Musical Spectacular ＂Aladdin＂. His voiceover credits include Wadirum Productions ＂Twilight Men＂ and the films ＂The Terminal,＂ ＂Black Hawk Down,＂ ＂The Guru,＂ ＂The Scorpion King,＂ ＂The Sopranos,＂ and PBS’s ＂New Heroes,＂ hosted by Robert Redford. He has narrated many documentary films including ＂Drops of Immortality,＂ ＂Charm of the Cobra,＂ and the ＂Will to Live＂. In addition, he has written several screenplays including ＂Little Mr. Lincoln,＂ ＂The Third Door,＂ ＂Till the Cow comes Home,＂ and ＂Hemlock Society＂. He is also the author of the 3 Act Musical, ＂Crocodiles Remember,＂ and a book on Naval History called ＂The Plunging Of the Knife,＂ due to be published in 2014 and 2015 respectively.