The festival of lights has begun!

Diwali is being celebrated all over the world, and the Arsenal players have taken the opportunity to wish a Happy Diwali to all those celebrating it.

Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger shared his ever philosophical views on the nation of India, where Diwali is celebrated wildly each year.

“I am an admirer of Indian culture because, historically, through [Mahatma] Gandhi, when you are a young boy you learn about [his non-violence principles] and it has a special meaning to you,” Wenger told Arsenal Player. “When you are a very young boy you think you have to fight violence with violence and you never forget about a guy who gives you that [peaceful] example.”

The Arsenal boss used to manage Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan and took that culture to his heart, claiming he learnt a lot from his time there and explaining on various occasions how it shaped him as a man.

The calmness of the manager may owe a lot to his time in Asia, and it’s even clearer with his comments on India that he has a special interest in people and cultures all over the world.

“It makes you curious about Indian culture as well because they have their special culture with the different strands in society. It’s a very interesting one.

“On the other hand, when you look here, there is a very big Indian community in England and they are all hard-working people. All of them are doing very well in society, so you always respect that when you know that. Hard work is an essential quality in every society. That provokes a big respect.”

Once more, a happy Diwali to all those celebrating the ‘festival of lights’!