By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Diwali will be celebrated on November 8 this year, even though the Kartik Amavasya tithi will continue until November 9, according to Dehradun-based astrologer Pandit Khushiram Maithani.
Pandit Maithani said the festival would be observed on November 8 because the Amavasya tithi would prevail during the evening, when the traditional Lakshmi-Ganesh puja is performed.
He said the timing of the religious observance, rather than the date on which the Amavasya tithi ends, determines the day of Diwali. Devotees will therefore perform the main Diwali puja on the evening of November 8.
Pandit Maithani also said that Maha Ashtami of Sharad Navratri was observed on October 18, while Navami would fall on October 19. Dussehra, marking the victory of good over evil, would be celebrated on October 20, he said.
The dates reflect the panchang-based calculations followed by Pandit Maithani for the observance of the festivals.