India is THE country for festivals. If we do a rough calculation, almost everyday there is a festival being celebrated with importance by some community or the other. But the grand daddy of them all is Deepavali (I refer to it as Deepavali, not Diwali because of my Tamil roots). The whole day is so beautifully set up with Pooja, Sweets, Lights and of course Crackers. In modern times, Deepavali is also about special TV programmes and new movie releases. One thing that separates Deepavali from other Indian festivals is the buzz that it creates more than a month before it actually happens.
I still remember during my school days where new clothes bought weeks before were the biggest temptation as we were prohibited from wearing them before the festival day. The other irresistible stuff is the crackers. Once bought, crackers were spread in the terrace during sunshine for them to dry even more so as have the desired effect. We were not supposed to fire crackers until the final evening before Deepavali. Occasionally we were given 1 or 2 crackers to burn which gave us so much joy.
On the day of Deepavali is the real excitement. The normally late risers like me would wake up by 4am. The first thing that we would do is pick the most audible bomb from the box and burst it in front of the house. Kids have a competition on who would burst the first cracker of the community. Then oil bath and morning Pooja. Then kids would start with the crackers while parents begin their preparation for the grand lunch that would consists of at least 10 types of dishes. Until lunch, kids' attention is divided between the special TV programmes and the crackers. The excitement of bursting crackers never fades down till late afternoon. Crackers were burnt on various platforms like tins, pipes and even dog's tail. During late afternoon, sweets were distributed to friends, relatives, neighbors and for people in need. Children also share their crackers with less privileged children. By now its evening and the focus shifts from bombs to colorful crackers like flowerpots, rockets etc... The whole house is decorated with lights giving a real festival picture. So much happiness and so much goodwill in one day… Legend says that Deepavali is the day where good triumphed over evil. In modern times, Deepavali is the day where people share and spread love and brotherhood with others.
In a mechanical world that we live, there is a need for festivals like these for refreshment and to do a soul searching. After two years of celebrating Deepavali in the land of the British while mastering my technical skills, I’m going to be in my home for this year’s Deepavali. A childish excitement has embraced me again. The new clothes, the crackers and the sweets take me back in time to the good old days. I love this. Do u?
