Diwali: Beginning of a new year

The Hindu festival of gifts, cladding in ethnic wear, bursting crackers, lighting up diyas(clay lamps) and fairy lights, posting bright and happy selfies on social media is called Diwali.

Since India is such a diversed country, there are multiple stories behind celebrating this festival magnificently. This festival is celebrated for five days. First day is the cleaning day our homes (one day when the swach bharat is taken seriously). Second day is when the homes are adorned with fairy lights, diyas, rangoli(patterns made with coloured sand on floor). Third day is the ensembling of all the family members(where you get the idea of the size of your family). Fourth day is the exciting gifting day and first day into a new year. The festival ends with the day called bhai duj when sisters put tikas on their brothers’s forehead followed by lavish meals.

I remember the first time I asked my grandpa about the reason to celebrate diwali. He put me on his lap with a glowing phuljhari in my hand and narrated to me the whole Ramayana… He never left a chance to make me hear the mythological stories which hyped my interest and curiosity. His way of storytelling was intruiging to me because of the actions he made with his hands, his changing face expressions, variation in voices according to characters. He even used my grandma’s old saree for female characters and made funny voices to identify them. I dont even remember how old was I at that time.

Then the time came when they were gone and my family of three would celebrate Diwali which is Kali Puja for Bengalis. The same routine which was being repeated year after year. The crackers(Oh! I so love them) were my favourite part untill recently when I got to know the harmful effects on the environment. I never liked those bombs which when lighted sounded like actual bombs(Argh!).

And now comes the college years… when every student like me would get doubly thrilled to go home on those holidays and become the centre of affection and questions targetted at us by family members to which our patent answers are “Lets see” “Yeah I am thinking about that” etc. Yesterday was my third diwali away from home and the first without my mother. Since I live in Delhi and as you all know that bursting crackers are banned in Delhi. Well, the scenario was complete opposite to tell you because the whole Delhi was at WAR! Yeah war… Bombs and rockets flying everywhere. They didn’t have a particular target when they were launched. It was like miniature crazies flying without direction with full throttle. The rockets were of all sizes which were exercising their “Right to freedom of movement” since most of the time they ended up bursting in people’s rooms and balconies. The bursting cracker competition with mine and a distant colony(whom they dont even knew they existed) was a scene to watch. If they launched four fireworks, our will double the amount. A fierce warzone. Sadly not the kind in Zayn Malik’s Pillowtalk. By the end of the day I was half-paralysed with mini heart attacks I had through the evening.