Diwali

Today is Diwali, and today I know how it is to miss home, more than home being in India. No matter how much I try, I don’t think I can recreate the ambience and mood that came with Diwali.

If you have been to a typical road in Chembur, Mumbai, you would know what I am talking about. Chembur has a very high population of the south Indians, who celebrate deepawali and the other festivals with such splendor. The festivities bring neighbors, friends and relatives home to sample and help in the preparation of sweets and snacks which are partaken with no guilt conscience by the weight watchers. Everyone swings into a cleaning spree…

My mother used to employ a maid just to do Diwali cleaning, though for her Diwali is an excuse to get into many of the unreachable places during the year. woe betide me and my brother if we don’t have exams hovering on us during Diwali or else we are dragged into the cleaning foray too…We got lucky during our college days, since exams used to be around the corner, however when at school there was no escaping the closet upheavals and the cleaning of the bookshelf. We were more interested in pilfering the sweets and arriving unannounced at our friends place with a very hungry appearance and pretty much hog there too. And of course evening would have fireworks and these would last for an entire week. My dad had the chore to supply us with the fire works and supervise it too. He tired of it pretty quick…though thoroughly enjoyed the bursting of these with us. The week before Diwali we used to drag him out with us, mom with coupon clippings in her hands for washing machines, or couches or utensils. We used to be hunting for clothes and literally throwing tantrums to get into the wrong shops… I can imagine his plight now, when I think of the expenses we notched up for Diwali… There was one year when we didn’t celebrate Diwali, due to many demises in the family, and we were feeling the lack of festivities at home. my brother more than me. And my grandfather walked to the Chembur camp (not less than 30 min) and brought back 5 kgs of sweets so that we had some semblance to Diwali

So coming back to the point; in the fortnight leading upto Diwali, the market streets are filled with people and everyone is busy shopping for new clothes, utensils, furniture and food…and the whole family enjoys spending time together. Kids go looking for the loudest fireworks and the ones that are most different from others. My favorite used to be phuljhadi (known as flower pots). They came in different sizes and colors and some had explosive sounds at the end, some used to go really high…Then there was the mala, a long string of more than 150-to 200 patakas that would go off in a line, the longer the mala, the louder the noise, more the fun..we used to leave this for the end to have a long blasting and resonating sound.

I remember getting all dressed up in new clothes, my mom and the other ladies dressed in beautiful saris in what were auspicious colors like Mango yellow, green, red, blue etc… It was not an uncommon sight to see groups of girls and their mothers going to the temple, they are all dressed in their new clothes and a very spiritual mood prevails in the whole area. Early mornings the streets in Chembur resonated with the chants of the Suprabhatam and Sahasranaman from the nearby temples.

All night, the houses were lit up with tiny diyas and lanterns and electric bulbs, making the entire street look so bright. There was laughter and joy coming from everywhere and most definitely you would get sucked into the fray of activities that have been planned.

The religious annotation of the festival added a quaint charm and antiquity to the already fun filled days. Though on any other getting up at 5:00 a.m was not just literally impossible, but also tedious, getting up so early on Diwali was the best part of the festival. The oil bath followed by getting new clothes, bursting firecrackers and going to the temple can leave anyone exhausted for a day. The enthusiasm and energy does not decrease during the day at any point of time but just multiplies to higher levels.

Today when I am so far from home and working, it hit me how much I miss being at home for Diwali …and no matter how many gulab jamun’s I prepare, its still is not going to compare to my memories of Diwalis I spent at home with my parents and brother.