As the festival of lights prepares to set in, I cannot but
reminisce the lovely time I have had during this occasion as a child. Diwali
to me brings an image of my eldest uncle’s home teeming with people. I can
almost smell the aromatic ghee that used to tingle my nostrils as my aunts and
mom laboriously prepared sweets and savouries. I can hear the chaos and
cacophony that my cousins and I created as we ran about the house, sometimes
playing, sometimes fighting and sometimes crying if the elder brothers bullied
us. We’d get up as early as 4.30 AM on d day, bathe and excitedly receive our
new dresses from thatha(my grandfather) who would give it to us after applying
a small pinch of turmeric on it. Once ready,
we would go out of the house onto the road to burn away the sparklers and watch
them in awe and glee and then hide inside the house with hands tightly clapped
to our ears as the relatively elder ones amongst us started bursting the noisy
crackers. Rest of the day would go by in visiting neighbours to distribute
sweets and receiving them at home in turn.
Today, the magic that Diwali held for us while we were kids
has faded away. Crackers don’t interest
us anymore. A new dress does not mean excitement, what with all of us earning
and buying at whim. But I am very glad that we enjoyed those thrills together
while it still held its charm and now have those memorable Diwalis to reminisce
and laugh about, each time we get together. The things that we enjoy may change
with age, but the memories that get created as we outgrow each stage are gifts
to cherish forever. They have the power to retain the bonds between people and
the ability to bring about that irrepressible smile as we watch similar scenes
later on J
So this time, Diwali for me is an occasion to thank God for
blessing me with such wonderful people to spend my life with and for the lovely
memories that growing up with them has created. As I pray to God for their
welfare and for our sense of oneness to continue, I also ask him to grant me
and my cousins the resolve to give the same kind of environment that our
parents gave us, to the generation that comes after us. I can already see the
kids of my cousins and my sister bonding very well with each other and am very
thankful for it. I strongly wish that it
continues and they get to grow in the same ocean of love and oneness that we
all grew up in. They must also get a treasure trove of memories to cherish just
like we have. That will be the best gift that we can give them during each
Diwali.
Let us all thank God for the light in our lives and may we always
spread joy by illuminating the lives of people around us. Wish you all a very
very happy Diwali !!!
