As I sit to key in these words, the world around me is submerged in sound. Sound that is unpalatable, that is scary, that is earth shattering. This is no less than a battle field. When I look out, I see the sky being intermittently lit up by fireworks followed by its companion, the sound. The atmosphere is hazy, a pall of smoke hangs all over and I smell the acrid burning chemicals. This is our great festival Diwali or Deepawali which began once upon a time, a long long time ago as a mark of celebration of King Ram's victory over King Ravan's forces when houses were decorated and diyas were lit. Today, less diyas and less candles are seen. There is an enormous amount of electricity being consumed as people compete with each other to decorate their homes with the maximum number of fairy lights in various colours. Three days prior to Diwali, the roads are jammed with traffic at all hours as relatives and friends and employees race against time to meet and present gifts. On Diwali you wear new clothes, perform rituals to appease the Goddess Lakshmi who takes care of your wealth. This is followed by a sumptuous dinner and then the game of cards follows till the wee hours of the morning.
What a festival! Like the animals on the streets and in homes, I try to search of a quiet corner for myself and hope for this to end soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment