Gharwaali Diwali

Waking up yesterday morning with a slight nip in the air, I felt a smile across my face. Aah, the time of winter is slowly approaching. The time with all the cozy blankets and the times when I turn the fan on full and jump inside the said blanket all curled up till the time my mother comes scolding me about the deadly effects of the an on full speed. All this times have a grandiose welcome to them. The celebration of Diwali. You know whenever someone talks about Diwali, the faces of everyone light up, especially mine. These are the times when the complete family comes together, all the hustle bustle inside the house right from the early mornings to the late night chats, everything that happens is all so much memorable. Knowing friends who haven’t been able to make it to their homes on the festival,and me quipping them on how #GharwaliDiwali is the best time and teasing them around made me realize the value of this special occasion. It is not just a festival, but a long week that is filled with all kinds of emotions, happiness, sadness, anger, disappointment, but only the happiness is what one indulges his nostalgia on.

Many of my friends from other countries have often asked me what is so special about the festival and whenever I am asked the question to share my best memories of the festival, it always takes me back to the times when I used to set up the lights for the house, setting the Puja table, going to the market for the various things needed for the same and the list goes on. However, one thing that always made me burst out into spurts of laughter was the time when me being in my very young age of 12, enjoying the bliss of the morning day cartoons during the fortnight long school vacations when my dad asks me to adjoin him for buying the fireworks. Yay time for any kid right? However during the ending days of the school, we were told about the extremely harmful effects of the crackers and fireworks o the nature and being made to parade around the city in an extremely boring Anti-Cracker Rally which always made me go UGHHH!!!!! NOT AGAIN!! But, unlike the other times, I actually listened to what the teachers said this time to us and gave a little thought into it. So when my dad asked me again whether I was coming or not. I, being extremely dramatic about it, slowly stood up, put my right arm forward and gave a long talk about how crackers are not good for the nature and basically everything the teacher said, I repeated it back. Amused, my father called my mother and sister who started laughing and asked me if I had a concussion or did something hit me in the head. Not letting that get to me, I took away the keys from my dad’s hand and did not let him go. That was the year I stopped bursting crackers and have maintained it till now. It is one thing that makes me laugh and smile at the old and naive person that I was.

This post has been written for the Indiblogger Happy Hours, Diwali – A Time for Family. Check this cool video out.