Nostalgia!!!

Its that time of the year when there is no end to the fun, when you hear noises all around though people live in peace, when you see bright colors and lights all around the town, when you see people tick off items on their wish-list, yes, it is Diwali time!! Though there are many festivals and functions that are celebrated in India, none of them is as joyous or wide-spread as this one. For outsiders, Deepavali is a function celebrating the killing of a bad guy (Narakasuran) by Lord Krishna (Hindu mythology). It is celebrated by bursting crackers, lighting lamps, wearing new clothes and distributing sweets.

The word 'Diwali', or 'Deepavali' as pronounced in my mother tongue brings only happy memories from childhood to my mind. It might be the case for most of us. The first time we talk about Deepavali is when we get the school handbook, to check if Deepavali falls on a weekday so that we get a holiday!! There is something about Deepavali that brings out the passion in everyone. It might be the new clothes for some of us, laxmi vedis (crackers) and atom bombs for some and just the idea being at home eating sweets for a lot of us.

When Deepavali got closer, most of us would have pestered our parents to find out when we were going to shop for those new clothes. Once we get the date, we would wait for it as if our entire life depended on it. On that day, we would go out shopping as a family and buy new clothes for all. The deepavali shopping would inevitably end in a dinner at the restaurant and a ride to home happily asleep in auto-rickshaw.

Then comes the next big thing. Crackers!! There is a kind for everyone in that. Girls and Moms in the house might like Busvaanams (flower pots) and Sangu chakkarams (Chakras) whereas brave boys would like to go for laxmi vedi, kuruvi vedi, atom bombs and rockets. Heated discussions and fights were sure to arise among siblings and with parents in preparing the budget and list of crackers to be bought. And those lunch time comparisons with school mates on how much crackers each of us had bought.

On the eve of the function, we go early to bed to make sure we get up early. We would be pulled out of the bed and given an oil bath. Then we rush to wear that new dress and show it off to everyone at home. Personally, I was in a big joint family with my aunt, uncle and cousins in a single home, so I used to get everyone's blessing and the five rupees/ten rupees that come along with it. That was our only earned money to buy something that we like. We go out to the doorstep, burn all those crackers, get exhausted and come in to have a sumptuous meal. Vada, Laddu, Payasam... that list never ends.

The fun doesn't usually end there, we would go up to the terrace or some other place in the after lunch hours, to crack off all those bijili vedis with our friends or next door kids. We even kept some crackers to be burnt later in the month during Karthigai deepam. The next day, our routine life resumed but we would not miss a chance to wear that Deepavali dress to our school (at least, our school allowed it) to impress our class Juliets. Oh, I miss those good old days!!

Nowadays, Deepavali isn't that much fun, at least to me, I don't know if it is something to do with me or not. The passion and enthusiasm with new dresses are long gone, sweets are just namesake with most of watching waistlines, and its been nearly 10 years since I burnt crackers for Deepavali. Good grief, I don't even know what is the latest on crackers. Maybe some 'Green' Laxmi Vedi has come up which will emit less smoke!!

I am more than contended to spend my whole day watching star interviews and numerous films, with most of them being 'Ulaga tholaikatchigalil mudhal muraiyagaa...'. Though it has been 4 years since my last Deepavali at home, I am not sure if I will ever get that child in me to enjoy the Deepavali as I used to. Maybe my son will help me re-kindle the passion in Deepavali in a few years!!