First off, here's wishing everyone a very very Happy n Safe Diwali!
Its that time of the year again... when I feel most homesick.. when I feel I SHOULD be in India, no matter what. I miss everything about Diwali.. the crackers, the sweets, the colours, the Lakshmi Puja, the smoke, the TV programmes, the smell of gunpowder in the air, long after the crackers have rested, the sky going ablaze with sky crackers, the lights, the Diwali "marandhu" - that sour, horrible thing you had to eat, the sleepless night before with my bro, the early mornings, Jani (our building's ex-doggie) running and hiding under the staircase, the travel to the temple with a million stops waiting for every atom bomb on our way to explode, pinching my ears shut, the lamps, the million phone call wishes and so much more I could go on forever.
I think off the top of my head, if on any random day you were to ask me which day I would like to be transported to India... it would have to be Diwali. I miss crackers sourly... expecially the "Red Forts", my favourite variety to burst. Yeah yeah, I know its like "burning money" literally (but I have never had more fun doing it) and yes, I also know that its child labour (but its not like the cracker industry can't function without child labour.. that they arent doing it is not entirely my fault!) and air pollution ( I have no smart responses for this one).
Back when my bro used to be in India, we had a ritual almost... We used to stay up half the night watching some silly TV and then shower at 3:00am and be downstairs with our first "lot" of crackers by 4:00am... all b'coz we had to be THE first ones to create the bang from Sai Dharshan. Ah those were the days... we used to exhaust the morning lot of crackers well past 7:30am and then be rushed upstairs to attend Dad's fone call (he was in the middle east at that time). Then Amma used to force this Diwali "marundhu" down our throats. I used to hate it... it had this extremely pungent taste about it... After that, we just about had time to hog on all sorts of sweets n savories, catch a few glimpses of Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan's genius on the violin bfore falling into an exhausted slumber... The routine changed little once my dad was back from the Middle East for good. Because by then, my bro was out here in the US. So, my dad virtually substituted my bro.. And we had a blast... literally, bursting crackers like maniacs.
Late-afternoon, early evening types, the women of the house (I am a girl!), decked themselves in all their newly purchased grandeur and used to whisk us to the temple. And those were the times we delighted in stopping the car sooo many times, waiting for every 'bomb' on our way to explode peacefully rather than rip our tyres apart... The temples had the hugest serpentine queues of the year, only closely competed by Tamil new Years.. And once back, the evening saw us with a huger lot of crackers, more people (the cousins used to join in) and more fun...
Meanwhile, the elders of the house had their own entertainment in front of the Idiot Box. The different channels would all fall over themselves to try and provide the best programmes of the day. What better news for the consumer than that... With some major Rajini movie on one, and a Kamal flick in the other, it was more a question of what to watch than what not!
The kids (us) were back home in time for some sumptuous dinner... some more TV, while the elders settled in for cards, more crackers later that night... Oh God... whats there not to miss?!?!
So, all u folks out there with the opportunity to celebrate... Go ahead, let your hair down and party, burst all the crackers you want... Think of us.. who'd give anything to be there now... Eat allllllllll those sweets (get a toothache.. I dont care... anyways dentists are cheaper out there!!), watch all the TV you can.. Take this time to live life...
Happy Diwali everyone!!!
Its that time of the year again... when I feel most homesick.. when I feel I SHOULD be in India, no matter what. I miss everything about Diwali.. the crackers, the sweets, the colours, the Lakshmi Puja, the smoke, the TV programmes, the smell of gunpowder in the air, long after the crackers have rested, the sky going ablaze with sky crackers, the lights, the Diwali "marandhu" - that sour, horrible thing you had to eat, the sleepless night before with my bro, the early mornings, Jani (our building's ex-doggie) running and hiding under the staircase, the travel to the temple with a million stops waiting for every atom bomb on our way to explode, pinching my ears shut, the lamps, the million phone call wishes and so much more I could go on forever.
I think off the top of my head, if on any random day you were to ask me which day I would like to be transported to India... it would have to be Diwali. I miss crackers sourly... expecially the "Red Forts", my favourite variety to burst. Yeah yeah, I know its like "burning money" literally (but I have never had more fun doing it) and yes, I also know that its child labour (but its not like the cracker industry can't function without child labour.. that they arent doing it is not entirely my fault!) and air pollution ( I have no smart responses for this one).
Back when my bro used to be in India, we had a ritual almost... We used to stay up half the night watching some silly TV and then shower at 3:00am and be downstairs with our first "lot" of crackers by 4:00am... all b'coz we had to be THE first ones to create the bang from Sai Dharshan. Ah those were the days... we used to exhaust the morning lot of crackers well past 7:30am and then be rushed upstairs to attend Dad's fone call (he was in the middle east at that time). Then Amma used to force this Diwali "marundhu" down our throats. I used to hate it... it had this extremely pungent taste about it... After that, we just about had time to hog on all sorts of sweets n savories, catch a few glimpses of Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan's genius on the violin bfore falling into an exhausted slumber... The routine changed little once my dad was back from the Middle East for good. Because by then, my bro was out here in the US. So, my dad virtually substituted my bro.. And we had a blast... literally, bursting crackers like maniacs.
Late-afternoon, early evening types, the women of the house (I am a girl!), decked themselves in all their newly purchased grandeur and used to whisk us to the temple. And those were the times we delighted in stopping the car sooo many times, waiting for every 'bomb' on our way to explode peacefully rather than rip our tyres apart... The temples had the hugest serpentine queues of the year, only closely competed by Tamil new Years.. And once back, the evening saw us with a huger lot of crackers, more people (the cousins used to join in) and more fun...
Meanwhile, the elders of the house had their own entertainment in front of the Idiot Box. The different channels would all fall over themselves to try and provide the best programmes of the day. What better news for the consumer than that... With some major Rajini movie on one, and a Kamal flick in the other, it was more a question of what to watch than what not!
The kids (us) were back home in time for some sumptuous dinner... some more TV, while the elders settled in for cards, more crackers later that night... Oh God... whats there not to miss?!?!
So, all u folks out there with the opportunity to celebrate... Go ahead, let your hair down and party, burst all the crackers you want... Think of us.. who'd give anything to be there now... Eat allllllllll those sweets (get a toothache.. I dont care... anyways dentists are cheaper out there!!), watch all the TV you can.. Take this time to live life...
Happy Diwali everyone!!!
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16 comments:
Hmmmmmmmm AM HOME FOR DIWALI N AM HAPPY!! not that I want to rub it in, but yes, theres nuthin like spending diwali@home!!!...n as much as u miss India on this day, we miss all u guys who r miles away...looking forward to the time when we will all be here together again!!! :)
WOW, thats exactly whats going on in my mind too. !! I miss all those crackers and smell of burnt crackers filling the air !! And the tension when we would lite a bomb and then wait to see if it bursts or if shud dare to go near n chk on it ..hehe. And do u remember the Kaun Banega Crorepati-Diwali specials !! All the city would go quite for that 1 hr !! hahaha
Seriously, no matter how darned busy we get in our lives, we shud try spending Deepavali at home !!
Good nostalgic post! Great Marketing to bring people into your blog! Kavi there can take a tip or two :-)
HAPPY DIWALI!
The last time I celebrated Diwali with Crackers was in 1998! So, this post did well to take me back in time to the gun powder and all the buzz we created by being the alarm cracker for that morning!
Not to forget it will always be the day that all 4 legged creatures will hate thanks to the noise and the smoke! Janet used to hide in our terrace or inside the stairs to avoid crackers.. but the odd ball cults would go on with the pookuthi or changu chakkaram inside the stair way..
Unforgettable!
Kavi -> Lucky u... Anything to be there man, seriously!
Priya -> Thanks da... We allll miss Diwali like mad.. the best festival to be there at...
Bala -> I will go n read yr post
Happy diwali! I found ur blog from orkut, and I stole the pic u had for my blogpost!
Now that I'm done saying those, youve got a fab site here. I love your diwali post which will be anything more than I ever write!
Once again wish u a happy diwali
Reagrds
G
G-> I visited yr blogsite too.. will take my time reading it... Happy Diwali to u too!
ITS A REALITY THAT ANY ONE WHOS OUT WOULD LIKE TO BE IN INDIAON THE DIWALI DAYS WE CALL OURSELVES LUCKY BUT THEN OUR HEARTS BURST LIKE CRACKERS OF COURSE THE SOUND IS NOT HEARD THINKING OF ALL LOVED ONES AWAY FROM US WISH SOON OPPORTUNITIES WILL SHOOT UP IN INDIA AND THERE WILL BE BRAIN DRAIN FROM THE U.S AND OTHER COUNTRIES TO INDIA.LETS HOPE FOR THAT GREAT DIWALI""""
Thanks Appa.
well i guess the grass is always greener on the other side..a lot of ppl here dont think much of diwali...specifically because of the noise and air polution...ppl suffering from smoke alergies would give a lot for a smokeless diwali...but then we cant have that can we :)
Suds -> Thanks. But I cant believe people dont appreciate what Diwali is out there... From here, I think even those who probably never call home, call coz we MISS it! Anyways, I guess its just smart to make the best of what one can wherever we are!
Very nostalgic.... Donno what happens in diwali there but indeed no festival in the world can match the aura of this festival... It was indeed wonderful to just keep my eyes on the sky and watch the enormous rockets going up in the sky and then ..... superb it was..
GREAT POST WHAT YOU MENTIONED ABOUT THE ONE DAY THAT ANY INDIAN CANT FORGET OR NOT MISS IS DIWLAI THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS AND JOY HOPE SOON THERE WILL BE A EXODUS FROM OUT AND IT HAS ALREADY STARTED AND THAT INDIANS OUT SIDE WILL RETURN BACK TO THEIR MOTHERLAND FOR GOOD ANY WAYS HAPPY DIWALI
GREAT BLOG
Happy Diwali di..
"I am a girl " hehahahahaha..If wishes were horses.. :D
Vidhya
Thanks and same to you everyone..
Vidhya - adhu oru kaalam... But luk who's talking.. the married woman?? :D
Hmmm...time does fly...I still remember checking this last yr :)...and to continue with my comment last yr, atlast this new year, the kadalais reunite!!! :D...May this Diwali bring us all happiness and joy forever!!!
The panorama of a Diwali celebration is well captured. With all regulations about noise pollution coming in, the sound of crackers have gone down. Nowadays, people tend to spend more time before TV rather than coming out. I miss those bijili patasu, which I used to burst one by one the whole day.
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