The Festival of Loved Ones

 I remember a dialogue of Rachel Green from the series “FRIENDS”. When she saw her parents bitching about each other to her after their divorce, she recalled 4th of July – of how the entire family would go out in the sea & argue & fight all through; but when the fireworks started, they would just shut up & enjoy the show, snuggling into one cozy blanket on the windy boat.

This resonated so strongly with me & my feelings about Diwali. I adore most of the Indian festivals – the traditions, the celebrations, the pomp & fervor. But Diwali? It is something special. It wasn’t until I started living away for work & couldn’t be home to enjoy the festivities that I realized just how special it was.

It is not just about the sweets & diyas & rangoli. It is about that family time, the company of loved ones, the joy in the air & the entire vibe. No matter how much you disagree or fight with your family the other times, Diwali becomes the time to push all misgivings under the carpet & just enjoy the festival with all its frills.

I have lived away from home for about 5 years for work. And inevitably I have felt homesick each Diwali. Although I did try my best to keep up the festive fervor by doing all these traditional celebrations with my flat-mates – from making sweets to attempting rangoli every morning before leaving for office. But nothing can beat the joy of bringing in the Diwali with your families around.

After many years I got a chance to be home for Diwali – to oversee the Diwali cleaning my mom does, to change the bedspreads, to cook some sweets & namkeens in the kitchen, to help dad with the lighting, to light diyas around the house each evening, to make garlands for the door, to wake up early on the day of Diwali – dress up – have Diwali faral with the entire family & then make rangoli with mom. All these typical, traditional festivities. Nothing grand – just pure family fun!

Now the 4 days of Diwali & all the preps are over and I return to routine tomorrow. The “hangover” of this festival isn’t easy to cure. So as with each year I will be carrying a heart full of lovely memories of the moments spent during Diwali – this time finally “Gharwali” Diwali – and waiting eagerly for the next year to celebrate it yet again.

Hoping you all had a lovely joyous Diwali with your loved ones – with lots of mithai & namkeens!

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