Diwali-Time for celebrations!!

A festival that has always lit up innumerable lamps of joy and happiness for me whatever be my state of mind, and continues to stay close to my heart.  It cannot be otherwise, especially if you have been raised in a city like Mumbai.  I remember the excitement on the days running up to Diwali, it would be distinctly palpable - Starting off with the vacations at school/college, the franctic house cleaning and dusting, followed by shopping for home decorations, rushing to the countless sales kiosks, new clothes, the aroma of sweets and savouries being dished out in our kitchen both by Mom and Dad, the colourful “rangolis” spread out at the entry of our little apartments, and of course all kinds of crackers.  Happy, beaming faces all around me. The night scenes mesmerized me.  Balconies would be adorned with all types of fancy lanterns, little twinkling earthern oil lamps, illuminations of all colours and types.  Homes would be crowded with visiting friends and families, all in their Diwali glittering best, air filled with the sounds of boisterous laughter, the intermittent sounds of fireworks and the sound of tinkling bells during the evening prayers for our Gods and Goddesses, the intoxicating fragrance of incense sticks.  I think I can go on and on.  Suffice it to say, that I always felt transported to some fairy land every Diwali.  Ah yes, how can I forget all those extra inches that I would gain post the celebrations.  Its an emotional roller coaster every Diwali season - This time too memories re-visit me with sharp flashbacks.  Some so etched in the pages of my mind.  Some gains, some losses.  Dad would lead from the front when it came to bursting crackers; I see the same enthusiasm in his eyes even today come Diwali, but I also see the way he accepts the reality that age brings with it and stays content in the background as he watches the goings on. Mom, those days would go berserk over interior decorations and new clothes while we children hogged and hogged, and were all hyperactive and literally unmanageable.  Yes, with so much time gone by, things have changed, some for the better, and some to accommodate the modern lifestyles.  Happy and grateful for all those cherished moments.  Today, fleeting moments do flash by wherein I feel my eyes go moist, when my throat swells up, when deep in the corner of my heart I yearn for the proximity and presence of those loved ones of mine who left me too, too early....Festivals now are never the same, but the earnest desire to keep the spirits and the festivities high, just as they would have wanted us to, keeps me going...So here’s to Diwali 2022, lets make memories...Happy Diwali

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