Diwali is known as the "festival of lights". I am not going to sit here and explain why we celebrate Diwali, and what are the traditions associated with Diwali. Wikipedia and so many other websites do a much better job of that. I am merely trying to recollect a traditional Diwali in the Balasubramanian household back when we were still a "household" and "family in unison".
Ah, I remember those good old days. The previous night would be so exciting. Me and my brothers, and possibly some cousins would contemplate what would be a good time to go to bed the previous night so that we could get up in the wee hours of the morning (3 AM) and be the first one to pull out the fireworks and light up the early morning sky. And ofcourse, wake up those lazy neighbors who felt the need to sleep in (until 6 AM) on this day. For me personally, I never got any sleep the night before Diwali because I was too excited thinking about the next day.
Diwali morning starts off with the ladies of the household (my mom and grandma) busy in the kitchen making some scrumptious food and sweets, trying to show off their culinary skills to the rest of the family. We all wore new clothes on this day as a symbol of a fresh start in your life (keep the good and rid the bad). The tradition in my family was that my grandfather would be the first to light a firecracker, before anyone else could take the podium. Following this, under the supervision of my dad and uncle, me and my brothers would light up the sky and bombard everyone's ears with the most spectacular display of lighting and sounds. We would each have our own bags of firecrackers (we bought a big load and split it into three prior to Diwali). We used to take turns with the fireworks. This ritual would last for 4-5 hours. Occasionally, we would be joined by our neighbors or friends who wanted to light it up with us.
Whoever was tired from lack of sleep the previous night, or want of some food would be the first to bail out and that would generally be me due to my non-existence of sleep the previous night. I would go into the kitchen to plunder the delicious food my mom made. This is the standard line I would always hear from my mom and grandma when I tried to do this. " Leave it alone! We need to offer it to God first before any of us can touch it!". So, I had to wait for my grandfather and my dad to perform the necessary poojas before I could get my hands on any of that food. By this time, I would bee too tired and impatient to wait that I would just go to bed for a nap (around 8 AM). By the time I got up (11 AM), it was always time for lunch. Man, I got to tell you, that would always be the best meal ever. I used to marvel at how my mom could cook such a feast for 10-12 people within a matter of a few hours. That she cared so much to do it every time with all her love made the food taste even more delicious.
We did a lot of TV watching during Diwali since there were always special programs on TV. Songs released from new movies of our favorite stars, and recently released movies screening on TV that we could never afford to go watch in the theater, and so on...The evenings were generally filled with visiting the rest of our family, seeking their blessings and possibly involving bursting some firecrackers with them. The next day, we got to wear our new Diwali clothes to school and that was always fun.
The most fun part of Diwali for me was meeting all my family, and having a great time without any qualms and the joy of sharing our experiences with each other.
Oh, how much I miss those good ol' days. If only people do not change and families are always tight and close knit as they were meant to be in first place. Sometimes, I feel growing up into an adult was the worst thing that could have happened to me. It was so nice being a kid, not knowing any evil around me and being shielded from all the family politics. Life to me was all about climbing guava trees, playing cricket with my friends, playing hide and seek with my cousins, or wading through the water playing running and catching on the flooded streets of postal colony. I cannot believe 20 yrs has gone by since all of those great times. *Sigh*
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