Diwali

Diyas, Candles, Crackers, Sweets. That’s more or less what Diwali is about. The diyas and candles are gorgeous and shouldn’t be given a miss no matter what. So are the little twinkle lights that a lot of people adorn their houses with. The twinkle lights, though pretty, are not musts, as the candles and diyas are.
On the other hand, crackers are just a mess. They have a merit to every 10 demerits. Frankly, I don’t know why we bother with them at all.
And the sweets; well, they’re all right, I guess, but I’m not much of a mithai person and so that aspect of Diwali doesn’t hold much appeal for me. Also, the sickening feeling you get after having gorged on them all night is one that I would readily forego.
So, all in all, apart from the lights, there is nothing about Diwali that is worth mentioning. Hold on….wasn’t that the original concept of Diwali to begin with?
I am so glad I spent Diwali the way I did this year. I went up to the hills, and stayed at a friend’s farm. In the evening we went for a drive and stopped at a chai waala on the top of a hill. We sat there and munched on chicken salami sandwiches. We were there long enough to catch the sunset, as well as the first of the Diwali crackers from the valley. Since we were on top of the hill, the crackers were actually bursting below us! On Diwali night, we lit tons of candles and diyas, and stared at how beautiful the house looked when decorated with them. There were no mithais, and no crackers, except for the ones that were being let off in the town. So while we did see some of the crackers, it was minus the mess and noise. The little bonfire we lit and the dinner we cooked ourselves completed the evening.
This Diwali was truly a festival of lights…..no more, no less.