Disclaimer: The title is clickbait, the blog reflects exactly the opposite of what the title suggests.
I am bound to write something this Diwali. Yay!
For those unfamiliar with Diwali, please Google it. I will not explain it here.
Diwali should be a week-long celebration, and to some extent, it is. Cleaning the house, buying things, setting up the Pooja area, decorating your home with lights, buying and distributing sweets, wishing people a Happy Diwali on various social media platforms, and many more activities are done in parallel.
While I sit here and write this, my father is putting up lights on our balcony. I would most likely be a hindrance in the process, so I stay away and do what I am good at: writing about it. The sweet shopping is done, the Pooja items are bought, and there will be a Pooja tomorrow. I have a two-day holiday from work (woot, woot)!
I used to burst a lot of crackers when I was a kid and would go to my nani’s house to celebrate Diwali. The festival is incomplete without family. Are you going to burst crackers alone? Do the Pooja alone? Eat sweets alone? If you do, then my sympathies; I pray for your ghar wapsi - your exile will soon be over. (If you are away because you wish to be, then that is a different discussion.)
So, what was I saying? Yes, I was envious of those kids who seem to have a week-long holiday, but I was in their place once, so I won’t hold any grudges :’). As one grows up, the shine of festivals fades. It takes a lot of effort to continue celebrating, right? But you have to; traditions make a society whole. You must celebrate for the sake of your kids, so they know joy and belonging. This cycle of festivals and traditions shouldn’t stop. Without culture and tradition, what are we? Nothing. So get out, burst a cracker or two just to keep your childhood memories alive. The one who rants about pollution probably has a bigger carbon footprint than yours. Animals can tolerate it for 2-3 days. I mean, there are people who eat animals daily; we are just giving them some shock and awe, lmao.
This Diwali, burst a lot of crackers, light diyas, eat mithai, distribute mithai, pray, and most importantly, send me INR 1,00,000—because why not?
Shubh Deepawali!