Saturday, October 18, 2014

Deepavali - From excitement to contentment

In  Tam-Brahm households like mine, Deepavali  is celebrated  on the wee hours of Naraka Chaturdashi. Although ritually it is only for a couple of hours before the sunrise,   the  preparations would begin  a week earlier. Uncles, aunts and cousins would descend on grand parents home and the Diwali fun would begin.  As a child, i have experienced many such getogethers which  has  forged stronger bonds and added many memories.

It would start with shopping for dresses, mostly readymade or if it is tailor made, then we would shuttle between home and  the busy tailor's shop wondering whether we would get our dress on time. Next, it was time for  the snacks, where the family elders would plan the festive menu, get together in the kitchen to make sweets,  savouries and a signature dish called  Deepavali legiyam( herbal concoction). We kids would try to sneak in to see if we could get something out of the kitchen, but we would be strictly told that we could not have them till Deepavali.  Next, the crackers would arrive only to be duly  placed in the attic, we kids couldn't take our eyes off the crackers. My dad though would get us only safe ones like  Ground whirls, flowerpots, sparklers, wires , pencils and not cracking 100 walas or atom bombs. There would be an air of excitement and anxiety to wear the new dress, eat goodies and burst the crackers that the eve prior to diwali most of us cousins would almost not sleep and  end up chatting.

In the wee hours of Chaturdashi, we would be up early with excitement, sit on the rangoli decorated wooden platform, Paati would slather the heated and treated gingelly oil on our head. What followed after the head bath was the Tamil way of Diwali Greeting " Ganga Snanam accha?" (Have you had bath in the Ganga?) signifying the purification, although Ganga flows nowhere near Tamilnadu. 

We would wear new clothes, have a spoon of Deepavali legiyam which would act as an anti-dote for all the sweets and savouries had during the festive season. The new dress, the various eateries, the crackers, the family get together all added up to the joy and excitement through the day, that at the end of the day, we would await the  next Diwali. Excitement and expectation -that was Diwali then.





                                  (pics are from my personal album taken last year)

Now, we don't wait to buy a new dress, eat sweets or no one has time for family get-together. We already have some new dresses piled in the wardrobe picked up during a discount sale. The sweets are mostly store bought or we make some for the sake of tradition. As  eco-conscious citizens, even the kids at home do not want to light crackers. Cousins are in different parts of the world and so call, Skype or whatsapp to wish.

There is no excitement, no enthusiasm  like before. That set me in contemplation mode.

 No excitement, no enthusiasm, but....... there is a sense of contentment and we are making different set of memories. I am happy with what I have, cherish and don't hanker for more. There is the "been there, done that" attitude and perhaps like a child I don't wish for material things  or chase them any more, Instead I am grateful for all the big and  little things in my life. 

This is Diwali mood now - a happy and contented diwali  :) 

This post is written for Indi-happy hours and Gharwalidiwali



10 comments:

  1. Lovely post. It is true most of us have stopped celebrating such festivals. It is also true that we already have enough of dresses to wear, and we no longer wait for Diwali to savour the sweets.
    I don't miss the festivities, somehow, the compulsion of celebrating these festivals are no longer there with the advent of nuclear family system. With so many festivals, it was becoming a headache to learn and perfect the items to be prepared during these festivals, impressing the in- laws with our skills. I am happy I could come out of that syndrome long time ago.
    However, the celebrations still go on and every year , one has to put up with more noisy and dangerous crackers, the dirty roads after the event, the news of many children and adults dying / or being gravely hurt, because of the crackers. The animals terrified by the sounds of the crackers. Now South has become noisy too, which was not so at least a few years back.
    That is a beautiful video, reminding us to give back the love which was once showered unconditionally on us by our parents, and not to take our loved ones for granted.
    We can celebrate Diwali by being there for our loved ones, and enjoy some quality time with them in a simple way. Instead of spending thousands on crackers, sweets and clothes we can donate it to the less privileged people and see the happiness light up in their eyes: that is real Diwali!!!
    Happy Diwali Asha!!

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    1. Yes Rama, the celebrations still go on for the sake of children so that they don't miss the childhood fun and they can have some memories to bank on later. I loved the video too, it is so touching. Thanks and wish you and your family a happy diwali too:)

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  2. Beautiful post and one that should surely win the contest !

    Dripping in nostalgia, your post brought back memories of my own childhood Diwalis. Except that , as boys, we wouldn't be seen dead with flower pots and instead compete with the loudest atom bombs. Those days are gone, as you so evocatively put it. Because of instant news, instant gratification and instant everything, the sense of anticipation and wait that sweetens most experiences is gone. It would not be right to set back "progress", but to dwell nostalgically on the nice aspects of the past, is a wonderful thing. Thanks to your post, a nostalgic Diwali beckons.

    Wishing you and the family a very happy Diwali.

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    1. Thanks for the genuine wishes Ramesh, yes the post won the happy hours contest. Regarding the atom bombs, there is a reason for not buying in the family. My uncle(chittappa) would have got killed for one of his pranks luckily only his face bore the brunt which was surgically corrected. HE placed a tin over an atombomb and when it did'nt burst, he went near it then it exploded right on his face. From then on....no bombs in our home.

      Wishing you and your family a happy diwali too:)

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  3. Happy Deepavali to you and your family.

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    1. Thank you SG. Wishes for you and your family for a happy deepavali in chennai:)

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  4. Asha this is an interesting post, and at the same time thought provoking. It is true that festivals have lost the glitter and enthusiasm that we used to have earlier.is no more to be seen. Even Diwali crackers,are not as popular as before. Now the festivals are celebrated more as a formality,

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  5. True ma'am the festivals seem to have lost its significance giving way to commercialization. Glad to know that you found it interesting. Happy Diwali to you and your family:)

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  6. Agree with you! The way the festivals were celebrated earlier... that excitement, the buzz in the air is missing now-a-days! Sad but true!

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    1. Thank you Shilpa for sharing your thoughts.

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