Mere Wali Diwali !!

The most favorite time of the year is here, It’s Diwali. Since childhood, I have always been excited to celebrate Diwali. The festival which marks the triumph of good over evil, the festivals of colorful rangolis and bright diyas, the festival of merriment where the family enjoys together with a variety of delicacies, the finest of the new clothes and the praying for the happiness and wealth to the almighty.

What comes to your mind when you think of ‘Diwali ‘as a festival?
Diwali is associated with a lot of memories- the annual ritual of cleaning and de-cluttering of the house, the shopping spree of buying vibrant diyas and  rangoli colors, homemade sweets and savories and a handful of crackers like phuljadis and chakris(I was always scared of them).

For the last 9 years, Diwali has become more special as it is the time to go back home and celebrating it with the family, even though it requires planning well in advance so that the commitments are already fulfilled at work front and taking a day or two off to visit the folks. And celebrating Diwali has undergone a huge transformation due to the changing lifestyle.

The earliest memory I have of Diwali is our parents getting into a cleanliness drive before a month. We would help them in sorting out our stuff and giving away all those which was not of much utility to the needy. The whole house was turned upside down and each member of the family helped in the mission.

Now due to hectic schedules, only the regular cleaning and some decluttering is manageable with the support from the domestic help on Sundays.

As a child, I remember looking forward to a variety of sweet and savory preparations my mother used to make. We used to devour in the yummy food without the guilt of consuming calories.

Today we have become so health conscious that we eat only low- calories sweets which are usually bought from outside.

Another special memory which is very close to my heart is making rangolis and lighting up diyas to decorate the house. No one has the time to twist wicks out of cotton and to fill each individual diya with oil or making rangolis at the entrance of the door and these have been replaced by candles, electric lights and readymade stencils.

As a kid. I was never very fond of crackers and would play with only a few. I appreciate that people are realizing the pollution which is caused by the bursting of crackers and indulging into Green Diwali seems logical.

Diwali was all about spending time with family. Going back to parents and celebrating is always exciting and I look forward to the good times ahead.
For that, really to me, is the true essence of Diwali – family and friends coming together to celebrate new, prosperous beginnings.

I have started my preparations for Diwali. Have you??

With this, I wish you a very happy and safe Diwali. May the festival of lights fill your life with the glow of happiness and sparkle of joy.

What are your childhood memories of Diwali??

This is Day 25 of the #DailyChatter by BlogChatter.