Happy DIWALI to ALL...

It’s Diwali today, one of my favorites. Since childhood, I always used to hold on to diwali and holi, one being the festival of light and the other of colors. Whatever might be the mythological significance, I never cared anything else than the fun it holds. I grew up in an industrial town where you can have people from all the states and cultures without any being a particular majority. The benefits were clear. You get a holiday for the festivities of any culture and you get to enjoy a lot. At that age, diwali was all about crackers and the sound. First it was the shopping of crackers. I used to go with my father and my target always was to get as much as I could. Thanks to him, that I was never stopped. What would follow next would be a period of two-three days when with great care I would spread them out in the sun. And then on the day, in the evening I would be there at it. My Motto: Greater the sound, greater the satisfaction. An additional pleasure for me was the scent of the smoke. Even today, I love it. By ten it would be time for us and others to go and visit people at their houses to have sweets and other preparations. That was how it used to be for about the first twenty years of my life.

This is my fourth consecutive diwali at Hyderabad. It has always been my friends. I still feel excited about crackers and that sound. People say it’s a waste of money. Some say that it adds on to the air pollution and even expect a greener diwali. And some consider it insensitive when some natural disaster has struck some part of the nation i.e. the recent floods in Andhra Pradesh, the state am presently in. I have a few answers for all of these. Firstly for the money-concerned, anything that fills my heart with joy and excites me and comes once a year truly deserves my money. What would I need the money for if I am unable to buy me something that rare? Secondly, for the go-greenies, whole year is wasted torturing the nature. Two days back I saw someone burning some tree logs they have cut out and I couldn’t find anyone having any issues. And these same people would die without an A.C at the office floors and cafeteria or without the lift or their vehicles which is old enough to be show cased. If all that gets an excuse why create a fuss over a day which comes once? Is it that damaging? I don’t think so. And even if someone says the start has to be made, I am not going to be that one. I truly love that smell of the smoke and that noise pollution. Mother nature has to excuse me that single day. And thirdly for the compassionate one’s, I don’t need a festivity to identify with the grief of someone. I don’t see any benefit sitting at home trying to support the cause. Why not donate a few bucks from every door to make a difference? I know that can’t be done. It’s sad that no one sees the power of even ten bucks a door in a country like mine where population is huge. Sorry, but sitting at home silently ain’t my way of recognizing with the grief of others.

I captured two videos trying to save the blast of the festival and and uploaded for the first time onto the YouTube and below they go. They aren’t awesome but since I have them all by me, thought of uploading them here. Happy Diwali to you all!!!