WHERE HAS ALL THE SPARKLE GONE

Waking up to the sound of crackers around nine in the morning on Deepavali was quite customary in the quiet railway colony we lived in.

Our first reaction was always, “There they go wasting all the crackers and sparklers in the morning itself.”

Yes, I was not wrong. My friends, Savitha, Sajani, Guddu, Shobha and Rajalakshmi had all gathered in our neighbour, Mr Swaminathan’s,   lawns to burst the Diwali crackers. They always went to the temple very early in the morning, dressed in their Diwali finery, and on return would indulge in displaying their fireworks till their mothers called them for breakfast. Though the breakfast was always mouth-watering and not to be missed, I had problem with their bursting firecrackers in broad daylight. Firstly, I thought it to be a complete waste. Secondly, their lighting up all their inventory in the morning itself meant they would come to play with me empty handed in the evening which was totally unacceptable. My problem lay there and I would make a mad rush to stop them and ensure they had some left for the evening too. Uncle Swaminathan, however, would genially assure me that there were lots still left in the boxes and invite me to join them. Vaguely reassured, I would decide to stay back since the aroma from the house was already reaching my nostrils. Those crisp, hot dosas dipped in ghee and sugar , served by Shobha –Guddu’s mom, were stuff to die for!

The days leading up to Diwali were always hectic with checking out the firecrackers and sparklers Dad would buy us, putting them out in the sun, watching our Man Friday, Bhola, and my brother make the anaars (flower pots) at home, helping mom soak the earthen diyas in water and putting them out to dry, learning to make the cotton wicks for the diyas .

Deepavali evenings saw all the bungalows resplendent with the earthen lamps lit all along the boundary walls, the sunshades, the terrace , the verandahs and porticos, outlining the whole house. Friends gathered together and burst crackers and then we visited each others’ houses to stuff ourselves with the sweets and other goodies. Anaar competitions were held and late at night when the adults came out with their special rockets and bombs and anaars and chakris, the display reached its fervent peak.  The fervour continued into the next day ending with a dinner and film show for all in the Railway Officers’ Club.

Gradually as we grew up, with prices escalating and enthusiasm dwindling, the firecrackers became less and less, earthen lamps gave way to candles, and candles to electric mini bulbs. Moving from small towns to metros meant less of inter-mingling and more of sticking to your own hearth and home.

Today it’s a different Diwali altogether. The postman still comes to collect the Diwali bakshish but he no longer has to deliver any cards. Who has the time to buy and send greeting cards? Besides to save trees we have to save paper. That little wonder app does it for us. Sweets and homemade goodies have been replaced by boxes of Belgian and Swiss chocolates. The Chinese made lamps and lights have completely erased the small earthen lamps. You don’t need oil and wicks for the fancy lamps, tealight candles and tiny batteries do the job. No worries about replenishing the oil or checking the direction of the wind, the LEDs will keep glowing and twinkling for many nights. Rangolis and alpanas with rice powder and pastes are too messy and time consuming. Besides, the Italian marbled floors will pose a bigger problem, so it is easier to buy readymade rangoli designs and have them affixed or filled in with flower petals and dry colours. The laddoos and the gulab jamuns are all readily available in the market, but the trend is to go organic and sugar-free.

These days the festive season is ushered in by the print media. We, who grew up in Kolkata, were used to seeing the Boroline, Jabakusum and Horlicks ads picking up during the festival season. These days it is the bulk of the newspaper that gives away the festive spirit. Today’s main newspaper had some 35 odd pages and the supplementary newspapers added another 25 pages each of which one whole page was devoted to the Tatas of Bombay House  and another to the Yadavs of  Lucknow House. For any other news you needed a magnifying glass since the ads, ranging from lingerie and lehengas to luxury sedans and duplex villas, filled every inch of the newspapers. I guess while everyone in the friendly neighbourhood is lamenting the loss of business from the mithaiwala to the local grocer, thanks to the online shopping trend, only our kabaadi-man is laughing all the way home. So it’s make hay while the sun shines for both the big newspaper house and our kabaadi guy. 

Keeping in mind all the latest trends I am drawing up a list of things we can expect this Diwali…Tension free, sugar free, sparkle free and mess free.

-          No Sparkle Diwali. The Jain Youth Forum in our Housing Society Complex recently organized a nukkad play entitled “ Crackers-gical Strike”( some brilliant mind must have been inspired by the latest ‘surgical strikes’ made by the Indian army and come up with this gem) which , as the name suggests, is aimed at completely banning the bursting or lighting of any form of firecrackers or sparklers.

-          Soundless and Safe Diwali. You can honk, you can hoot, you can play music in your car till the reverberations are felt on the twentieth floor, but you cannot burst even the tiniest chocolate bombs.

-          Maxi Dress Coded Diwali. The Dress Code for this Diwali’s dinner at our Housing Society party is Maxi. However, here’s a little helpful postscript for the uninitiated. Do not worry if you do not have one, you can wear one of your synthetic floral nighties or even the anarkali tops minus the churidars and chunni. This outfit is essentially a cross between the two and fits all shapes and sizes. And if you can combine the two, you are on the right track. Bingo!

-          Best Diwali Hamper- Babaji’s Hamper. All Organic, all Pure. This one and half eyed Babaji in his loin cloth, spent all his life breathing in and breathing out, tucking in and tucking out his belly, standing on his head, turning somersaults but today he has set up an empire that can put to shame the Big Business Houses. These guys, who have only run their business yet managed to land themselves in the messiest of soups, could take a lesson or two from him. I wish somebody would send me Babaji’s Special Hamper which is packed with all my needs to last me till my next Diwali- from jeans to  honey, ghee to lipstick, hair oil to instant noodles.

-          Diet friendly Diwali.  The sweetmeats are all sugarless yet they will taste so sweet. Ice-creams so creamy and rich but made from only natural products and no sugar. Diet cokes and organic chaats; oat laddoos and soya seekhs; dark chocolates that will melt in your mouth and also your calories away.

-          Light free Diwali. Little lamps will light your doorways, tiny colourful bulbs will twinkle all night. No oil, no wax and no flames.  Thank the Chinese and light up your homes.

-           Digital Puja. At the touch of a finger you can worship Lakshmi, Ganesh or any other God of your choice. The puja thali, the lighting of the lamp, the chanting of the mantras, the bhajan- kirtan, the aarti will all be done for you. All you will need to do at the end of it is to have the prasad.

While the Nobel Committee is left wondering ‘where has Bobbie Dylan gone’, we can hum a different tune altogether, “The times they are a-changin….”

                                                     HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL MY READERS.

    DS