DEEPAVALI-PART 2

My earlier blog post on DEEPAVALI dated 4th NOV 2010 was a sort of an appetiser and this post is a follow up of the same.

This year , i did not celebrate Deepavali, as i have lost my beloved elder brother.Besides the little accident that i had , resulting in injuries on forehead and eyes have dampened the spirits further.And the fact that my son was away at Hyderabad(not that he is very fond of celebrating DEEPAVALI-SEE HIS BLOG ENDLESS HORIZONS on his views on the same subject)and the reality that possibly this would be my last occasion to celebrate Deepavali with my daughter (as perhaps next year she might be the worthy DIL of some other house hold)all left a feeling , a mixed one at that.At the end of all those thoghts i was a little puzzled and dazed at the same time as to whether i wanted to celebrate it or not.

And that brought me to my sences and a memory down the lane to recall how many times i have celebrated the festival with passion and how many of them i could really recall at this juncture.

The first memory i could recall with certain amount of certainty was when i was doing my scholling in CHENNAI.My BIL's brother who is no more now and who was such a pleasant and positive personality is the one whom i am reminded of now.He was running a commercial type writing institute in those days in the busy USMAN ROAD, at T.NAGAR. DEEPAVALI's arrival will be known well in advance as he used to run some cracker shops with his friends, more as fun than anything else.So atleast a week in advance the crackers of all sorts will be at home,and to add sweet memories to DEEPAVALI my sisters and the elder sister's daughter (who is my wife now)will all be spending their time in kitchen preparing various sweets and savouries.I still recall how earnestly they used to prepare atleast 3/4 types of sweets and 2/3 types of savouries.Infact what is prepared for Deepavali will last atleast oone month and used to take care of evening snacks' requirements for the next one month.

The chain of sweet shops one sees today are not heard of in those days.Infact neighbours will check with each other to check the sweets and savouries being prepared so that there will be no duplication when the delicacies are exchanged on the eve of deepavali.It was one such deepavali, when the whole family had retired to bed earlyto wake up next day morning(we used to get up at 2-3 am those days so as to claim that we were the first to burn crackers in that street ).It was midnight when there was continuous sound of crackers which was deafening.There was also noice of vessels being thrown about. It took a few minutes for us to realise when and where the sound is coming from.It was from the kitchen where we have kept the crackers on a stove(at low levels of burner) to keep the crakers warm to escape the rainy climate as there would invariably be rains around DEEPAVALI TIME.(This year the rains were delyed by 24 hrs.Ref JAL JAL). Crackers worth Rs 1000 (in those days) were burnt to ashes in no time and along with it all sweets and savouries prepared were all thrown down on the floor. The entire neghbour hood has ssembled in no time (as there used to be atleast 8 tenants in each house in those days).Fortunately the new clothes purchased were saved as they were kept near the pooja room.And the house is probaly really strong to have escaped any major disaster. There was not even a crack in the walls.By the time all of us have cleaned up the whole thing (after reckovering from the initial shocks)and were getting ready to have the GANGA SNANAM , there was the sound of an auto in front of the house. To our utter surprise my BILs brother has arrived , clad in his new garments, (white was his favourite) with another big box of latest variety of crackers, the sweets from the BOMBAY HALWA HOUSE(Only known sweet shop in those days)and the whole atmosphere sudenly changed from sort of gloom to overwhelming brightness and cheers.That was the first deepavali etched in my memory.I was about 12 years old then.

Exactly 13 years later when i turned 25, the scene shifted to Kolkatta, wherein i celebrated deepavali in the company of new find friends and in my latest passion Viz Tamil literary activities.Atleast a minimum of 20 houses would have invited for deepavali and in each house it was a case of warmth and hospitality at its peak. "Sevikku unavillatha pothu, sirithu vayitrukkum eeyappadum" STATEMENT WAS PROVED IN THAT NIGHT OF DEEPAVALI at Kolkatta.

The scene after 10 years , shifted back to Chennai.In the owned house, in the company of beloved son(who is to become the best friend in the later years) deepavali was celebrated taking care to ensure that the sound of crackers were kept minimal so as not to scare way the little child.An year later another joyful addition to the family , in the form of goddess laxmi,arrived and the circle is now complete. Thereafter each DEEPAVALI was an wonderful experience, acting the role of a husband, the role of a son and the role of a father to take care of the little needs of all around me.(ofcourse the major burden was handled by my beloved wife and my role is to say yes to what ever she says:))..

Deepavali after a couple of years in 1996 was noteworthy. That was the time when the news of Hongkong posting has been received. The undersigned flew from Delhi to Chennai to celebrate DEEPAVALI .No crakers, no sweets nothing. It was the closeness and warmth of the family knot, which was the hall mark of this Deepavali. The recognition that the next deepavali to be celebrated will be only after 3 -4 years (as i have decided to go alone to Hongkong due to family compulsions)added to the glitter and glory of the Deepavali, in 1996.

It was a long await thereafter. It was in 2002, when i returned back from Hongkong that we celebrated DEEPAVALI together as a family, after 5 years.The years in Hongkong saw again a repeat of KOLKTA days,the warmth and friendliness and the mantle worn by the undersigned as the President of Hongkong Tamil cultural association, enabled the undersigned to spend days of DEEPAVALI in great moods of happiness, not withstanding the seperation from the family.2002 will be remembered as the year when i celebrated DEEPAVALI with my grown up son and daughter(in their teens) and that was the time when i came to know that as a protest against child labour, my son has stopped burning of crakers.It was a new wisdom to me.

Next couple of years saw my daughter and son drifting away to various places in pursuit of career and thus Deepavali, just came and went year after year with no specific feelings associated with it.AS my son drew reference in his blog, the DEEPAVALI of 2007 was significant in the sence, me and my son were theretogether enjoying the cosy comforts of Hyderabad and its hospitality .

2o08 and 2009, less said the better. Both my son and daughter were away from us on their job compulsions.Personally and shychologically there were many challenges to be faced and conquered.Thus no real chrm in those years.

2010-The expected storm showed mercy and went away to some palce in AP.BUT THE SKY BECAME OVERCAST TO provide the right kind of back drop.AS i indicated in the earlier part of this blog, because of demise of my brother there is no Diwali for us. But atleast 3 new couples(including my cobrother's daughter who got wedded last Novemeber) were celebrating their THALAI DEEPAVALI. And two couples celebrating Thalai deepavali belong to my own street. In the last 25 years of my existence at MADIPAKKAM i have not seen such a DEEPAVALI , CELEBRATED WITH FRENZY AND FAN FARE. What started off as a mild sound of a cracker on Thrusday night became deafening as the night progressed and the entire sky had a colourfullook on the morning hours of Friday.It apapeared as if the entire city was celebrating to compensate for our inability to celebrate.

And at the end of the day when i retired to bed my mind was thinking about 2011 already..where it will be with whom it will be and so on..but the lesson of DEEPAVALI AS THE VICTORY OF GOOD OVER EVIL is already engraved in memory and with those prayers, i retired.