Diwali - The Festival of Lights

Where there is light, there is darkness

Lalitha ran to the puja room on hearing her mother’s voice and asked “What do you want me to do mom?” It was the eve of Diwali and her mom was leaving no stone unturned in making it a grand celebration. The festival of lights is celebrated with great fervor in the country of India and is celebrated to mark the killing of the demon king Ravana. Celebrated by wearing new clothes,  bursting crackers and adorning the house in lights, it is a day of celebration and joy for the vast majority of people.

But this year was different; Lalitha did everything that was told by her mother but she didn’t feel the surge of happiness and excitement she usually felt at this time of the year. Her father was working extra hours during the festival at his new job as a clerk at a jeweler’s shop to accommodate the festival rush and for the first time, there would be no fireworks at home either due to what happened the last time.

Amidst all the running around, she finally found a few minutes and gratefully took the opportunity and went to sit on the steps in front of her house reminiscing about the last year's celebration, She and her 7 year old brother were bursting crackers together with the rest of the kids in the neighborhood when a stray rocket exploded near her brother’s leg burning it and making him paranoid of any and all fireworks.
This year, he refused to step outside his bedroom and sat there huddled with their pet dog, Alex.The poor thing, this has always  been a hard time for him, the smoke and the noise from all the crackers which is almost overpowering for us, one can only imagine what it is like for something a hundred times more sensitive to it. It was a sight she did not like seeing but there was nothing any of them could do and with her father away at work, there wasn’t anyone to comfort them either. Hearing her name called again, she stood up, took a longing look at her friends' houses and ran back in.

It was the evening and she could see the kids coming out of their house and the air starting to get denser with smoke as the smell assaulted her nostrils. Through the smoke she could the other kids in the neighborhood bursting crackers, and pulling pranks on each other “who can say when what can go wrong”.

Rahul did not like working at the shop this evening but he had no choice, he was forced to work extra shifts make ends meet in these hard days of rising prices of essential commodities. His daughter in particular hated the idea of him going to work and had tried to coax him to spend the day at home. “I’ll take home a gift” he affirmed as he left home but his heart skipped a beat as he saw the crowd at the store.

The night was an extremely busy one, with several families coming in to shop and celebrate Diwali together. They stayed there looking at various items till late in the night and didn’t give him a chance to catch a breather, let alone step out of the shop to buy something.  As he watched over the families, he couldnt help but envy the smiles and happiness flowing through the lives of these people with not an ounce of trouble to dampen their day.

It was close to midnight by the time he shut shop and started on his way home. The bursting of fire crackers had ended and the air was settling down. The roads were peaceful and the street dogs finally found the courage to come out but Rahul was troubled, he had nothing to take home for Diwali and he wondered how things were at home.

As he got home, he noticed the house looking brighter and more welcoming than usual with the lights glowing brightly all around it.  As he stepped inside, he saw his wife sitting with the kids playing a game of catch surrounded by lights of all colors. The kids on seeing him, ran and hugged him and the dog, waiting for his turn then, rushed towards him and licked him all over. Once they all sat down, he finally noticed the absence of noise and the beauty of silence which had washed over their house. The question of a gift never came up and it seemed like he was all that was needed at home.

The neighborhood had quieted down and the cracker bursting had ended. All of them were seated around a circle of lamps with the light glowing on their faces.The children loved the silence and for them, the festival had only just begun.