Hello Friends,
Happy Diwali !! This time around I didn’t think too much about the topic, as it was obvious it is festival time. Diwali :- the festival of lights, the festival of joy, the festival of “sweets”, has finally arrived and more importantly so the Diwali breaks have arrived and no wonder we can see the smiling faces .
This time, in my article I want to focus about how Diwali has changed. I still remember around 6-7 years back, we used to feel Diwali is knocking 10 days before its official day. We could see the glitter and the lights on the “shopping roads” and the overcrowded garments shop was the sign that its Diwali time. The fire cracker shops were over crowded with parents and their respective wards and we can literally see the kids doing tantrums, so that they can get their favorite fire crackers. The sweet shops are literally over flowing with people fighting so that they can get their delicious sweets first. When we enter anyone’s house we could see the big colorful “Rangoli” which symbolizes the festival of peace, joy and laughter has arrived.
The thing was we could feel the excitement in the air. After all the preparations, finally the epic 3 days arrive Diwali, New year, Bhai bij and all the family members meet up and celebrate this auspicious festival. As a kid, I was always very excited about Diwali, I always used to complete my Diwali homework before Diwali arrives and finally when Diwali arrives, I will be full of excitement, going to elders, touching their feet and getting a handsome reward was just so much fun. I still remember how I used to compete with my brother for Diwali rewards. Then comes Bhaibij and all the family members meet up and the excitement in me pumps up, meeting up all the cousins and having a hell of a time was so much fun and you just feel that life is so much fun …!!
But nowadays, is it the same Diwali are we celebrating ?? Times have changed and so has people’s lifestyles and the word “Diwali holidays” is been given more importance than “Diwali festival”. The recession is something we can see in shops. I was just going through a famous shopping road in Ahmedabad called “C.G. Rd” and I was shocked to see the shop keepers having a good big yawn two days before Diwali and I was just pinching myself whether is it really Diwali time?
The fact is that people are so stressed up in their day to day schedule that holidays is what matters and not the festivals. Diwali breaks are now seen as something kind of a mini vacation where even before Diwali people plan their holidays going to an outdoor destination and relaxing. With fire crackers getting costlier day by day, I hardly hear any fire cracker bursting. All of them are so busy in their lives that the feeling of brotherhood is lost, people don’t remember that when was the last time their whole family met up and had a good laughter.
I pity the younger generation that they will never be able to experience the Diwali we experienced, they will never know the importance of Diwali instead Diwali will be just a term that will be associated with the more important term “vacation”. In the quest for success and in this fast life, the festival once that shared joy laughter and feeling of brotherhood has been reduced to merely a festival that provides good holidays. Diwali, the festival of lights is lost somewhere and with that the excitement is lost ….!!
Wish you a very Happy Diwali & Prosperous New Year,
With Smiles, Sweets and Laughter,
Purvil
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