Down the Memory lane..............

After office, on my way to home, I have come across so many people...for I have to pass through two markets!  The streets in Chennai are now crowded with the crackers! Every now and then you can hear the sound of crackers!  I have met so many people in train with a long shopping bags, sweet boxes etc… all these rush reminds me that the Diwali has come …. It is near! I do not know… the customs of Diwali… and I have never celebrated one yet! This time, for the first time I am In Chennai and I hope we will celebrate it!

I don’t know why they have not lit lights in and around the home, as Diwali also known as the festival of lights! It seems they will do it only on “karthikavilakku”. Anyway it is new information for me!  And I never understand that theory tooJ One of my friend told that there are so many customs or in fact rituals associated with Diwali. Like the oil bath with Ubtan, preparation of sweets, poojas, wearing new cloths, (and she added that watching TV, can’t avoid too, yeah it was funny! But yes that is what happened in our society) so and so… it reminds me of something!

These bursting sounds of crackers reminds of our celebration in Vishu in Kerala! How we used to celebrate those Vishu, Onam and all the festival in the child hood. We were eagerly waiting for that to get pocket money from all the relatives...  And it was time of family reunion too. Everybody would be there at ancestral home…. The feast, swinging with cousins, silly fights, jokes, the new dress, loud noises, afternoon plays like police and thief, hide and seek, eerupanthu , thaayam, etc …  I feel I lost that joy, pleasure everything that I had in my  childhood!   Now we rarely have such occasions of get together! Now I feel almost every festival is more like any other day. The thrills, joys, anticipation everything has slowly disappearing! I don’t know how it happens! That was the days we enjoyed a lot, forgetting all those worries about exams, silly fights and all. But today, what we do is to sit before the television and watch the programs and do change the channel when ad comes! Where is that spirit of enjoyment?  I also don’t know, in fact I am also in search of where I lost it?

I think I missed that pooja holidays too…. when I asked about celebration details to my neighbor, she said “not holidays, it is for school children only”! Yes that is the moment I desperately want my college days to be back! Really want it back! And this time I had not even kept the books before god, for the Pooja!  I realize that the spirit also has gone with the memories… too! When I saw children bursting crackers, I remember those days with rolling cap and gun! Yeah it was really fun! I know I can’t go back to those days! What I can do now is to relax in a chair, close the eyes and have a silent travel through those nostalgic days! Yes that is enough for me! I thank god, I have at least those memories, left with me to dream!