Happy Diwali, everyone! May this festival of light give you a wonderful, prosperous year ahead and all the happiness you deserve. ❤
Diwali or Deepavali is a festival that us Indians look forward to with great anticipation, not just because we get to celebrate fireworks, but because it heralds light and new beginnings. It is a festival that depicts good winning over evil and on this day, we worship Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and wealth, inviting her into our homes. There are other reasons and traditions connected to the festival but this is one that’s widely celebrated. Irrespective, though, Diwali is the Festival of Lights, characterized by fireworks and light and hope.
As a child, I was super scared of fireworks. Somehow, the sight of anything on fire, even something as innocent as a sparkler, would have me hiding behind my mum. I’m not kidding – there’s a picture of this somewhere in my parents’ archives. But as I grew up, I understood that fireworks, more often than not, are something we can control. At least the kind of fireworks that we bought home. So, I began to anticipate the arrival of this festival, mostly because we could burst fireworks – sparklers, flower pots, pencils, ground chakras, and the like.
There were a lot of things I came to love. The crackle in the air as fireworks went off. The hiss of rockets going up in the air and bursting into a fountain of sparks. People outside their houses, all decked up, greeting each other irrespective of religion. The diyas lining the house compound and the terrace walls. The whole hullabaloo, irrespective of how annoying I used to find it.
As time passed and I grew up, however, I got diagnosed with migraine. Anybody with migraine knows what kind of a special hell it is to be surrounded by loud noises for hours together. That’s when I tired of the firecrackers bursting my eardrums and my head late into the night. I don’t begrudge anyone doing their thing. But while they do, be sure I’ll be sitting in a corner, clutching my head and wishing the pain away.
From involuntarily shying away from firecrackers to voluntarily staying away from them because they’re way too much noise, I’ve come a long way. We have enough noise in the world as it is. Why add more to the chaos? Why not burst firecrackers/fireworks that are subtler? Why not take people into consideration? I don’t just say that because I myself suffer. There are way too many people like me and worse off than me who suffer because of the loud noises. It’s time we became considerate of human beings rather than blast their eardrums off in the name of tradition. Do your thing, but not at the cost of another’s health.
Oof, anyway. My point is, the way I celebrated Diwali as a child and the way I celebrate it now is so starkly different, I’d never have predicted it. Agreed, I hoped for calm many-a-times, but the way I just want to be celebrating it peacefully now, tells me of at least ten different ways I’ve changed as a person. I won’t go into it into detail because I feel like I’ve already said too much (in a degree of intensity, I mean). You get my point.
From enjoying the hustle, bustle, and noise of Diwali to shrinking back from the noise while loving the calm sparkle of it all, that’s the degree to which I’ve changed over the years. I still love Diwali, especially as a beautiful festival of lights, of hope, of triumph of good over evil, and of love. My head would be grateful if you’d just tune it down a bit.
Anyway, a very Happy Diwali to everyone celebrating. Lots of love and light. 😊
I’ll see you in tomorrow’s Blogtober post.
Until next time, keep reading and add melodrama to your life! 😀
The Melodramatic Bookworm 
Happy Diwali 🙏💛😊
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