Its been a while since I wrote something (meaningful.....).Something real, from the vibes of the heart. However as I 'm gorging on the last bits of the Diwali cookies, there are waves of those delightful golden moments which usher into my heart and give me a reason to be lost, lost into the realm of those tiny little days when Luka-Chuppi(Hide n Seek), Chanda Mama(children magazine), roadside candy, Chor-Sepoy or Chor-Police ( u guys know this I m sure), Sachin Tendulkar (a reason for infinite joy) .....etc..were the way of life.
As I strolled back into the old memories of Diwali, I realized that things have changed quite a bit. I recollect the fun and gusto at the sight of the crackers which Baba (father) used to bring on the last day of our mid-term Semester ( we had Diwali vacation immediately after our mid-term Semester Exam ). There was more fun in the 'Anticipation of Having Fun'. We used to light a star shaped 'ancestral' (atleast 15 Diwalis Old) lantern, it was my Dad's creation, it had a porous surface which emanate light from inside. Then on the first day of Diwali, Mom used to light an auspicious Diya, it used to be a glass tumbler filled with water topped up with a layer of oil supporting a cotton wick entwined in a small wooden frame to keep it afloat. It was an 'Engineering Marvel' for me.
We friends used to roam across the common gallery (feature of the old MHADA tenements) playing, teasing, at times fighting.....sometimes imitating those daily soap detectives (Raja-Rancho) or He-Man (cartoon character from early 90s) or Vikram Betal..DD-1/2(Delhi Doordarshan) was the only source of inspiration then.Our Moms used to be engrossed in 'Faral' ( Mix of sweets, namkeen..etc specifically for Diwali) preparation while we were the 'Robin - Hoods' of the building (adventure unlimited) or militia defending the populace.
Bursting crackers was the 'sport of challenges' each one of us trying to showcase his spirit of dare devilry....as though the fortunes of the future generations hinged on the outcome of 'How many Crackers were blown?'.
As the city sleeps tonight, these old memories dawn up into my mind like the rays of morning sun breaking through the panes of the old deserted Church.The tiny little boys have become men, DD-1 is a distant past, star-shaped lamp has disappeared but the 'Faral' from my Mom's kitchen still tastes the same....as fresh and delicious as these precious nostalgic moments. I 'm sure each one of us have that tightly closed door behind which are locked those cute little memories, ones which may not be the part of our childhood albums but still very dear and near ones.....
