A Diwali Away from Home...in a New Home

For as long as I can remember, I have had a fascination for lights. It's not that I sit staring at the bulbs in my house all day, but the moment I see a cluster of lights, especially at a distance, I can't help but gape, wide-eyed, mesmerized. Whether I am approaching a hill station at night, or am in a plane landing or taking off after dusk, or looking at the pollution-free starry night in one of my getaways from the city, the view of hundreds of shimmering lights invariably casts a spell on me.
 

Perhaps that's why Diwali has always been one of my favourite festivals. The colourful lights that decorate almost every house in sight, the modest diyas with their delicious smell and beauty when lit, the ever growing varieties of crackers with a splendid show of lights – Diwali has always created an atmosphere I can't get enough of. And the times of togetherness with loved ones, accompanied by mouth-watering food and sweets indubitably add to the charm of this festival. 

 

This year, I missed most of this. Since I have just arrived in the US a month ago, I could not go back to celebrate Diwali in my home town like every year, though Google Hangout did help me get a glimpse of the decorations and festivities. This was my second Diwali away from home, in thirty one years. No matter what, I almost always made it home on Diwali. So of course, this Diwali was a little lonely. Consumerism only rubbed salt on my wounds, by making sure that I receive at least one email every day for the past fortnight, asserting, “it is time to go home” or “their Diwali is incomplete without you” or “home feels lonely when you are not around” and so on – I had to unsubscribe from these mails to stop the torture.
 

But, in a way, I guess it had to start somewhere. Now that I am married and might not be able to go home every year on Diwali, my husband and I will have to start celebrating the festival on our own, in “our home.” Yes, the definition of home will slowly change, and while I will still get together with family and friends, for my kids, “going home for Diwali” would mean coming back to wherever my husband and I celebrate Diwali. So, this is a beginning for my husband and me, to start creating Diwali rituals of our own, with love, fondness, togetherness, customs, and of course - food.
 

Therefore, for this first Diwali in our home, I thanked God, and told Him how grateful I was for everything in my life. Then, I lit some diyas, and gaped at them. And then we burned some light crackers. For dinner, I made some poori-sabzi, which my husband loves.
 

As I stood there looking at the diyas, holding my husband's arm, I thought...may be, some day, my kids will become as fond of this festival as I am, and would want to come back home for every Diwali with the same eagerness.