"Take permission for bursting crackers from the city police??", I exclaimed with my eyes widening and with an expression on my face which was a cross between shock and amusement! This was when we were planning a get-together for celebrating Diwali along with our friends a few days prior to the grand festival. "Yes! that is why Indians gather at temples here, as management of temples manage to obtain permissions for the same conveniently", added my husband, "and that too for crackers which are not air-borne!", he added further while laughing heartily this time! So I guessed that my plight this Diwali would be no better than that of an average Indian kindergarten kid, who is just allowed to light up a "phool-jhadi" for safety reasons!
I got to learn that "phool-jhadi" has an English name here - Sparklers - which I had never heard of while I was in India. Its amazing how globalization does wonders in internationalizing a local concept! so why is it that I was feeling so insignificant about lighting up a "sparkler"? Because Indians are not considered to have had an adventurous and prosperous Diwali until and unless they had launched a rocket or two (bonus if they get a rocket-misfire story to tell), or had blown off a loud-noisy-freakish-mysterious looking bullet bomb (bonus if they manage to scare off an aunty whom they like the least), or had mustered enough courage to light up a "larhi" - a chain of mini crackers (bonus if its the longest in neighborhood). Hence, a sparkler does not manage to impress Diwali-adventure seekers and somehow does not qualify to be a cracker.
But we did buy 2 packs of 5 sparklers each, for the sake of 'shagun'(good-fortune), just in case we managed to pay a visit to a temple. There are 3 Hindu temples in this city: a north Indian kind located nearest to our home, a south Indian kind located farthest from our home and an international kind located at an intermediary distance - ISKCON as you might have guessed! We all chose to converge at the nearest one. But as I got tired after carrying out an intensive cleaning operation in my house for Diwali pooja, I cancelled my visit to take some time off for a nap as we were supposed to meet over dinner following the temple visit of the rest. It was from their experience that I came to know that local police was also present at the temple to watch over the proceedings, as a big cracker-adventure seeking crowd had gathered there, amid dense evergreen trees and colored fall leaves covering the roads heavily and wooden buildings. Such is the impressive level of seriousness and responsiveness of the US law-enforcing agencies!
In contrast, it amuses me to imagine what would happen if Indian police were trying to enforce such regulations in India while on beat on Diwali night? Some of the junta (public) may comply with them but the others would manage to fend them off successfully! Punjabis would do so by making the cops 'happy' by slipping in free bottles of liquor and butter chicken in their jeep. Sophisticated Delhiites would make them 'happy' by giving Rs 101, or Rs 201, or Rs 501 as 'shagun'. In Uttar Pradesh, forget making them 'happy', instead people would call the cops 'Baavle'(mad) and would happily scare them off by chasing them with anything in their hands!
Despite the odds: of being in US and not being able to visit India for celebrating Diwali with parents, of not being able to hear constant booms or bangs throughout the night and of not being able to see each home glowing beautifully, we still wanted to celebrate it in a memorable way, as it was our first Diwali after marriage! So together we did deep-cleaning of our house, drew 2 rangoli designs for hours(photo below), did Laxmi Pooja as traditionally as possible and prepared intensive halwa-poori dinner. All of this for the first time ever on our own. Not bad right? Diwali 2013 in US will definitely be cherished forever!
I got to learn that "phool-jhadi" has an English name here - Sparklers - which I had never heard of while I was in India. Its amazing how globalization does wonders in internationalizing a local concept! so why is it that I was feeling so insignificant about lighting up a "sparkler"? Because Indians are not considered to have had an adventurous and prosperous Diwali until and unless they had launched a rocket or two (bonus if they get a rocket-misfire story to tell), or had blown off a loud-noisy-freakish-mysterious looking bullet bomb (bonus if they manage to scare off an aunty whom they like the least), or had mustered enough courage to light up a "larhi" - a chain of mini crackers (bonus if its the longest in neighborhood). Hence, a sparkler does not manage to impress Diwali-adventure seekers and somehow does not qualify to be a cracker.
But we did buy 2 packs of 5 sparklers each, for the sake of 'shagun'(good-fortune), just in case we managed to pay a visit to a temple. There are 3 Hindu temples in this city: a north Indian kind located nearest to our home, a south Indian kind located farthest from our home and an international kind located at an intermediary distance - ISKCON as you might have guessed! We all chose to converge at the nearest one. But as I got tired after carrying out an intensive cleaning operation in my house for Diwali pooja, I cancelled my visit to take some time off for a nap as we were supposed to meet over dinner following the temple visit of the rest. It was from their experience that I came to know that local police was also present at the temple to watch over the proceedings, as a big cracker-adventure seeking crowd had gathered there, amid dense evergreen trees and colored fall leaves covering the roads heavily and wooden buildings. Such is the impressive level of seriousness and responsiveness of the US law-enforcing agencies!
In contrast, it amuses me to imagine what would happen if Indian police were trying to enforce such regulations in India while on beat on Diwali night? Some of the junta (public) may comply with them but the others would manage to fend them off successfully! Punjabis would do so by making the cops 'happy' by slipping in free bottles of liquor and butter chicken in their jeep. Sophisticated Delhiites would make them 'happy' by giving Rs 101, or Rs 201, or Rs 501 as 'shagun'. In Uttar Pradesh, forget making them 'happy', instead people would call the cops 'Baavle'(mad) and would happily scare them off by chasing them with anything in their hands!
Despite the odds: of being in US and not being able to visit India for celebrating Diwali with parents, of not being able to hear constant booms or bangs throughout the night and of not being able to see each home glowing beautifully, we still wanted to celebrate it in a memorable way, as it was our first Diwali after marriage! So together we did deep-cleaning of our house, drew 2 rangoli designs for hours(photo below), did Laxmi Pooja as traditionally as possible and prepared intensive halwa-poori dinner. All of this for the first time ever on our own. Not bad right? Diwali 2013 in US will definitely be cherished forever!
Keeping traditions alive away from home is not only due to imbibed 'Sanskars' but also due to deep will inside. Keep it up..... HAPPY DEEPAWALI
ReplyDeletePapa appreciations are welcome, but heavy-sheavy words like 'Sanskars' are not allowed on my web page :) keep it light!
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