On this day every year, Pappa used to wake the whole family very early in the morning so that we could all get ready for the 'Aarti' before sunrise. While the proceedings for Aarti would be happenings, the phones would start ringing from all across other homes wishing each other on deepawali and exchanging notes if they have completed the aarti at home or not ..Amidst all this, Pappa also would make sure to burn couple of crackers outside the house which would break the silence...It was his way of telling the world that Deepawali has arrived and people should not be sleeping. He had also continued with the tradition of giving money to put in the aarti thali to me, Deep and Diya ..
Infact, his festivities would also start a few days earlier when he would check all the twinkling light rolls that he would be putting around the house. One of the light rolls would usually not work and he would have made sure to buy a new one as a replacement. He would have made sure to put all the light rolls that would hang from the first floor to the ground..This was quite an activity and I would usually help him to put them from the first floor. This was the tradition that he had started in Saarang in the last few years.
Today is a strange day. I just woke up very early though Pappa did not call. In the last few years, he used to call up through the phone from the ground floor in case we were getting late to get up. I had not realized that there is no Aarti this year and was trying to get ready when got to know that there is no Aarti. It started reminding me of all the Deepawali days in the bygone years and how I as a child, teenager and as adult celebrated Deepawali. In the childhood days, it was also of looking forward for the new shirt that pappa would be purchasing.
While I write this, my memories go back to the past of the all the deepawali days when Pappa was alive. This is a strange nostalgic, empty and void feeling ...There is silence around and I just took the time to write this note before the kids wake up and a new day begins again which probably will make me forget the silence that is currently pervading at the moment ...
Infact, his festivities would also start a few days earlier when he would check all the twinkling light rolls that he would be putting around the house. One of the light rolls would usually not work and he would have made sure to buy a new one as a replacement. He would have made sure to put all the light rolls that would hang from the first floor to the ground..This was quite an activity and I would usually help him to put them from the first floor. This was the tradition that he had started in Saarang in the last few years.
Today is a strange day. I just woke up very early though Pappa did not call. In the last few years, he used to call up through the phone from the ground floor in case we were getting late to get up. I had not realized that there is no Aarti this year and was trying to get ready when got to know that there is no Aarti. It started reminding me of all the Deepawali days in the bygone years and how I as a child, teenager and as adult celebrated Deepawali. In the childhood days, it was also of looking forward for the new shirt that pappa would be purchasing.
While I write this, my memories go back to the past of the all the deepawali days when Pappa was alive. This is a strange nostalgic, empty and void feeling ...There is silence around and I just took the time to write this note before the kids wake up and a new day begins again which probably will make me forget the silence that is currently pervading at the moment ...
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