Tuesday 28 October 2014

The Diwali and the Darus - A lost cultural contour

The Diwali bandwagons begin to ring a month before. The celebrations reverberate right from advent of navrataras, gain a further impetus during Dussehra and find the ultimate festivity during the time of Diwali. Yes, welcome to the land of Hindu Christmas. That's what Diwali is. Isn't it ?

The tradition goes on. We light diyas, in all the traditional attire. The city gets clad in candles and lights (The Chinese find another reason to celebrate Indian Diwali). Amazing. Feels so good to be a part of this rich culture of celebration and homecoming of Lord Rama and worshipping Goddess Lakshmi for all the prosperity.

What amazes me more is that this homecoming has gone all the more grand. Being from a town which has tried to develop itself on its own (since Government here has always focused upon developing their pockets), its a wonderful sight to see people get into the shell of metropolitan lifestyles. A festival marked by religious authenticity now witnesses a gala of alcohol and smokes - ranging right from a school kid aged 16 to an adult aged 50. Yes, thats the reality of our new born smaller cities. Humara Punjab I guess :P

The Diwali card games have always been a ritual. It all started being a fun saga to a proper sequel of gambling. Feels like mini vegas. Atleast to those who don't find respite without boasting about the riches they made during this season (Yeah - Diwali Season), the contribution of alcohol to those riches and celebration of nicotine (After all, everyone's got to burn riches ! )

I just hope that this transition is a temporary one. For the older generations, its a matter of pride that their children are living a lifestyle equivalent to that of a virtual prince. However, the ground reality might surface itself in times to come. When the streets of these small towns might get clad with drunk adults, feasting on a rapist mentality, finding no solace in focus and success. If such time comes, even the Government won't be to blame then.

P.S :  Please don't get offended, lets face it ! :P

Cheers !

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