Diwali and Kalipuja

Diwali the festival of lights is celebrated throughout India. In North India it is the most important festival .Our Delhi office is shut for almost a week. Everyone is celebrating. In Bengal it is the time for Kali puja and Lakshmi puja as well. When we were children we used to decorate the house with n number of candles and earthen lamps. It is custom to light 14 lamps on Diwali day. Possibly linked to Lord Rama’s 14 years in exile. Nowadays we have electrical lamps and mini lights in all colours adorning houses. Multistoried apartments, shopping complexes, community centres, residential houses are all decorated extensively with these electric lights. Most of these products are manufactured in China. However candle and lamp lighting is still customary. Kalipuja ceremony which starts at midnight is telecast live nowadays from Dakshineswar. I am sure there are devotees who remain awake to be part of the rituals electronically.

Every year residents of our complex assemble on the rooftop in the evening to celebrate. There is lot of merrymaking with crackers being burst, sparklers and all kinds of amazing lights and fireworks being lit. Yesterday was no exception. Old and the young equally took part in the celebrations and lighting of fireworks continued till late in the evening. This was followed by community dinner and adda till late in the night. Men had their own separate booze session where women were not invited. Some of the families went out in the midnight to pandal-hop. Quite a few community pujas are held in the vicinity