This Diwali was real fun. The celebrations began early last week at the office. The Admin Council had made elaborate arrangements with Rajasthani lunch. Stalls selling mithais, bengali-sweets, diyas, crackers, were setup. There even was an Arabian mehandi corner for the ladies. All of us were dressed in our best ethnic outfits. A fashion competition was organized in the evening. I gave it a shot - enthralled the crowd with a monologue and emerged a winner! Yippie!
We spent the next day distributing sweets to our office staff and preparing for our guests' arrival. I had the responsibility to shop for sweets - and it's quite an obligation to sample so many of them to make the final choice ;)
My Mom's birthday coincides with this festival of lights. And we had cake-cutting during the day - I can still feel myself biting into those oh-so-soft Black Forest… yummm. The evening was warm and effervescent. India's splendid cricket victory elevated the already soaring spirits. The celebrations began by offering a small prayer to Goddess Lakshmi. And then it was cracker time. Sweets were served in abundance and were relished beyond everyone's satiety. To top it all, a sumptuous dinner followed.
Such festivals are pure fun! So many people getting together and spending moments of joy. Moments that would be cherished for a long time to come. Moments that are a part of us.
