Diwali, the festival of lights, was a time for rejoicing for the whole family when we were kids. New clothes, colored ribbons for the neat plaits, crackers, the religious chants of our elders, the delicious aroma of sweets pervading the whole house have become a part of my sweet memories.

Waking up very early, suffering the oil-bath ritual and wearing our new clothes, we would run outside to fire away our crackers. Our elders would stand around and enjoy the whole festivity with all of us running in all directions. The deafening sound of the crackers would send us into a fantastic world where we never gave a thought to the pollution or the depleting ozone layer.

We would envy those bursting more crackers and persuade our elders to buy us more. Believe me; crackers were being sold at every shop down the road. Life was simple then. We lived in a middle-class locality and the simple joys of Diwali would light everyone’s hearts watching the children lighting the crackers with joyous face.

Sweets were painstakingly prepared and were neither ordered nor ready-made. Every feast had its own particular sweet and it was prepared only on that day.  But now one can get any sweet at any time of the year without much ado. That is the reason maybe the present generation will never understand the excitement, the longing we all had in our days. 

I find so many things missing in the atmosphere during festivals now. Many children feel that they contribute to the pollution by bursting crackers.

In a way, I feel they are right but somewhere in the back of my mind, I still long to see them wearing new clothes, lighting those crackers with merriment crinkling their eyes, mouth full of those mouth-watering sweets and innocent joy pervading all around the atmosphere.