Happy Diwali

Happy Diwali… May the festival of lights lighten your lives and hearts and may Maa Kali bless all of you with love, prosperity and happiness.

Tomorrow is Kali Puja, and also Diwali (or Deepawali) celebrated all over India and by Indians all over the world. This year, Diwali just got a bit more colorful and brighter with its inception in the White House, USA. President Barak Obama is celebrating Diwali this year. The news channels showed him lighting the lamp already and a pundit chanting slokas, “Asotoma Sat gamaya, Tamosoma Jyotir gamaya, Mrityurma Amritam gamaya.” I hope he has remembered to tell Prez Obama the meaning of the words. The news of the Nobel prize came in good time it seems!

Anyways, let the world celebrate Diwali this time and let the festival fill the world with lights. This year it’s a Saturday and we are planning to lit diyas and fire crackers. Does anyone know where I can go to fetch some crackers in Bangalore? Well, by the time you read this, I must have bought some. So, never mind :P

This year, my birthday fell on the exact date. Maa said that every seven years it happens when it is a Wednesday, the 27th day of Ashwina and 14th of October. This was the very date when I was born 28 years ago! Yes, I am 28+ now and almost touching 30! Have I grown that old? The certificate tells that, but somewhere in depth of my heart I feel that I am still a kid – my wife and my mother will agree with that for sure. But I know, I have grown up. I remember the poem, “আপনাকে বড় বলে বড় সে নয়, লোকে যারে বড় বলে বড় সেই হয়।” Yea – right, but I am sure it was not told about this kind of ‘growing up.’ There are times when I find myself a little kid and at times, I find I have grown up. I know everyone feels the same – at least those who are my age. And actually, I enjoy being so!

Tell you what, I want to finish the above poem here. I so love it and have heard/recited it a thousand times since childhood. Ok, let me write it down here first:

আপনাকে বড় বলে বড় সে নয়,
লোকে যারে বড় বলে বড় সেই হয়।
বড় হওয়া সংসারেতে কঠিন ব্যপার,
সংসারে সে বড় হয়, বড় গুণ যার।
গুণেতে হইলে বড়, বড় বলে সবে,
বড় যদি হতে চাও, ছোট হও তবে।

I was actually confused about the last line for a long time, but as I grew up, I think I learnt the meaning of the same. Anyways!

This birthday was a bit on the sober side. No plans, no celebrations and absolutely no talks! When the clock struck 12, Maitri took a break from her work to call me. We talked :D Then, Prem called me to wish. He was again confused this year, asking me on 13th evening if the day was 11th – and I laughed :) But at last, he was right on time! Then, Baba sent me an SMS, wishing me good returns. He always does that. My father is like, ‘He might be sleeping. I will keep awake till 12 O’clock and send a quick SMS and sleep too. Will call him tomorrow morning.’ No Baba! I was awake, wasn’t I? And wasn’t I waiting for your call? It took 11 minutes for him to type those two lines and send. Anyways, I called him back and we talked for a short while before he slept. That’s it! Then Ruchi called me, from Baba’s number in the evening to wish. Joy also called the next day to wish belated. All accepted and I was happy :)

I have some plans for this weekend, when we will be together and we can do a small celebration kind of thing. Lets see if everything goes fine – Diwali and B’day. Actually, in our place, tomorrow it is Kali Puja and Diwali is celebrated the next evening. Lets see, if I can make it big this time. But first, I need to find some crackers. I pray to the scanner god (:P), no I mean, to the Goddess Kali that I find some crackers this time…

Well, let me wish you all a grand Diwali this year. It is also new year time for the North Indians. So, wish you all a very happy new year too; and the worship Devi Laxmi on this day. May the goddess Laxmi fill your lives with light, colors and gold coins. Gold coins remind me of Dhanteras! Happy Dhanteras to all of you :D Go guys go – rush and celebrate the festivity. Don’t waste anymore time in reading me… I really like this time when there are so many festivals all around the world.

And who do you think will win the Champions League T20 cup? Hmm… mmm… ummm… well, I don’t know. I wish the Bangalore Royal Challengers win, but I am afraid the odds are in favor of the Cobras from South Africa. Fingers crossed!

^_^ Happy Diwali ^_^
Happiness to all!