Mayank's Blog

Not withstanding the media’s  (TOI in particular) constant attempt to force Halloween down my throat, I have decided again to write about the festival which indeed is part of the Indian tradition – Diwali. Some may criticize me for being uncool, but I guess Delhi need not be any more cold than it already is.   I grew up in an era when SRK-ization of India was happening. Come Diwali and we were inundated by “Say No To Crackers” campaigns which told us horror stories about how crackers led to loss of someone’s limb/life. We were made to believe that one night of cracker bursting led to more deaths than the number of causalities in road accidents everyday. They employed all tricks of the trade to keep us off the fireworks – environment being the oft cited reason. Apparently, it was good for us to plant saplings on the roadside (which will eventually wither away in two days due to lack of care) as it would help in reducing the pollution “others” will create on Diwali night. ...

Sitting in the office on Diwali's eve, my Inbox is flooded with mails from people wishing a very happy Diwali. I give them a cursory glance and then Shift+Delete them as all of them are sent to a Distribution List. You just happen to be in that DL!! Everybody in the office is in a celebratory mood but I am worried about packing my stuff in boxes and moving them (I am shifting to a place near the office). Anyways, I too have bought some crackers and diyas this time, nothing high-profile though as I will be shifting soon. The decision to buy crackers was a tough one. When I was a kid, I just loved bursting crackers and often had a fight with my father to buy more crackers. ;) All that changed when I was in class 10th and was highly influenced by the 'Avoid fireworks' movement. I shunned bursting crackers, thinking that I am doing my bit for the environment; much to the delight of my father. (He always said that buying crackers is like putting money on fire!). The inner devil...