FOND DIWALI MEMORIES OF OUR YOUNGER DAYS 101
FOND DIWALI MEMORIES OF OUR
YOUNGER DAYS
On the eve of Deepavali our house was at its chaotic best or worst depending upon how one would look at it . It bore a striking resemblance to the chaos associated with Ranganathan Street at its festive peak .
The " boiler " for preparing the hot water for the early morning bath next day was scrubbed clean and was at its shiny best . The sandalwood tilak and the kumkum pottu made it look even more auspicious .
The sesame oil and Chikakai powder in closed containers found the pride of place in the Swami room .
Each one of us in the family would get the new dresses with the kumkum mark and place it on the newspaper laid out expressly for that purpose by appa in the Swami room.
The special sweets and savories prepared by amma in shiny brass containers found their place in front of the deities in the Swami room .
My job was to keep the Diwali Fire Crackers in their new boxes in front of the new dresses in a neat row so as to occupy the maximum space and bring an awe among my friends for the volume of crackers that we had purchased for the year .
Amma would decorate the front of the house with coloured kolam the previous night itself and this would be sure to draw the praise of of all the neighbors and anybody who chances to look upon it .
Suguna mami s comment that she would have also joined amma to decorate her own house had she known that amma was about to do it past midnight brought a wry smile on amma s face .
I really felt proud of my amma s work and kolam and took special care to see that I did not disturb the same and burst the crackers away from the kolam .
Amma would wake us up early in the morning with the aroma of the freshly prepared coffee decoction wafting through the room .
The first burst of the 100 wala was always before even brushing one s teeth and there was always a competition to see who burst the first cracker of the Diwali day in the neighborhood.
The Ganga Snanam was always preceded by the recitation of sloka as said by amma and the the application of oil on the head before the bath .
Bathing done , we will all got the blessings of Amma and Appa and the new dresses and the Diwali crackers would be handed over to us . This would be the start of the daylong frolicking.
The playing with the crackers would finally end with the collection of the debris and any unburnt stray crackers .
The exchange of sweets and the intake of the same from select houses was always a trick which we had mastered over the years . We knew exactly as to which houses to avoid and which to patronize . Our taste buds were simply that good .
These small pleasures I miss very much now. What I miss the most is the Omnipresent Amma of old , behind every small or big detail at home .
She would be so busy through the day that she would hardly find the time for the Sari which she had so meticulously selected for the occasion . This would be worn only during the marriage of a close relative or any temple function at Agasthiarpatty .
Come to think of it , Amma whole life has been a story of sacrifices to her husband , to her offsprings , to the relatives and in fact to any and everybody .
I know it is too late now and I have never brought myself to say this .We miss you amma and all that you so unselfishly stood for in bringing us up . Happy Diwali all the same .
The " boiler " for preparing the hot water for the early morning bath next day was scrubbed clean and was at its shiny best . The sandalwood tilak and the kumkum pottu made it look even more auspicious .
The sesame oil and Chikakai powder in closed containers found the pride of place in the Swami room .
Each one of us in the family would get the new dresses with the kumkum mark and place it on the newspaper laid out expressly for that purpose by appa in the Swami room.
The special sweets and savories prepared by amma in shiny brass containers found their place in front of the deities in the Swami room .
My job was to keep the Diwali Fire Crackers in their new boxes in front of the new dresses in a neat row so as to occupy the maximum space and bring an awe among my friends for the volume of crackers that we had purchased for the year .
Amma would decorate the front of the house with coloured kolam the previous night itself and this would be sure to draw the praise of of all the neighbors and anybody who chances to look upon it .
Suguna mami s comment that she would have also joined amma to decorate her own house had she known that amma was about to do it past midnight brought a wry smile on amma s face .
I really felt proud of my amma s work and kolam and took special care to see that I did not disturb the same and burst the crackers away from the kolam .
Amma would wake us up early in the morning with the aroma of the freshly prepared coffee decoction wafting through the room .
The first burst of the 100 wala was always before even brushing one s teeth and there was always a competition to see who burst the first cracker of the Diwali day in the neighborhood.
The Ganga Snanam was always preceded by the recitation of sloka as said by amma and the the application of oil on the head before the bath .
Bathing done , we will all got the blessings of Amma and Appa and the new dresses and the Diwali crackers would be handed over to us . This would be the start of the daylong frolicking.
The playing with the crackers would finally end with the collection of the debris and any unburnt stray crackers .
The exchange of sweets and the intake of the same from select houses was always a trick which we had mastered over the years . We knew exactly as to which houses to avoid and which to patronize . Our taste buds were simply that good .
These small pleasures I miss very much now. What I miss the most is the Omnipresent Amma of old , behind every small or big detail at home .
She would be so busy through the day that she would hardly find the time for the Sari which she had so meticulously selected for the occasion . This would be worn only during the marriage of a close relative or any temple function at Agasthiarpatty .
Come to think of it , Amma whole life has been a story of sacrifices to her husband , to her offsprings , to the relatives and in fact to any and everybody .
I know it is too late now and I have never brought myself to say this .We miss you amma and all that you so unselfishly stood for in bringing us up . Happy Diwali all the same .
Ganesh, something wonderful, as it's being said by nagesh, in " kathalikka neramilai ".. By reading ur recent posts on deepavali, i am being taken back to my good old childhood days in my house at agraharam, north street, WATRAP..superb.
ReplyDeleteThank you VS , nice to hear such comments .
DeleteDear VS , please do me a favour, please post these comments in both Coats Whatsapp groups also , it may provoke more readers for my blog .
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