I was enjoying that lovely morning sleep when the sound of the alarm woke me up, and suddenly I felt fresh and full of excitement.
Yes, on most days, the alarm sounds a little unpleasant. But during these days, it becomes a companion.
I got up and went straight to offer my prayers. After that, I picked up the colourful powders. Within moments, I had pictured a design in my mind and turned those colours into a rangoli.
Everyone was so happy. Everyone was smiling. Just then, a friend came along with firecrackers in his hands and said, “Come on, let’s go burst some crackers!”
Before I could even finish enjoying one moment of happiness, another one had already begun.
We walked through the market with our friends and headed towards open spaces, bursting crackers and laughing together.
Somewhere, people were lighting a fire to keep themselves warm in the morning chill. Somewhere else, the delicious aroma of freshly prepared snacks was coming from a local sweet shop.
And then, all of a sudden, there was little Munni. She was holding a spinning chakri in her hand, as innocently as if the fire were her big brother. But then her hand got burnt. We took her to the doctor, got it treated, and then started teasing her about it. Amid all the laughter and happiness, she forgot about the pain, and soon the sound of firecrackers filled the air once again.
We were just about to head out with our bat and ball to play when suddenly, the alarm rang again.
But this time, the alarm didn’t bring happiness. It brought a little disappointment, because all that happiness was still there only in our dreams.
People often pray for their dreams to come true. But here, it felt as if reality itself had turned into a dream.
Diwali is just around the corner, but that happiness from the past now feels like a dream from another time.
Wake up to the morning alarm. Get ready, have breakfast, pick up your bag, and head out for the daily suffer — the journey we call the commute.
Today, there’s money in our bank accounts and a mobile phone in our hands. Our phones are full of selfies, but what about those moments for which we never took a single picture?
Today, we capture almost every moment in a selfie. And those selfies keep lying forgotten in our drives, gathering digital dust, just like files sitting untouched in a cupboard.
Back then, there was no internet and no phone. Yet, everyone was connected. Connected through the heart. Someone else’s happiness was our happiness, and someone else’s sadness was our sadness. People lived. They were truly alive.
Today, life has become robotic. There’s nothing wrong with this life either. We are all connected through the internet and social media. But somehow, that spark, that real connection, seems to have drifted away.
Where are those rangoli colours we once held in our hands? Now, we simply ask AI to create an artificial rangoli for us. Real plants have been replaced by decorative showpieces, and even rangoli is now available as a ready-made sticker. Just peel it off and stick it on!
We reach our desks, open our laptops, and get lost in endless lists of emails and tasks. Deadlines have made us so deadthat Diwali arrives on a Sunday, and by Monday, we’re back to the same old routine.
Instead of enjoying Diwali celebrations, we head out to crowded resorts or spend our time wandering around shopping malls.
We look for a nice little corner, take our phones out of our pockets, put on a smile, click a selfie, and upload it to social media.
And then we’re busy counting likes and comments. If someone special doesn’t like or comment on our picture, it’s almost as if they’ve committed a crime! We end up spending the whole day overthinking it.
Meanwhile, the person looking at our pictures might be thinking, “What a life they have!”
But what kind of life is that, really? We spend so much time comparing ourselves with one another on social media that life itself passes us by.
Those were the days, weren’t they? There was no comparison, just happiness. Sincere prayers in our hearts, real colours in our hands, and a whole procession of firecrackers with our friends.
But these days aren’t all that bad either. A social media status might sometimes be about showing off, but can’t that same status also bring people together?
So, let’s post a status:
“Is it really Diwali if we celebrate all alone? Come, let’s wish one another a Happy Diwali. Let’s get together once again, pick up those colours, make rangoli, and share in each other’s joys and sorrows.”
And tag everyone. Don’t leave anyone out!
Let’s step away from social media and actually build relationships. Let’s celebrate Diwali together. And let’s make this a tradition every year, so that we don’t have to depend on selfies to preserve our memories.
Come, let’s celebrate Diwali together.
Let’s spread happiness.
Happy Diwali!