Diwali makes me nostalgic !

The festive season is here. Diwali is that time of the year in India as Christmas is in the western world. People love to shower gifts on their loved ones; meet and spend time with family and friends; eat drink and have a great time.

To me the best times were when we were smaller. We had a firm called Jagat Pictures. It was involved in distributing Hindi movies in and around Hyderabad. The office was managed by my father, his brother, his cousins, his uncles, etc. In short almost everyone from the family was a part of the firm. Every Diwali there was a Puja at the office which was attended by every member of the family. Everyone came dressed in their best clothes. I remember playing with my cousins and running around before Motta kaka (my uncle) shouted at us to make us sit down for the Puja. It lasted for 10-15 mins. This was the time to listen quietly to the prayers to the Goddess of wealth to shower the firm with good luck and wealth for the next year. Once done with the prayers, everyone would stand in line and Mahendra kaka (my father's uncle), a towering personality, would co-ordinate with serving snacks to everyone. The menu remained unchanged for years, which was great coz it included Idli, Wada, Jalebi gathiya and upma with chutney, sambar, and kharam puri !

I loved listening to my uncles and father talk with each other. They made us all laugh. When all of them talked, people from nearby offices would think there is a fight going on. We are a very loud family.

Times have changed though. The size of the family diminished with my cousins heading out to different places due to their marriage, studies, work, etc. The movie business diminished due to extreme risks. Gradually all the partners went their own ways into different fields. Although there are still the Diwali get together, it never is the same. The people are less, the snacks are done away with. Interaction between everyone has become insignificant. Relationships continue to survive, love hasn't.

(Don't) Horn Please !

A while back an American customer visited our company. It was his first visit to India. Needless to say, he was quite take aback with the traffic and all the horning. He was amazed that there were no accidents. I called it 'organized chaos'. Horning in India is so common that trucks insist we horn past them.

Last week I came across a news item on TV which showed a person from Delhi who didn't horn from years. This habit of his rubbed off on his near and dear. He commented that not horning made him more patient and calm. He said people reach the same place at almost the same time whether they horned or not. Then why get yourself all worked up. Relax ! Initially, I thought it is impossible not to horn while driving in Hyderabad. The traffic is so unruly. People almost take pride in breaking rules. Driving is quite a task in today's Hyderabad. It is a traumatic experience.

However, that two minute news piece keeps ringing in my head all the time when I drive these days. I am making a conscious effort to avoid horning each time I would have otherwise. My effort has been an instant success. I managed not to horn a single time yesterday. Definitely, the first time for me that a day went by without hitting the horn. I feel very calm and composed when I do not horn and get hypered up with all the chaos around. I feel much less stressed coz of this. I don't think India will become horn free in the foreseeable future but hope the volume gets lower and lower as time goes by.