Some thoughts to ponder upon....

Last Sunday, we celebrated Karthigai Deepam and I was sitting in the terrace and reading a book. Suddenly I could see some kids in the other flat waiting alone to burst fireworks. I remembered my childhood days. I remembered those festival days and occasions. I remembered how things have changed within two decades.

Let me take an example. When I was a small kid, Diwali used to be celebrated wonderfully. Just a day before Diwali, my cousins would come together with their set of fire crackers. I still remember the ladies in the house sitting together and making sweets and the gentlemen talking about the recent politics and looking after us. I still remember my grandfather coming out and helping us while we burst crackers. On the day of Diwali, we used to rise up early in the morning and take oil bath. We used to compete who takes bath first and puts on new clothes. After everyone takes bath, the way my grandpa and grandma does pooja to God. We would look at the sweets offered to the God, and would desperately wait for my grandma’s signal to take the sweets. Once we get the signal, we taste all the sweets and our grandpa would come out with his set of crackers he bought for us. We would rush out and start bursting them till lunch. We would come running into the kitchen when the ladies start doing Vada to listen to the sound that the oil makes when the dough is put in. The aroma of Sakkara pongal and vada will make us hungrier. Then there would be a sumptuous lunch with variety rice and appalam and more kozhambu. After a heavy lunch, the elders would retire to take a nap while we go and burst the next set of crackers. It would be 4 pm when we complete the fire-crackers. We used to assemble in our hall, where my mother would give drinks to all of us. We then have some snacks and would roam around the house happily. Once it is dark, we would light some flower pots and rockets. Those days still remain green in my heart.

But look now, the scene has changed. We spend our festivals staring at the idiot box and would listen to some actress/actor on their recent attempt on corrupting people’s mind. People have forgotten the real value of festivals. I remember last year Gandhi Jayanthi, when one of the channel interviewed an actress who told that Gandhiji was born in Porbandar which is in Mumbai. She was also asked about what message she would give to viewers on Gandhiji jayanthi. She told them to watch her movie (which by the way doesn’t even relate to Gandhiji and his principle) and enjoy the holiday.

We don’t even visit our grandparents/parents on that day since we are being chained by the idiot box. We don’t even try to gather our family at least for that day and enjoy the holiday. The reason is our ego and a fear that it would start a drift in a family if more than 5 people join together. We are too modern and western for this because we have priorities and we are busy with our work life. We work to live happily and we keep denying these happy moment just because we can’t take a day – off from work to spend with the family that brought you up and those whom you call your kith and kin.

We are working in an IT company earning in lakhs and well off. Still, we don’t find the happiness that a small kid feels when he sees its flower pot lighting up brightly. We don’t find the happiness in tasting the sweets that we bought from top sweet shop in the city. But a poor kid is happy with the sweets which were prepared by its family even though it is not enough for all.

Family Values is one of the strengths that we Indians have and it is the one which the westerners envy about.Indians are known for their family values and for the concept of inclusive growth. Indian family set up has been existent for generations and has proved successful in developing a society which inculcated high thinking. Let’s not lose it in this globalized world since this would be a feature that would identify us in the crowd of human kind.