Can you hear the sounds of Diwali !!

And Diwali is finally here...

There's something in the air..a feeling of expectancy..a certain restlessness..which begins post Dusharra and continues right until one hears the sound of a cracker..the sizzle of a phuljhari..the boom of a sutli..the fizz of a anaar...the takeoff of the rocket..and the seeti of a seeti ;) ..

And so conditioned we are to the sounds of the festival...that the precursor sounds make us react a certain way..
a boom hrd in great distance willl make u look up expectantly for the fireworks....an burst of such absolute bright colours which will never fail to uplift your heart.. .
a burring sound close to your feet will make u take a step back..ever careful of the zipping zameen chakri
a slight sparky sound will make even the brave hearted cringe in expectation of the deadly sutli..!!!

And  through the windows of a million Indian homes..you hear the other Diwali sounds....the kitchen kadhai sizzling away waiting for gujiyas to be fried..the cluttered sounds of utensils..the giggles of the girls  busy making rangoli...the men loudly "telling' the ladies to get ready for the puja..the rustling sounds of sarees when rushing around for the samagri...voices raised in prayers to the Goddess of Wealth..and the lighting of the diyas!!! The wait is finally over ..its time for the fireworks to begin..

Diwali is a festival of lights...a mostly visual affair....but as I sit in my room ...thousands of kms away from home...these sounds fill my heart with a certain joy...away from the festivities,yet smack in the scheme of things...a crackle here a sizzle there..and I smile at each sound as  I try to seperate the 'successful' cracker-bombs from the ones that will disappointingly fizzle out of steam  :)

For all of you reading this..

Step out .....look up...and watch the sky light up .....Just for You !

Happy Diwali !!!

For the uninitiated:

1.phuljhari : a sort of wire based fire cracker which lights up with a sparkly effect...generally used by kids n girls n other fainthearted people
2.sutli : A deadly fire-cracker which bursts with a loud blast..ear ringing stuff !
3.anaar :  a visual fire cracker which gives off large colourful sparks , sometimes in different colours..sometimes it bursts!!
4.rocket :  a miniature firework which when lit flies into the sky...pretty much like the NASA variety!
5.seeti : a whistling ,zipping , bursty fire-cracker with a mind of its own...no kiddin!!!
6.zameen chakri : a rotating,revolving firecracker giving out beams of sparks..
7.kadhai :  a kitchen utensil used to deep fry eatables..
8.rangoli : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangoli ..Cant explain it any better than this !