Dynamite Diwali!!

Diwali, the festival of lights, and seriously the loudest of the loud, firecrackers galore! Not a distant echo from a far off field reverberating from an organized display but on the street, out of the front door, to celebrate good prevailing over evil and light over dark. Dawn breaking at 5.20 am along with the first of many bangs, booms, bursts, whooshes, whizzes and fizzes into the now lightening sky.


The fun actually started a few days ago when many of the houses in the 'hood were decorated with lights:

Even some of the Vista streets were prepared for party time, I know I really need to go on that night time photography course! Over the last few days there have been street parties and house parties all bursting with exuberance and goodwill -not to mention noise and food, going on into the early hours. With the party resuming at dawn, well actually before, as there are rituals to be performed before the first fireworks head skyward to greet the dawn, I tell you Indians have stamina!!

Huge temporary firework stalls have been appearing along the city streets getting busier and busier with folks buying literaly carts of firecrackers. Even now at 10.00am there is a steady rumble of firecracker pops. Its all very simple here, merely grab your fireworks, matches, walk onto the street and let rip!!

Regardless of the mythological explanation one prefers and there are a few, what the festival of lights seems to stand for today is a reaffirmation of hope, a renewed commitment to friendship and goodwill and a religiously sanctioned celebration of the simple - and not so simple joys of life.


At the more peaceful end, the little Diwalli lamps, Diyas, I saw being made at pottery town some months ago, are lit, placed both outside and around everyones houses, gifts are exchanged, new clothes bought and worn, friends and relatives visited.....

The festival goes on for at least another day but we are off on the overnight bus to Goa - now therein lies a blog!!