Arts Thread

This illustration represents what Diwali means to me. Diwali, a festival of lights, is something that is celebrated in almost every Indian household. And how each family celebrates Diwali is very different from others. But the cliche of Diwali is the lights, fireworks, puja, sweets and rangoli. Some families do it in a very extravagant style, some in a simple and sophisticated way. But for some, Diwali means their family coming together for this one special occasion. I've been doing my degree away from home in a completely different environment, yet Diwali is the one thing I've always managed to come home and celebrate it with family. And Diwali for us is the simple and sophisticated way of a quick puja and hawan, a couple of rangolis, a bit of sweets and small crackers. Something that most people miss out about Diwali in a North-Indian family is the intense cleaning of the house beginning a few days before the festival. And when actually help with it, Diwali isn't just fun-and-games anymore. So when the cleaning is finally done, you just want some rest. And hence, the quick-version of Diwali usuals in my home. And when everything is finally done, the best part about the special day is watching fireworks in the deep dark blue sky. And that's a special moment Diwali brings for me.