DARK Diwali

This Diwali, I did not celebrate the festival of lights as my father had expired just a few months back. All houses were decorated with vibrant lights, attractive rangoli and colourful hangings. They were filled with sounds of laughter and enjoyment. It was only my house, which was DARK. Seeing others houses illuminating and mine in darkness I recalled an incidence that my maternal grandfather shared with me, “When I was five years old, my father died on Diwali night. We didn’t celebrated Diwali for forty years. All houses were illuminated except ours. Every house had beautiful lights, eye-catching decorations and enjoyable celebrations apart from ours. As a child it was painful to accept that darkness, sadness and loneliness. Amidst financial problems we faced because of sudden death of my father, the most disturbing was not to celebrate the festival of lights for years and years. It is a custom if somebody dies on Diwali then Diwali is not celebrated in the family until somebody is born in the family. After forty years my niece was born. All the neighbours came and coaxed us to celebrate Diwali as Godess Lakhmi had appeared herself. Thereafter, we started celebrating Diwali.”

When he was on his deathbed, he used to pray, “O God! I do not want to die on Diwali. I do not want to spoil the festival of my family. Please select some other day for me to leave this body.” And God listened to him. 

I thought that only this year I didn’t celebrate Diwali but he didn’t celebrate Diwali for forty years though the reason was the same - death of father.