Tuesday 13 November 2012

Has diwali lost its charm

Political parties holding food fares offering subsidised faral, famous marathi food stores running out of faral as soon as it is kept on the stands. Locals taking orders to make faral. Where are we heading to in Mumbai. The entire Diwali being outsourced it will be soon that people will even outsource lighting of lamps outside their houses and bringing torans for their doors. The Diwali that i have grown up seeing has changed, then it was a family or building function but now it is more about showing or making it show that you care about your extended family. The advertorials also preach about meeting those whom you haven't meet or called even once a year.
In my childhood my neighbours all mahrashtrians (In my bandra building there are only two muslim families), pre-diwali days the air would be filled with aromas of faral being made in the neighbours houses. Then the women would do the entire household stuff and also be able to finish the faral cooking. Since my building has around 20 houses each houses used to make faral for at least 30 houses, as it is by tradition that first faral has to be distributed among neighbours.
When we were children the boys used to make kandeels for the entire building for a minimal cost add profit of Rs 5 or Rs 10 to it which was our diwali and money earned went into buying fire crackers. Now the kandeel making has gone but its more convenient to outsource it.
Old days on diwali day all friends would meet up at a common place and greet each other and discuss clothes, shoes and fire crackers and who would be bursting the big laddi. Now msgs on whats app and BBM rule the market. Have people lost connect with the festival or are people lazy to meet people living next door but want to connect with people staying in the US and UK by exporting them faral at double the cost which is a new emerging business.
   

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