Lighting Up the Night

It's that day of the year again when you can make noise, lots of noise, and your neighbours won't mind that much. Mainly because, it'll be drowned out by all the noise they are making. It's Diwali today, and for us Bengalis, it's Kali Pujo. The pandals are ready, the people will be really busy all day preparing for the pujo, which takes place late at night. Everyone will take a long afternoon nap to make sure they can stay awake till the wee hours of the morning. Lots of 'not so noisy' firecrackers have been bought(we have to adhere by the decibel limit u see :-p) and have been placed out in the sun to dry, and heat up. Those same firecrackers will be whizzing up above our heads in all directions from evening. There are some really spectacular ones which can be seen. The frequency decreases as the evening moves on, but the quality sure improves!



Three things make this festival my favourite. Firstly, it has to be the firecrackers. No firecrackers, no fun. Secondly, it is lighting the diyas(don't remember the English name) around the house, the terrace and the balcony especially. Makes for some lovely pictures as well. I'll try share them on this blog. And thirdly, it's the time I get to spend with friends and family.



Me and my friends follow the same routine every year, bursting crackers at my house, then moving the party to Duke's(my neighbour and close friend for more than ten years) house, and finally dinner at his place, followed by late night chats. There is a Kali pujo at his house which has been going on since as long as I can remember, and since well before that. So it's nice to be a part of the occasion.
Anyway, I gotta run now. Lots of work to do. I'll upload the pics soon hopefully. Have a great Diwali/Kali Pujo. Signing off...