The Circle Of Lights And Darkness
I walk outside
my flat, taking in the lights displayed on the window of my home. Tomorrow they
will be taken down.
Tomorrow,
life will resume its usual hustle-bustle after a brief festive respite. After three
days of the sounds of firecrackers bursting, the sudden silence feels strange. The
occasional firecracker bursts every now and then, a reminder that somewhere,
someone is sending off Diwali in style.
Diwali has always
been my favorite festival. I love its grandeur and opulence.
Most of
all, I love it for the lights.
Come October,
and the days suddenly turn shorter, with the sun setting as early as 5.30 in
the evening and dusk arriving by 6. While I love winter and the cozy comfort it
brings in its wake, I dread the dark days. Light is essential for me. As someone
who sleeps at night with the lights on in the room, the early and dark evenings
of winter aren’t exactly welcome.
To add to
it, the apartment where I live is the last building on a street with a
dead-end. Also, the colony where I live comes under green housing and has minimal
lighting. As if by a conspiracy of the Universe which knows my aversion to
darkness, the solitary streetlight in front of my apartment never works. So, my
end of the street is usually dark.
While preparing dinner, I often gaze out and soak in the brightness that these lights bring into an otherwise dark street.
For a brief
period, I do not have to dread the dark evenings of winter.
Probably this
is the reason why the end of Diwali always makes me emotional.
But then I console
myself that the lights will be out next year too. Summer will follow the dark
days of winter. Morning will always follow night, and the circle of light and
darkness will keep moving, and I have to move with it.
In the
meanwhile, I gaze at the lights and soak in their brilliance, to remember in
the dark evenings that winter promises ahead.
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