BEHINDWOODS CELEBRITY COLUMN

Diwali is here and one can smell the excitement in the air. Office bonuses have been credited, entrepreneurs are seeing their business soaring in the festive fever, homemakers are actively involved in making their signature sweets &savouries for distributing to relatives / neighbours, houses are being refurbished and decorated to welcome guests, gift boxes and dry fruit boxes are being exchanged every other day, friends are making plans for bursting crackers by pooling all their quota together, children are seen having fun with their ‘dummy thuppaakki’ and ‘oosivedi’, pet lovers are preparing their four legged inhabitants to brave the noise and protect them indoors, the mithai shops are witnessing their sweet boxes vanish by the minute, last minute shopping for that special saree or kurta, frantic calls to known contacts to get tickets for new movie releases, packed dinner reservations over the weekend at restaurants and the entire country is celebrating a festival that marks the triumph of good over evil.

The spirit is contagious and you can’t escape the festive fervor irrespective of the area or city you’re residing in. Word is out that even unmarried folks are celebrating their ‘Thala Deepavali’ this year but with actor Ajith’s‘Aarambam’ of course. And ‘Krissh 3’ is what Bollywood is offering with some aggressive merchandise marketing to actively engage the audience. Media houses have organized for special premieres, television channels have lined up a slew of programs roping in celebrities, showing mega hit movies and treating the audience with special Diwali release interviews. It’s all there. It’s everywhere.

Those employed in the city with families elsewhere have booked their travel tickets well in advance to spend time with loved ones in their hometown. In case that drive back home from wherever you are during the day is taking longer than usual, it’s because everyone’s out on the street shopping somewhere, parking somewhere, reaching somewhere or got to be somewhere. It’s also one of the best times of the year to get some amazing offers on jewellery, electronics and consumer durables. Festival of lights, as it’s aptly called, has illuminated the entire place with hanging garlands of electric lights, bright neon boards, traditional diyas besides the bright smiles flashed by one and all. Reminds me of the song that lyricist Pulamaipithan fittingly penned the words ‘Naan sirithaal deepavali’ in ‘Nayagan’.

Our festivals are celebrated in full gusto in memory of a traditional belief or invoking a certain superpower as per the religion you follow or in remembrance of an achievement that is believed to have happened long before we existed. That is however only the ‘reason’ to mark the festival but the ‘purpose’ of celebration, I believe, goes beyond the reason. It’s the difference between ‘kaaraNam’ and ‘artham’ as we say in Tamizh. The purpose of such festivals is to bring people together. To make us forget our anxieties. To start a new venture.To appreciate your employee’s efforts with incentives.To give whatever we can. To forgive and move on.To share our happiness. To connect with those we hardly stay in touch with amidst our busy lives. To wish well for one another.To have a sense of belonging.To take time out for family. To bond over a meal or movie with all those who matter to you. To take a break from our hectic schedule.To express your love by way of buying something or making or baking something special. To smile. To laugh. To care. To enjoy. To live life the way it is meant to be.

So here’s raising a toast to all such wonderful moments and people that bring happiness and meaning to our lives as we celebrate a responsible, safe and purposeful Diwali yet another year. To joy. To love. To purpose. To life. Cheers. Or in our more desi style as we light those traditional mannviLakku, iniya deepaavaLi nalvaazhthukkaL.