Home is where Diwali is...

Crackers, sweets, gifts, delicacies and meeting relatives, defined the festival of Diwali for me as a child. Buying crackers with my parents was the most exciting part about this festival of lights. The 100 year old abode would get lit up a week before the celebration day, making it a treat for the eyes.

The million dollar question every year would be, which sweets or gifts were to be exchanged with friends and family. My mother would always try to make her choice of gift stand out from the commoners like Motichoor Laddoos, Kaju Katli or Ras Malai. Each one better than the other. Mother often went to great lengths to ensure that we were not doing the cliche`d sweets. One time, we even sent out home made lime pickle. And boy! what a hit it was?! The dining table would be full of new gifts the entire Diwali week. It was purely delightful for my grandmother who takes pride in having the family sweet-tooth title.

I loved to explore my creative side during Diwali time. I painted beautiful peacock Rangolis at the entrance and special Alpanas at the doorway of every room. My sister accompanied me in some of these. The more fun part was lighting up the rangolis with candles and diyas. Every room, every corner, every spot in the house would be eager and lit up to welcome the divine Goddess Lakshmi.

There was something so mesmerizing about each ritual that was practiced during Diwali season that as a kid, I never foresaw a time,  when I would be blogging about this magnificent festival sitting thousands of miles away from home.

College sent me and sis away from home, and each year, this time would bring back all the memories and a great deal of nostalgia in our hearts. We would often celebrate the festival at a relative's and pretend like everything was fine and that it's the best we could manage in the given circumstances. What we never realized until later is that there is nothing quite like GharWaliDiwali. And that nothing really compares to the warmth and festive spirit that one feels while celebrating Diwali at home.

Today as I sit typing about my experience from across the seven seas, I know the vacuum that fills my heart. I am in a strange city with a bunch of Indians who will try to recreate the surroundings much like what is in India on Diwali and make an attempt to feel close to the loved ones and relive the moments that form a sweet part of every Indian childhood.

To all those who cringe at the thought of boring relatives and painful formalities during festivals, I would say, "You are lucky. Accept your good fortune and celebrate with the most important people in your life-your parents."

[IMAGE SOURCE: Personal Camera]

Mid night poetry

When you try to hear deep
It goes further away
Down to the seamless bed of sea

You search, meditate and introspect
It goes further away from you
You wonder if you left anything unchecked

One fine day you find yourself weep
Watching a character too familiar
Or a recollecting a childhood habit

You then realize it was your inner voice that you were looking for
It had stopped speaking to you

You blame peers pressure
You blame your surroundings

In the end you only feel guilty and weak
For all the times that you succumbed to pressure
For all the times you couldn't keep your true self alive
Was it to please the society or a part of your heart
You'll never know

Home is where the heart is :)

Living in a property that's older than a century, is a unique experience in itself. My childhood was spent in one such abode that proudly stood in the heart of the oldest city in the world, resonating with the age old family lineage.

I always took pride in being a descendant of one of the most prominent families of the Varanasi city. After 18 formative years of my life being spent here, I moved to Bangalore for higher education.

Today, after 4 years of college, job and city life exposure, when I returned to Varanasi, things had changed. Changed for good and for the better.

My father, got residential and commercial buildings constructed on the very land where i spent my childhood. We have now moved in one of the newly constructed apartments that is basically sprawling and simply gorgeous.

The drastic metamorphosis from the archaic architecture to a new and organized apartment-is perhaps my Muse for writing today.

The new house is beautifully done up by my mother's genius sense if interior designing but there is certainly a painful novelty in the atmosphere here. The breeze on 12 th floor is cool and nothing beats the view, but perhaps now I value and miss the charm of old and creaky doors, permanently dampened walls and unplanned architecture.

The whole experience was challenging for my parents and grand mother but they adapted to it happily as they craved a break from living in the shabby old home.
I adore the new settings but as I said, the novelty is so profound that it's difficult for me to accept it as my own. A few more days and perhaps I'll love being here.

Shar Diaries 5.0

Le Convocation

The day had finally dawned. Hours of travel over the Atlantic Ocean had paid off. There was excitement in the air as much as pride. I was thrilled to see my elder sis take on the world in the black gown that held all her wisdom.

The ceremony commenced with a band blowing trumpets, most of them in their second innings of life. It was mesmerizing to see the pepper-grey haired generation play the background score of the popular game series Game of Thrones and a rock number such as Shipping out to Boston. The entire hall had a beautiful ambience to it, which cheered the Class of 2014 as they entered the hall in a chirpy procession.

The key note speaker delivered an impressive speech talking volumes of the University and the opportunities it has to offer. It made me feel proq of my sister more than ever.

She walked up on the stage with her head held high and convinction. It gave me immense pleasure to pose next to the new Virginia University graduate.

Shar Diaries US 3.0

After hours of in-flight time, sumptuous meals, mildly-friendly stewards and back-to-back movies, we finally landed at Washington Dulles Airport.

We were greeted with serpentine queues at the customs clearance portal. The icing on the cake was the first face of America - the rude customs officer. She not only interrogated our intentions for visiting the first world nation but also took us for a ride with our geography.

With a sleep deprived mood, I some how managed to not lose it on my folks. Even the slight hiccup at the currency exchange counter didn't discourage me.

Mom n Dad were exceptionally quiet during the shuttle ride to the hotel. I was happy to express my first emotions and observations whilst arriving in the USA.

I had never seen so many colored people at a time. At the cost of being racist, I admit that I was happy to see the peaceful co-existence of so many nationalities. Not only the tourists, the staff all over the place portray a gorgeous melting pot scenario. I also got a peek at the Pentagon building - it definitely is the largest on the planet with regard to area covered.

To top it all, my Indian Dad bonded with the Pakistani receptionist at the hotel, who guided us regarding our tourist interests in the city.

As of now I'm happy to be here with my family, awaiting my sister's graduation ceremony.

Next Destination: Richmond, VA

Shar Diaries US 2.0

05:55 AM
The Austrian Airlines aircraft dropped my folks and me at Vienna, as promised and paid for. I woke up from a drowsy mind to a beautiful morning.
Mom said she couldn't sleep coz of sheer excitement, while I enjoyed sound sleep, thanks to the comforts of business class flying.

The airport and the weather didn't seem out of the ordinary. I was pretty much expecting the same from Vienna, that I do from airports in general.

As Dad suggested, we headed to the Austrian Airlines Lounge to kill the time in transit. The Lounge is spacious and comfortable, housing a variety of furniture, placed carefully around the buffet meal.

Mom was craving the stores around the lounge as I tried to get INR exchanged. Dad is peacefully asleep now and I'm enjoying writing.

Next stop: Washington Dulles

Adios Amigos

Shar Diaries US 1.0

Days of preparation and planning finally brought me a step closer to my dream-trip to the States. I'm full of excitement and joy as I Mount the vehicle in transit. Someone special showed up at my door last minute, delaying my packing process and leaving me panicked half an hour before my time of departure.
With a flustered mind and self-criticism for my poor time management habits, I finally made it to the cab in time, saying a last minute good bye to my sweet cousin next door.

As I was leaving, my friends were surprised as to why the excitement didn't show on my face. Why wasn't I jumping with happiness with the thought of the developed country that no one likes to return from. I asked myself the same... I realized, I have been a little closed to my emotions - a shield we all put on while living in the big city alone. But now, it's time to change! It's time for real fun and lots of frolic. Seeing new and beautiful places was never more charming than it is, after serving at a company for 9 long months at a stretch. I'm happy. Excited. And. Ready for the US of A :P
More updates coming up shortly.
Next stop: New Delhi