Diwali Of The Underdog

I don't know how many times did I type "Happy Diwali" in last two days.  I am wondering what was so happy about diwali? I know i sound very very selfish and negative here. 

While I was dressed up in my anarkali kurta and chudidar, all braced with jhumkis and bangles, walking cautiously in my heels holding my sleek clutch in one hand and a gift wrapped in shiny gift paper, I passed by the press-wali(see meaning below) stationed underneath the staircase of the multi storey flat where our family friend lived.  I had the same thoughts in my mind - What is so happy about Diwali and Diwali gifting?  The eagerness and efficiency with which the middle aged press-wali clad in her simple, unstarched cotton Saree, was ironing the clothes of her clients made me feel so shallow. I was fortunate to be wearing one such dress and not the one ironing it for someone else to shine brightly in the well creased dress done by me.

I lowered my head, thanked God for that for his graciousness that He has bestowed on me and my family.

Back home, when I lighted a diya and a candle outside my home before doing puja performed by my Mother in law, I saw a bunch of rag picker boys. I was surprised to see one of the boys lustily looking at the burning candle.  Confused,  I asked him whether he wanted to steal the candle.  A bright light shone in his eyes and he smiled sheepishly on my question. Seeing a strict look in my eyes, he backed off, but then shot a question on my, to which the only way I could have reacted was a dropped jaw - "aaj Diwali hai?" he asked, meaning "Is it Diwali today?" 

Needless to say that i felt a great pity on the boy who does not even know about the one of the biggest festivals of India.  He added quickly that since he does not have new clothes so he does not know.  Then, I realized,  he was just making a fool out of me. Phew! it's so easy to fool me.  The boy was soon joined by his friends, and they had around 5 or 6 packets of correcting fluids and thinners in their hands. 

Rag- pickers and correcting fluid is one mismatch.  But, I was not surprised.  These young boys like many rag pickers, beggars etc. use them like drugs, to get a high, as an intoxicating agent may be.  They spend their hard earned money in buying stuff to please them for a few hours.  It was Diwali for them, to be able to buy so many bottles at one go.  The bunch of small boys, all dirty and stinking, jumped like monkeys, with their pockets stuffed with red and white packets, and they vanished in a by lane, probably to enjoy their Diwali.

I didn't know should I be happy for them or sad for them.  I don't know....

All I know the boys will be back the next morning, looking for unexploded crackers, match boxes, empty cartons etc on the roads.  They will be equipped with some tool to scrape off the melted wax of candles of Diwali night outside the houses.  I'm sure they would catch hold of some leftover sweet box somewhere on some corner of the colony.

I'm sure about that....

Anyways Happy Diwali guys..... 

RESTLESS

Press-wali - In many Indian cities, some people create small stalls (basically a wooden table and a coal iron) in the lanes and by-lanes of colonies and iron people's clothes for money.  They are commonly known as press wali or press wala.

Why Do Men Like Patakhaas - Fire Crackers And Hot Chics??!!!

I was thinking to name this post as "Why do you like the noise of Patakhaas (fire crackers)?"  But, I am made to change my mind..... no, I don't want it to make it so generic.  Gender generic, I would say.  While, I was writing down my points for the post in my writing pad (yes, mostly I write on a piece of paper with a collected mind, before typing it out!), I came to some strange ... ehm.... well... conclusions!  Men like Patakhas - both the fire crackers and the hot chics!

OK, to start with, Have you ever seen girls or women bursting crackers ?... those loud sounding explosive stuff, I mean? I am sure, No.  Just in my last post, a co-blogger Nethra commented how she dislikes crackers part of Diwali.  Even I was always very scared of fire crackers as a kid, and later on began to dislike that loud, deafening sound of such high decibels, that you instantaneously cover your ears with hands, close your eyes tight and run to a corner.  I began to find it disgusting gradually, as I would see groups of young boys taking pride in the aftermath of thick smoke, scattered pieces of paper all over the roads and many pairs of angry eyes and a few smirking faces around them.  Yes, they would be jubilant after burning them, especially after burning a series of crackers tied together. It was a macho act for them. 

I used to wonder, what makes them so happy and proud? Do they not know that Diwali crackers makes the life of elderly people, small children, infants and pets so so miserable?  Elderly can not take rest. Small children are to be protected by the parents all the time from going any closer to such places, as their reflexes are not so quick to run away.  Infants, oh dear, you have to see how a newly born to six months old baby reacts to the blast, even at a far away place, with such a scared rather shocked way, even when he is asleep.  Therefore, mothers are advised to put a little cotton wool in the ears of babies to minimise the exposure to the noise. And, those who have pets know it, And that how pet dogs have to be kept in some closed kind of a room to save them from the human celebration effect.  Also, people suffering from breathing trouble experience great difficulty during this time, due to smoke.

Are these reasons not enough to decide for a person to avoid fire crackers? I wonder.

Coming back to the gender connection to bursting crackers. Does only the social conditioning and upbringing make males so aggressive or is it the physiology and genes too?

I was discussing with somebody as to what could be the reason that mostly boys do it.... the answer was, to seek attention!  Men, I won't say have to keep on trying to get attention, but surely have competition more than women have.  Blame it on the demography of a developing country or the genetic make up that makes the male of the homo sapiens are always eager to pass on  the genetic material with zeal. (Survival for the fittest?) 

By the time, I was writing this article, news about two such scientific researches/studies have come up, which suggest that aggressiveness promiscuousness has been more in the males right from the time they were cavemen, rather more at that time than to this stage of evolution. 

The researches, I would say Science, is beginning to shed light on the genetic or hormonal reasons behind the desire of men for mating more and more women. (On the lighter side, I feel the researcher must be a man!)

Another finding which connects the sexual aggressiveness of cavemen with the size of their finger brings the same point home again. High levels of the testosterone hormones increase the length of the ring finger in comparison to the index finger, resulting in a low index- to ring-finger ratio. A study of fossilised remains suggests that our ancient ancestors had far higher levels of the male sex hormone testosterone than people living today, thereby making them more aggressive and promiscuous.

Well, whatever is the outcome of these studies, one thing can be said with utmost conviction that men really like Patakhas - the fire crackers as well as the hot chics alike!

So guys, stay from the fire variety this Diwali and every Diwali!

On a serious note, within last few years, the initiative taken by Delhi Govt and Delhi schools, children have been made aware of the harm caused by the fire crackers and "Say No To Crackers" slogan has begun to show results as kids are spreading this message around and avoiding crackers to a great extent.  This is a wonderful change.  Let's all of us do our bit to avoid noise and air pollution.  Also, think about those many little hands which are forced to work in factories which make these crackers.  You are not giving them employment, you are giving them a curse to continue being an illeterate worker, who will one day burn their hands for you.

Have a beautiful Diwali dear reader!

RESTLESS :)


images: courtesy google images


PS: Changed post title later

Diwali Cleaning and Decorating- Simple Fundas

Are you wondering from where to start cleaning your home, as Diwali is just around the corner??  Don't fret.  Here are a few steps and tips for the hassled and working people to organize and decorate their sweet homes in a jiffy and on a low budget.

SIMPLIFYING CLEANING  WITH THESE STEPS:

DE CLUTTER -  Identify old, chipped or cracked show pieces, vases etc from your living room and just dump them.  Check your kitchen for those empty soft drink bottles, jam jars, plastic take-away boxes. Clear your bathroom of those almost finished shampoo and conditioner bottles and other unusable things.

Take a quick look at your wardrobe.  Take out a few pair of old dresses, faded T-shirts, trousers which don't fit anymore, old and worn out shoes or slippers and put everything in a plastic bag.  Give it away to the first person you meet who needs it, may be your maid servant or guard or some other helping hand.

Now when you have managed to get rid of unwanted things lying around in the house, it's time to reorganize the existing one's.

ORGANIZE AND REARRANGE THE FURNITURE - The key to a clean home is that there should be fixed places to keep everything.  So much so, that you can tell without seeing what article would be found where.  If you haven't done that, try to make place for things in a logical way.

A room can be made to look appealing to the occupants by re-arranging the pieces of furniture, rugs, even wall hangings and paintings.  For example, if you were keeping the sofas or chairs far away from the centre table, try to make a close sitting arrangement, placing side tables symmetrically. (I think, while buying sofa sets, tables etc, this idea of flexibility should be kept in mind, as fixed heavy and large pieces become very boring later).  So, get creative and change the setting of the room.

CLEAN, DUST OFF, WIPE :  Now, when things have take their place, clean up things. If you have time, cover the furniture with an old bed sheet and dust off the roof, walls and behind the curtains.  If you don't have time, use a dry duster to do quick dusting, followed by wiping glass surfaces some product like Colin. Brass and Silver articles will need extra effort to clean.  Of course, lastly, do or get done a thorough sweeping and swabbing on the floor.



Give your home a traditional touch with these things:

•  Tie a Bandhanwar or Toran (a door garland) at the entrance door of the house, it immediately gives that festival feel to the house. You will get these made of artificial flowers with mirror work etc, in different price range.

Bandhanwar

• Rangoli - Now a days, we get small bottles of different coloured rangolies (dried powder) and with that you get a stencil too, so you don't really have to be creative to make one. I got a pack of four rangoli colours for about Rs 60/-, which is quite cheap.  Will be trying my hand on it this time.  The way to sprinkle it is, that u take a pinch at a time pour slightly on a design made by chalk first. Do try!

Here is a design for rangoli making

•  Diyas and Candles -  There are a variety of diyas and candles available in the market.  But if possible do buy them from a charitable organisation, where the returns go to the needy or the articles are prepared by the underprivileged.  You can go to Blind school, next to Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi, where a huge Diwali Mela takes places every year.  You get beautiful candles, hand made paper items and Ganesha Laxmi idols made by the visually challenged students there.

My Diwali decorations of last year!

Tip: You can avoid the expense of wax diyas, simply buy plain clay diyas, a small bottle of mustard oil and a packet of wicks (batti).  There is nothing more beautiful on a Diwali night than the sight of  twinkling flames of diyas, it does not matter are they simple ones or designer ones.

Place the diyas on the exterior of the house, on stair case and corner of the rooms. Floating diyas in a glass bowl with some rose petals sprinkled does wonder to lift up the ambiance of the room.

• Flowers - You can bring life to the room by putting just two or four bright coloured flowers in a vase.  Try it, you really don't need to buy a big bunch or a bouquet. While buying flower buds, you can always ask the florist for some rose petals to use like this picture below:

Just a glass plate, a diya, and yellow and red rose petals
(again my pic!)

• Fragrance - Light up one or two incense sticks for that traditional feel.  Keep them in a corner, close to a window or door.

The expense for these six decoration tips won't be more than Rs 500/-.  So make sure you dress up your sweet home with colours, lights, flowers and fragrance this Diwali.

I think instead of spending money on fire crackers, we should try to create a clean and safe home.  I am going to write a post on "crackers" and why do men love it?! Does it sound sexist? May be it is! So do read the next post too!

Have a beautiful Diwali!

RESTLESS  :)

First two pics at diwali-celebrations.blogspot.com

Defending Raavana

Almost an year back, I wrote about Raavana, when there was absolutely no furore in the media about seeing Raavan's point of view.  It was Dussehra and my heart ached to see the plight of three effigies of demons, who were burnt merciless by a jubilant crowd.  Then I wrote "Raavana Is In My Soul" in my blog.

Today, after the Mani Ratnam movie 'Raavan' is the talk of the town, suddenly the guy is in limelight!  Today, articles are being written and so many books have surfaced which were written about him.

It is quite interesting to know that the grandfather of Raavan wanted a child who had the intellect of a Brahmin and the might of an 'asura' (demon), so he married off his son "Vishrava" to a demon woman, and there began the sprouting of two extreme characters in one human being (or asura?).  Raavan, the young boy was taught 'Vedas' on one hand and on the other hand was taught to hone his destructive skills.

Rest what happened is known to all.

Whenever I read about him that he was a scholar, worshipper, scientist, musician, a wise and kind leader, it kind of... makes me feel very bad about him, the way we had been seeing him getting burned each year right from our childhood, does not really justify our hatred towards the demon king.

Let me tell you here that among Mahayan Buddhists, Raavan is seen as a benign  and wise king who attained enlightened through teachings of the Buddha !!

OK, alright, yes he abducted another man's wife but did not force himself.  He fought a fair war for what he thought was right in his eyes.  After all women were used for political reasons like commodities (defeated kings offering their daughters for marriage to the winner etc).  Also, I fail to understand why Laxman is in no one's bad books for slashing the nose of a (demon) young girl, who showed interest in him ?!!  When women could be won, or lost , or earned, or whatever then why, in that era, such hue and cry for stealing a woman ?  From that point of view, what should be the punishment for raping one's own daughter ? Should THEIR effigies not burnt then?  Raavan, still, had the courage to fight, actually fight a war for that woman (how flattering is that now !!!)

Anyways, many won't agree with what I feel.  

You know why I am defending Raavan ? Because there is a Raavan in all of us.... each one of us..... its power, its money, its authority which has the capability to unleash that Raavan in us.  I am not saying we should give in to it. But, we should be able to see the man and his evil separately.  Treat the man and his evil separately.  Have consideration for the good deeds he did and the good qualities he possessed and dislike that one socially and morally bad.

I think we should rethink about our stand on Raavana.  Meanwhile, I will say again "Raavana is in my soul"!

RESTLESS

Ravana Is In My Soul

Its Dussehra or call it Vijaya Dashmi. The same story is going to repeat itself once again this year too. I had been reading it since my school days.... Burai par Achchai ki jeet ka tyohaar... ..victory of goodness over evil.

The jubilant crowds gathering at local parks to watch the three brothers go up in flames, the same burning of effigies and lots of fireworks. The fatal arrow aimed towards Ravana will burst him to pieces, yet another time.

This time, i am sad. I am sad for Ravana. I am not a learned person, just have the same knowledge of Ramayana, as anyone who grew up reading it as a text book in school, and watching the very famous serial of Ramanand Sagar, 'The Ramayana' on TV. That's all i know, that's all i understand of Rama and Ravana.

Although, while going through articles on internet, just before writing this i read many stories. One said, Sita was his daughter in some way. another said, why he didn't force himself on Sita, because, he had a curse that if he will force himself on any woman, then his ten heads would fall off.All in all he was a learned person, who was aggressive and his biggest mistake was that this time, he fell for Sita.

But, still am feeling bad for him today. Not much for his brother Kumbhkarna and son Meghnaada, as they gave up their lives for their brother, their king and their State. But Ravana, what was his fault really? Eying another man's wife? that's it? Then in that case there is a Ravana in each one of us, whether we admit or not.

Now, u will say, he abducted another man's wife, well yes, that was his fault. But then, look at the character that he possessed. He didnot even touch Sita. While Sita sat in the Vatika with all her pride and vanity, Ravana respected her, and pronounced that he could wait. A woman in her kidnapper lover's home, yet safe from him. I know, i have made it sound very crass, but well that's what it was.

On the other hand, Rama did not trust his wife, we all know it. She was put through a kind of 'Sach Ka Samna'!! Yet, Sita had the heart to love and keep loving the man who distrusted her, and that too publicly. While Ravana could destroy everything and give up his life for the passion of a woman, Rama had a different set of priorities. The honour, the prestige, the respect in the eyes of his fellowmen and women was greater, much much greater than his love for his wife. And Sita was shown the door. Rest we all know.

Coming to the present times now, the common man of today, harbors both a Rama and a Ravana in his soul. Rama, not because he is so virtuous, but because even today the family honour is greater than his love. For an average man, even today the opinion of his fellow beings, the so called 'society', still has more weightage. Lets accept it, there is a Ravana in all of us, as passion sees no boundaries, love doesnot check the marital status before it knocks your door and desire doesn't know the meaning of morality. The degree, the grade, the potency may differ, but still there is a little bit of Ravana in each one of us, howsoever, socially moral our conduct may be.

Still, Ravana will be burnt again, this year too. Now I wonder, he is being punished for having a desire like that and confusing it with love, or for the abduction of another man's wife, or for fighting for a woman or for fighting with an Avatar of God? Whatever the reason is. I feel, if only Ravana understood what love was, and that it can never be gained through force, there would not have been a War like that. And if, we in our moments of silence would have realized that, there lives a Ravana in us, then at least we would feel some mercy of those effigies erected each year to be blasted into pieces.

Its easier said than done, but still, i want to finish it like this, that may we have the power to blast off that Ravana from our hearts!