HAPPY DIWALI: MY WAY OF CELEBRATING
A couple of decade ago, when I used to be a kid, hearing about the word DIWALI , there used to be some kind of exhilaration and the environment used to be totally different from what I see today. I still can't get off of my eyes the image of those days when every house's doors in our village were covered with SAYAPATRI PHOOL ( सयपत्री फूल ) , GODAVARI PHOOL ( गोदावरी फूल ) and MAKHAMALI PHOOL ( मखमली फूल ). The gleam of diya also known as पाला kept above cow dung ( गाईको गोबर) still sparkles before my eyes. The mesmerizing chant of Deusi ( देउसी ) and Bhailo ( भईलो ) still echoes in my ears. What a time it used to be.... But as I celebrate now, the sayapatri phool has been replaced by the electric ( पिल - पीले ) lights. Not only lights, even the Diya has been replaced by the electric one. Deusi and Bhailo, the way it used to be played has also lost its significance. It has been replaced by the band programmes with maximum numbers of songs played on western