The Diwali Diya that failed to illuminate a few houses this year

It’s Diwali and it’s time to light up the Diwali diya. Every house is illuminated with lights and candles. The Diwali diya will start twinkling on balconies and parapets the moment the sun goes down. Some parts of the country will celebrate the festival by bursting crackers while some will celebrate a silent one. The Capital will celebrate a cracker-less Diwali keeping the Supreme court guidelines on pollution in mind.

However, a lot of households will not be celebrating Diwali this year as they lost a loved one recently during the pandemic. The evening will be quiet and there will be no Diwali diya to light up their homes.

When Dad used to light the Diwali diya

It was just last Diwali that dad was in full mood to celebrate the festival of lights. Since morning he was busy fixing the lights in the front balcony. Seeing dad in action, the 10-year-old son and the 14-year-old daughter were all excited. The son was helping dad fix the candles on the parapet by melting the wax at the bottom. The daughter was assisting mom in making a rangoli. The entire family was in a celebratory mood.

No Diya to be lighted this Diwali

This Diwali is different. The person who created the entire excitement around Diwali is no more. A lot of families lost their dear ones during the pandemic in April and May and this family is also one of them. Dad lost the battle-fighting corona in a hospital in May. The son is missing his dad badly during this Diwali. He remembers how dad and he used to wire the electrical lighting and fix the wax candles together. In absence of his partner, he has not even stepped out of the house as the illuminated houses next door will just remind him about dad. It was dad who taught him how to light a cracker safely. Now with a ban on crackers, at least one responsibility is off his shoulder.

The family in mourning has not lighted a single Diwali diya. The daughter has confined herself to the bedroom. Mom has lighted just one diya in front of dad’s photograph. She has replaced the earlier mala with a fresh marigold floral mala. The house that was always illuminated with hundreds of diyas every Diwali has suddenly got drowned in darkness. It was time for Lakshmi pooja. The son and daughter just stood still in front of their dad’s picture on the wall. It was the shankh goonj in the neighbourhood that broke the silence. Mom hugged both the kids and tears started rolling down their cheeks. They all wished if dad could just come back once to light the diya that has gone dark this Diwali.

The Rangoli that lost its colour in absence of mom

The festival of Diwali always meant a lot of excitement for the Sharma family. Mr. and Mrs. Sharma were always proud of their two young daughters. The elder one had just started her 1^st year in college while the younger one was preparing for her class 12^th boards. Diwali meant a lot of socializing, sweets, and sumptuous food for the Sharma family.

On the day of the festivity, mom and dad would get up early. The duties between mom and dad were divided. Dad had to take care of putting the lights in the front and the back balcony a week in advance. On the  D-day  he had to fix the candles on the parapet and place the oil-filled Diwali diya alternating with the candles. On the other hand, mom had to decide on the Diwali special menu and prepare the meals.

During the afternoon she had to draw colourful rangoli at the entrance of the house. While a lot of people used a stencil to draw a rangoli, mom with her experience could draw a big circle that was just perfect. She used vibrant colours from purple to red and from green to yellow to fill up the pattern within the circle. This was the time when both the daughters had to sit and help her draw rangoli. The daughters at times would avoid sitting there but had no choice as mom was quite persuasive.

Time for Lakshmi Pooja

The evening time was for Lakshmi pooja. Mom would make every family member stand in the small mandir at home with folded hands and sing “Om Jai Jagdish hare…”. The prayer was in front of Goddess Lakshmi and Ganesh Ji. At times the daughters would check with her what had she wished in front of Lakshmi bhagwan. They would guess that mom would have either wished for wealth or for two caring sons-in-law. But the reality was that mom always used to wish for the good health of the family and that they always stay together forever.

It was the first week of June when mom started having difficulty in breathing. Dad rushed mom to a nearby hospital but was not able to get a bed. With great difficulty he got her admitted to a far-off hospital. Mom was immediately admitted to the ICU. The doctors tried their best but couldn’t succeed. Mom passed away within a week.

A Diwali without mom

This is the first Diwali without mom. Dad is sitting quietly in the living room lost in his thoughts. The daughters are guessing that he must be thinking about the last 22 Diwalis that he celebrated with mom. Why did she leave her midway? There are so many more Diwalis to be celebrated. The family is not celebrating Diwali this year. The daughters don’t know who will make rangolis in the future in mom’s absence.

This Diwali there will be no diyas and no lighting but the daughters still want to perform a pooja to remember mom. They ask dad to stand with them in the pooja room and light a diya in front of mom’s picture. After all, mom was the Lakshmi of this house. In absence of a shankh goonj and with no crackers to be blown the Diwali has become a silent one for the Sharma family.

Dad has promised the daughters that they will celebrate the next Diwali to remember mom. The daughters will take over the role of mom. They will not only perform the Lakshmi pooja but will also decorate the house with rangoli. On the other hand, dad will carry on with his role of illuminating the house. The family may have lost the Lakshmi but her wish will be always with them.

Read more such stories on my blog by clicking on the link below:

The pain of losing the loved ones: An injury that will never heal

The irreparable loss that families are still trying to cope with