Diwali 2020

Diwali has always been my favorite festival, and has never failed to elicit a smile in the dreariest of circumstances. Yet, the flavour and charm of Diwali that we experienced in Shillong can never, ever be equalled in my mind; which is why, every time the atmosphere assumes that attitude of gaiety, my mind reverts to those Diwalis in Laban, and poesy springs to my lips:

Again, it is that time of the year,

When gloaming arrives with tidings of cheer,

As the soft wings of the winter breeze,

Flutter gaily among the plants and trees

As wisps of swaying golden light,

Dancing in arrays to welcome the night,

Perching on walls and pillars and stairs, imbue

Festive eventide with their cheerful hue

What gilt railing, what humble wall;

What gaudy mall, what modest stall;

Every little hamlet, every tower tall;

Porches and yards, doorways big or small;

Shimmer divinely in that quivering glow,

Soothing every wan heart, every creased brow,

As glowing seraphs tease the stirred air,

Each as if a flaming mane of some sylphic mare

As the many sparkles light up the sky,

And gleams of glee fill every young eye,

The pages of history, engraved in gold,

Glitter again, and take me back in their fold

Returning me to a time gone long,

When the fragrance in the air of salubrious Shillong,

Several wintry morns ahead of the day,

Brought tidings of Diwali coming our way

Those memories revive that feeling of old,

When with anxious heart, I stood in the cold,

Eyes frozen hard on the darkening road,

As dusk fell thick around our abode

And when father emerged from the haze at last,

My eyes gleamed bright, my heart beat fast,

As the colorful packets peeping from his receptacle

Promised an evening of sparkle and spectacle

And in the paltry light of candles few,

I found sweet happiness ever so true,

Which all the lights and dazzle of today,

Have not the power to fade away

So it is that on every Diwali night,

To that bourne of yore in a wistful flight,

As gaiety of the present surmounts the sky,

On the wings of reminiscence in silence I fly