Column

It might be a direct outcome of the galloping Sensex but the urchins at the Haji Ali traffic lights are not asking for money for food as they usually do but for new clothes to wear this Diwali.
And why not-after all the festive cheer in these days of economic boom seems to have infected every body!

As for myself, I cannot seem to get through any festive season-Diwali Christmas or even New Year day -without feeling a distinct sense of sadness for the have- nots. Festivals, after all, are for the rich and successful, with disposable income at their command to spread around. What happens to those with meager resources is that they only feel more keenly their shortcomings. The office peon, the chauffeur, the middle level executive is that much more hard pressed to keep up with the Jains when the whole world expects them to celebrate in style.

In the days when we were much younger, a family tradition held that we collected all our loose change and gambled amongst ourselves for stakes as low as 10 paise. It was the most rudimentary form of flush that we played I guess. And as card practice goes it was the most hopeless as each family member was more concerned about boosting the dwindling fortunes of his competitor than his own. Ultimately, all the money collected in the kitty (usually amounting to no more than a few hundred rupees) would be kept aside for some plates of pani puri.

How different from the card sharks who practice their art with deadly seriousness and cut throat glee at some of the high society parties that occur in Mumbai during Diwali. Friendships are endangered, couples invariably bicker and an air of unholy competitiveness is de rigueur. So much more in keeping with the festive spirit is the attitude that prevails in smaller families who play for the heck of it and for tradition-and not lucre.

Ihave never known what to do with Diwali gifts. How many packets of sweets and diyas and statuettes of Laxmi can you possibly use? So one ends up recycling it all. Send packet received by A to household B and vice versa. Remember to remove card, add a few more sweets and statuettes, embellish with a few dry fruit and nuts-and lo and behold-you're in business!

But after all of this you will still have to face up to the Diwali plague of baksheesh. In my humble opinion baksheesh should only be given to the neediest. The smile on the face of some one -especially one who was least expecting a handsome amount -is better than the brightest Diwali diya and will light up your festive season more than the biggest anaar. So what if by the next day all is forgotten and every one gets back to their whining grumbling selves? At least for the duration of Diwali you have injected some real festive cheer in your world.

One of my nicest Diwali memories this season is when a friend I was taking a ride home with, opened a box of Diwali sweets and was about to pop one into his mouth when an urchin pressed his nose against the car window. Spontaneously and without thinking, my friend put the sweet back, opened his door and handed the box to the urchin. You cant imagine how quickly that box was spirited away-and with what whoops of joy it was share by a posse of street kids loitering nearby. It brought some real Diwali cheer-a good lot more than those saccharine sweet Diwali smses for sure!

—s_malavika@dnaindia.net