Diwali

It was Diwali. She woke up early morning and with her twinkling eyes wished everyone Happy Diwali. This was her favourite festival. She peeped outside her window and sat there in the sun embracing it's warmth. A beautiful smile came on her face and it seemed as if she was wishing something. Her mom called her and she went to brush her teeth.

'What's there in the breakfast mama? I have to eat it fast and go for purchasing flowers and rangoli for decoration' she asked her mother very inquisitively.

'Your favourite aloo puri' her mom replied and she jumped with joy. She never ate her breakfast so fast as she did that day. Then she took her shopping bag and said 'yayy let's go mama'.

She bought white flowers, orange, blue, pink, red and varieties of rangoli colors. She was very fond of rangoli. While returning back, she bought sweets for her friends and for the guard of her building.

All the way she jumped and kept narrating her plans for the day. Evening approached, she wore her favourite pink gown, did puja with everyone, lighted diyas and made a beautiful rangoli all by herself. And then it was cracker's time.

Like every diwali she went upstairs to light crackers with her friends. It was so much fun. But slowly and slowly, she started to get away from her friends... She stood all alone in a corner and watched her friends burning crackers with their dads. She kept calling them, but no one listened to her. She came back and had dinner, her favorite paneer buttermasala was cooked that day. Soon as she finished her dinner, tears rolled down her eyes, she hugged her mom and cried and cried. Her mom understood why she was crying. She called up her father on video call. After talking to her father, she went to sleep with smiling eyes.

This little girl of 6 years misses her dad every Diwali as he stays in distant land to earn livelihood, and she prays every year that next year all three of them celebrate Diwali together.