Aurangabad
Diwali festival has special significance in everyone’s life. People have several memories attached to this festival. Many have found that in the competitive world, enthusiasm and festive fervour has reduced among the people. Moreover, the oneness, compassion and involvement that was seen around 30 years ago have been replaced with mere formalities. Lokmat Times takes a review from the cross-section of society about their memories and the changes they found in Diwali celebrations today.
Miss the childhood Diwali
My schooling was completed in Jodborsar village in Kannad tehsil. As a child, I have several memories of the Diwali celebration in my native village. The entire village celebrates the festival together. Villagers, whether children, men, women, or senior persons were involved. Women in the villages help their neighbours in preparing sweets. Children make sky-lanterns together with bamboo sticks and coloured papers. Later, every person in the village was called for having refreshments at each house. The traditional sweets like laddoos, shankarpalas, karanji, chiwda, and other articles were eaten with much interest. I remember that in 1971 when I was 9 years old, I fell ill around 15 days before the Diwali festival and I was bedridden. Still, my school friends came to my home on each day of Diwali and gave me crackers to bust in my backyard.
Today, I miss the affection and the involvement of the people in the Diwali festival. People lack emotions, togetherness, and enthusiasm in celebrations. Meeting people on Diwali has become just a formality now.
- Kachru Kumavat, retired employee, Government Press
Diwali has become showbiz
Today, the Diwali celebration has become an artificial celebration. People are more interested in showoff rather than celebrating with religious and social gaiety. Although, there has been tremendous technological advancement, it has created a bridge among people. They are more interested in proving themselves superior to others. On Diwali, if someone buys a bike or a car, his neighbour wants to buy more expensive articles than him.
Though we brothers used to study in Aurangabad, we used to go to our native village at Matola in Ausa tehsil in the Latur district for celebrating Diwali. Even today, we have continued this tradition. I worked with an American company in Singapore and am now settled in Aurangabad and my brothers are working abroad, we all come together during Diwali to our native village. We used to help our mother in preparing the traditional sweets in the house. Everyone was eager to have new clothes and visit the houses of every villager. The elders used to tell us the importance of each day of the Diwali celebration.
Vivek Bhosale, former MD, Kennametal, USA