Diwali along the Rhine
When a friend recently asked me to write about Diwali for a cultural association, I was a bit bewildered. What does one say about a festival that has been written threadbare, pictured galore, filmed a million times? In fact, every act of 'capturing' it and its essence has been done unto death. But then there is yet that one nondescript aspect which probably calls for illumination from a tiny diya and it is my attempt here to illuminate that forgotten niche with a panti (earthen lamp filled with oil and lit with a wick). What is it like to celebrate Diwali along the Rhine? Of course one is trying to recreate home with all its 'sights', 'sounds' and of course the familiar 'fragrances' associated with the festivity. Homes are scrubbed clean and beautiful rangolis adorn doorways to mark the festivity. Scores of lights flicker through the night as the Goddess of Bounty comes calling. What cinnamon is to Christmas, the fragrance of ghee, toasted besan and frie...