Year 10, and counting.

And this marks the 10th year I have celebrated Diwali, and a lot of other festivals and events, away from home. I remember the very first one in 2000 when I was scoffing at the mass exodus of kids returning home for Diwali instead of staying over for Oasis. How could they, I thought. I was one of those rare non-home-sick kids, you see. Little did I realize that ten years down the line, I would be writing this. Had I known then of the trend that was to become this life.. what would I have done? Would I have gone back home just to spend some time with family?

I'm not very sentimental, no sir. But there are some things that tug at your heart strings every now and then. The smell of sulfur in the air, sweets, early morning oil baths, sambrani, poojas, kolams, pictures. They once told us in school of the unspeakable cruelty meted out to the kids in the factories at Sivakasi; the unsafe conditions, the long hours and the unhealthy atmosphere. That was the year we took a vow to not spend so much on fireworks - 1997-ish, I think? We'd stick to lower quantities, but we had fun nonetheless. I was afraid of the actual vedis, but the rest I was all into; especially the snake tablets, gem stones, mathapus and tara chakrams. Of course there were the new pavadais, payasams, bonfires, and all that good stuff. As a kid, that was all I saw in the festival... now I'd trade that just to be home for one week, lounging around with family!

Here I am today, in Cook county, with crazy fireworks laws - they even ban sparklers! One day, I vow to myself, one day I will be back in time for Diwali. Just not today :)