New series: A little Bit of India - Diwali

Photo credit: singhajaykr25 from morguefile.com

This little blog has been growing beyond my wildest imaginations. I started it as a way to journal my sewing projects...then decided to share some tutorials...then thought maybe I could inspire a couple of you to sew...and it took a life of its own. While I love my corner of blogosphere...lately I have had this feeling that there's something lacking here. After some introspection, I realized that its my own voice. Somehow, I didn't feel very comfortable being myself over here. This is a sewing blog so all we should talk about here is - Sewing, right? Well, right and wrong! I now realize that even  though sewing is the primary topic of conversation here, some of you do want to know about the person who is doing all ( or most) of the talking here. Judging by the number of people who take time to read "My Story" it seems like my thoughts, my values and in general who I am, also matters, besides my sewing projects, my machine make and what stitch length I prefer.

So I'm starting this new series about something that is very far away from me, but very close to my heart - India. Some of you may/may not know that I'm an Indian ( Asian Indian) living in USA. While moving to US is one of the best decisions I have made on a practical level, and this is the place we call home now, there're times when I long for the place where I grew up and lived most of my life. So when I thought of a topic that I wanted to talk about here...India seemed like an obvious choice. Like any other place on the face of earth - India has its own  triumphs and tribulations. But that's not what I want to talk about here. I'll be talking about the little things that make India home for me. That set it apart from any other place in the world. That are so very unique and so very, Well, India. This is not meant to be a political rhetoric...or your culture vs. my culture...this is just a glimpse of India...through the eyes of a person who has always been fascinated by the color, art and most of all the joy it brings to the people. A point of view...and most definitely myopic. So sit back and relax, grab a cup of coffee if you want and hop on as I take you to India.
Today is one of those days when I miss India most - It is Diwali in India today and if I have to choose only one festival from all, this is the one I would choose. Most of the people would think of Lights and fire-crackers and delicacies when they think of Diwali, but to me Diwali is much more than that. It was the only festival my extended family made it a point to celebrate together, that meant Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts and cousins. It also meant lots of anecdotes and laughter, lots of jokes, songs, dances and games. It was one heady mix of activity and relaxation. Enough to feel sad when it was over and to look forward to it months in advance.
Besides the family, Diwali is a festival that you can feel in the air, much like the way Christmas in US. The decorated markets, dressed up people, the new merchandise, the overflowing sweets. It is kind of Thanksgiving and Christmas rolled into one for me and no matter how hard we try its difficult not to miss India on Diwali.

So before I leave to celebrate Diwali and long for India again... "Wish you all a very happy and prosperous Diwali!"



PS: It is said that Diwali is a good time to start something new. That's one of the reasons I am posting this today. I will continue with the future editions of this series on weekends hopefully.