Celebrating Diwali This Halloween... :-) ...
It was our first Diwali in US, rather the first Diwali out of India... To be honest, I had expected it to pass off just like any other days here. U know, devoid of the actual spirit etc etc... But I guess, the dish of life is how YOU make it. Its after all up to you to add the spices, the flavors. This is of course apart from what life serves you. But you are always free to make your own dishes too... Nobody stops you :-), do they ? So, once this Bodhi tree effect struck, we concluded that we must make the best of this occassion. We were in US after all, what the heck... So, off I went... And bought the electric lights and the candles (as diyas). And it was fun as usual arranging the lights on the balcony. I wondered though, whether most of the people in the apartment felt the lighting was for Halloween :-) ... Each moment was enacted exactly as we would do in India...Waking up early, the abhyangasnaan with utna (as always from Bhanupadma in Dadar) and scented oil, the early morning pu