Colourful lights strung upon balcony walls, children playing with fireworks, families getting together to exchange sweets and pleasantries, the aroma of delicious, lip-smacking meals in the making. Diwali in Dubai, my very first festival in a foreign land. This being the first time I am away from my home country one can only imagine how much I long for all that is Indian. I do enjoy the novelty of it all, the neon-lit buildings, the bright lights, the busy roads,the enormous malls; and being a person who loves the outdoors and loves visiting new places I do not complain.
For someone who is new to this bustling town you do tend to get a little lonely sometimes, as is the case with anyone moving to a big city. My husband's job had me relocate with him to Dubai in September. So far it has been a wonderful experience for both of us with weekly visits to historical sites, new restaurants, oh! and the craze that is 'shopping'.
While my hunt for a job is still on, I find myself whiling away my time on facebook, watching movies, and reading; anything to keep me from turning into a non-communicative zombie. We live in an area surrounded by buildings with not too much greenery around. Most evenings, when the sun is safely tucked away beneath the horizon I stand out in the balcony and watch life go by. It is amazing to see the number of Indians who have settled here and what better time for Indian-spotting than Diwali? I look out of my balcony and see dozens of fmailies who have decorated their homes with twinkling lights. In the evenings parents accompany their children to what I call the 'sand-park' (a large square patch of dry land with nothing but a tree in the middle). A rocket cracker goes off , I see a father lighting chakra fireworks, while some children play with phooljhadis under the watchful and nervous eyes of their mothers. It is all so exciting and gives me a feeling of being at home. All of this has definitely made me get into the spirit of the festival too!! There is nothing like the warmth you find in diyas lighting up your balcony. With the slightest foreboding I decide to gorge into some yummy Diwali sweets this evening, much to the chagrin of my better half.
Time to head out for some last minute Diwali shopping!! Happy Diwali indeed!
