The Other Festival of Lights
(The following is partly based on an incident that I witnessed when the covid pandemic lockdowns were relaxed)
Lalitha was Chitra’s most favourite person in the entire world. Lalitha was Chitra’s younger sister and the apple of her eye. She was studious and smart. She was gifted at everything that she did. Chitra was proud of her sister’s talents. Like all siblings, they were like cat and mouse as children. As they grew up, they became inseparable. They spoke to each other every day, even during times when phone calls were expensive. They were married to wonderful husbands who got along with each other and knew to give the sisters their time together. Every year, they made it a point to meet each other. They both had taken up teaching careers to ensure that they had a summer and a winter break to spend more time together. Having families and children of their own did nothing to separate the sisters.
“Wear your mask properly!” said Lalitha with concern as she watched Chitra walk to the street vendor. The usually busy streets of Mahabalipuram were deserted. It was the day of Karthigai Deepam and the streets were deserted. People were still afraid to step out due to the pandemic. Even fewer people dared to take a vacation. Lalitha had travelled to Chennai as soon as they were told that it was safe to travel. Instead of being at home, they had decided to take a vacation. They chose Mahabalipuram as it was close to them. It was a festive weekend and it was depressing to stay at home in the city. They spent the morning doing a simple prayer ritual and then began exploring the beautiful town. Most of the archeological sites were closed but they enjoyed walking and talking about their lives.
“Yeah. I know. I am being cautious,” said Chitra impatiently. She had spotted a street-vendor who was selling earrings. While both Chitra and Lalitha could afford gold and silver jewellery, they had a special place in their hearts for imitation jewellery. This offered a chance to get more designs for a lesser cost. It had been a while since they had been out. They were not going to miss the chance. They smiled at each other and walked towards the vendor and her cart.
“Please come, madam. I have a lot of models,” said the vendor brightly. She wore a mask like the sisters. There was another customer looking at the collections with interest. She was unmindful of the sisters approaching the shop.
“This green one will suit you,” said Chitra excitedly as her sister came closer. She placed the earring over her ears and showed her the mobile camera which had served as a mirror in recent times. She did the same with a few more pieces.
“Let me select something. I don’t have to get everything in green,” said Lalitha snidely. Chitra loved the colour green. Lalitha preferred a wider palette.
Chitra looked up to see the moon in the sky. The sun was beginning to disappear but the moon was already in the sky. The sisters looked at the moon with awe. In a moment, they became a few decades younger. They began to reminisce about the times when they wanted to wear the moon as earrings. The evening of Karthigai Deepam was one of the best full moon nights of the year. They had been told stories about the festival during their childhood. Despite being during the rainy season, that night was expected to be cloudless. Since the skies were clear, it was a sight to behold.
“The moon looks beautiful tonight. Reminds you of the good old days, doesn’t it?” asked Chitra as she looked at the sky.
“I’ve never seen this day without crackers. The whole town looks deserted,” said Lalitha looking around. Lalitha and Chitra loved Karthigai Deepam more than Diwali from when they were children. They were not fond of loud crackers. Diwali was always a loud day. The loud sounds scared them. They loved the sparklers and flower-pots. By the time Karthigai Deepam arrived, most people had exhausted their crackers. Very few had any left. There were hardly any shops around to replenish stocks too. They enjoyed this day with sparklers that they carefully set aside every Diwali.
“Remember the times we had? Just us and the sparklers?” asked Chitra longingly.
“Every time I close my eyes. Those were wonderful times. I remember Ma telling us the same story every single time,” said Lalitha with a grin.
“Siva, Sambhuti, Priti, Sannati, Anasuya and Ksama,” they both said rapidly in unison. One of the beliefs behind the festival was the birth of Lord Muruga. Lord Muruga was special in South India. Some texts even referred to him as the Tamil God. It was believed that six babies were created out of the third-eye of Lord Shiva. Six celestial nymphs brought up these six babies. They were later merged into one God known as Muruga. They had memorized the names of the six celestial nymphs.
“She told us that they became stars in the sky for their service to God,” said Chitra.
“That actually refers to the Pleiades constellation. It can be seen in the sky. I think my husband had an app for this,” said Lalitha.
“Oh really!” said Chitra.
“Yeah. There is a lot of science in our religious stories. My husband tells me about them. I remember this one,” said Lalitha looking up at the sky. She could not remember how to spot the constellation. She knew that it was also called 'The Seven Sisters' but it all looked the same to her. The sky had too many stars.
"Seven?" asked Chitra with surprise.
"I was surprised too," said Lalitha with a shrug.
“Do you remember the time we went to Thiruvannamalai and saw the Maha Deepam?” asked Chitra, turning to her sister.
“Of course. Dad was too scared to leave the hotel due to the crowd,” said Lalitha fondly remembering her dad. He had passed away a few years ago but they remembered that day when they watched the Maha Deepam from atop the water tank at the hotel. The mountain at Thiruvannamalai held religious significance. Every year, a fire was lit atop the mountain on this day and it was visible to people for several kilometres around. They did not go to the crowded areas but they still managed to get a good view of the Deepam. It was a fond memory for the sisters. Their mother and brother had gone to the temple despite the crowd but they had the best seats in the house to witness the occasion. They had never been there since that time but they never forgot it.
“I miss the fire-balls,” said Chitra. It was a common custom in the part where they lived. A special ball of fire used to be the sensation of this festival. Kids used to take one and start swinging at high speeds. It created the image of a ring of fire around the person. Kids spent hours with the fire-ball. It was not too expensive but the fun it offered was something else. They spent several festive days with it when they were children.
“I could never do it. I got dizzy,” said Lalitha, shaking her head.
“You can’t handle anything thrilling,” said Chitra mockingly.
“Do you want to buy something?” asked the vendor politely. She looked to be a woman in her thirties. She was lean and looked weak.
“Of course. Stop dreaming, Lalitha!” said Chitra quickly and began to look at the earrings. The small handcart had hardly fifty pieces of imitation jewellery.
The customer who was at the shop before the sisters had gone through everything twice already. She picked up three pieces and looked at the vendor. “How much for these three?” she asked confidently.
“It is twenty rupees for each one. Sixty for three,” said the vendor politely.
“That is too much. Give me three for fifty,” said the customer, shaking her head.
“Madam, please don’t bargain. I don’t make much of a profit on this,” said the vendor softly. She looked at Chitra and Lalitha who did not know what to say.
“I don’t see customers lining up. You want sixty rupees for these flimsy pieces? You can give this to me for fifty or I walk away,” said the woman hotly. She kept her hand on her hip and raised her eyebrows. She was used to bargaining and she did not mind the sisters watching her.
“Alright,” said the vendor reluctantly. She collected five ten-rupee notes and put them in an old rectangular box. The woman who made the purchase turned and smiled as she walked away. She seemed satisfied at reducing the cost of her purchase. The vendor hesitated for a moment and then took twenty rupees out. She crouched behind her cart and said “Go have some soup”
“Who …” began Chitra doubtfully when a small boy stood up from behind the cart. He wore a vest with a cartoon character and a worn-out trouser. Despite his old clothes, he looked clean. Unlike the rest of the people in the area, he did not wear a mask. He looked like he was ten-years-old at most. He collected the money and walked away sleepily. Chitra watched him go towards a soup stall which was across the street. Lalitha had picked a few earrings already and she was combing through the rest of the collections.
“Your son?” asked Chitra, nodding towards the young boy.
“Yes. He is,” said the woman. Chitra could notice the woman smiling even with the mask on. “He is all I have”
Chitra’s smile faded. The woman said it casually but the words hit her hard and fast. This was a single-mother and she was supporting her son by selling trinkets in a tourist spot. There was a problem with her situation. The tourist spot was deserted due to the pandemic. People were still afraid to even step out of their homes and it was with good reason. She could not even imagine the woman’s situation. “What class does he study in?” asked Chitra.
“He used to study in third standard,” said the woman.
“Used to? Doesn’t he attend online classes?” asked Lalitha immediately. She was a teacher and she had been taking online classes throughout the lockdown. It was this facility that enabled her to travel without losing time from work. She had taken classes that morning too.
“Schools are closed. How can he attend classes? We can’t do anything until the government opens the schools,” said the woman sadly.
“He can take online classes. Don’t you know that?” asked Lalitha immediately. She had complained about the online classes all week. It had been tedious for her. Her students were too smart. They switched off the video and told her that they had connection problems whenever she quizzed them. It infuriated her when her students goofed off at studies.
“Online classes?” asked the vendor with a smile.
“Yes. The government is giving online classes to everyone. The Internet is so cheap and everyone can take the classes. Education is important,” said Lalitha righteously. Education came above all for Lalitha. She believed that education paved a way for everyone and stressed the importance of it to anyone who would listen. It was special to her. She even donated to a charity that helped poor people afford education annually.
“We can’t do online classes,” said the vendor slowly.
“It is easy. I can help you set it up. It will not even cost you any money. The government is giving it for all,” said Lalitha. Chitra looked at her sister and then turned to the vendor. She had a feeling that the vendor was going to give them a brutally honest answer.
“This is the phone I have,” said the woman pointing to an old mobile. It was a phone that had a keypad. It had been nearly a decade since Lalitha and Chitra had seen a mobile with a keypad. This was not the kind of mobile that even had the internet. “Can he take an online class with this? I don’t think so. I heard about online classes but we have bigger troubles than that. ”
Both the sisters were speechless. They had come from a poor upbringing too. Neither of them had a phone a decade back. Things had advanced so quickly since then. They were unable to even comprehend the woman’s troubles.
“I thought we had it rough,” said Lalitha in a whisper to her sister.
“I make five rupees per piece I sell. If I sell enough, I can get him some soup during the day. On good days, I sell enough to buy him a meal. Any day when I can feed both him and myself is a great day. Right now, that is all life is to me,” said the vendor.
“The government …” began Lalitha doubtfully.
“Yes. They give us rations for free. They can’t do anything else for us. My life depends on tourists. Until they are back, I have to hope and pray that my child does not starve. I hope that this virus goes away soon. If not, it will ruin us,” said the vendor calmly.
Lalitha held five earrings in her hands. Chitra looked at that and remembered the woman who had bargained with the vendor. She loved a good bargain but she had no intention to bargain now. “You take that five. I’ll take five for me,” said Chitra. She picked five random pieces and paid the woman two-hundred rupees at twenty rupees a piece. The vendor was overjoyed. She had made a profit of fifty rupees. Chitra knew how much it meant to her.
“Thank you, madam!” she said happily.
“Do you think fifty rupees will make a difference?” asked Lalitha to her sister in a whisper.
“Maybe not but it will keep her happy today. Seeing that little boy reminds me of Lord Muruga as a baby. I want to help make his day a little better,” said Chitra to Lalitha in a low voice. She looked at the vendor. Something told her that this was a woman who was too proud to accept charity despite her situation. She did not need five earrings but she felt that it was worth purchasing it from her. As she turned to leave, Lalitha stopped her. She looked at Chitra’s bag and nodded pointedly. Chitra smiled at her sister and turned to the vendor. “Would it be ok if we gave you something for your son?” asked Chitra politely.
“No, madam. I don’t want …” said the vendor politely.
“I’m not giving you money. This is Karthigai Pori Urundai. We don’t have our kids with us. It would be wonderful if we could give it to a child. I hope he likes it,” said Chitra.
The vendor smiled at her and nodded. She accepted a small packet from Chitra.
“Thank you!” said Lalitha with a smile. The Pori Urundai was a dish that was made specifically for this festival. It is a crispy snack made with puffed rice and jaggery. Aside from the health benefits, it was a dish that people of all age groups enjoyed. It was sweet but did not have any sugar. The jaggery made it rich in iron and it was crunchy. Their children were too modern for it but it was appreciated by the vendor.
“Why are you thanking me?” asked the vendor.
"We made it for our children. We are glad that a child is going to have it," said Lalitha kindly. She smiled and walked towards the hotel with her sister. Chitra had been complaining about their life during the pandemic the last few months. What they faced paled in comparison to what the vendor was going through. “Our life is nothing like that,” said Lalitha seriously.
“Our life is a cakewalk compared to that,” said Chitra immediately.
“Did you ever think that something like this would happen? That we would be spending Karthigai Deepam here with not a cracker in the sky?” asked Lalitha.
“Not in my wildest dreams. Then again, I didn’t think I would ever see you in person again when they imposed the lockdown. Life has a way of getting to us, doesn’t it?” asked Chitra.
The sisters walked together to the hotel. They had one more day of their vacation left. They had come here for a break from their lives. In a few minutes time, their entire outlook of their lives had changed completely. Their lives seemed good. Just like the vendor who made a good sale, they felt like their days were getting better. There was no way to say for sure, but they were smiling at that moment.
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