Of "Diwali", People & Relationships...

I came to Bangalore in the year 2000. Diwali, then, was not celebrated the way it is celebrated now. In fact, there were no holiday on the day of Diwali. To me, this was unusual….and sad.

In 2003, I was working for a consulting firm. Our office was at the top floor of the house of one of the partners - my mentor. We worked very hard and occasionally very late...Bangalore back then was not teeming with eateries...so I ended-up dining in the house. In due course, I developed strong personal equation with all the members of the family, interacting with them in my free time.

My mentor’s mother-in-law lived with the family. She was a true intellectual, far ahead of her time, very well read and educated – a doctor by profession, leading a retired life. She had spent most of her life in Jamshedpur where her husband was working with the Tata group.

I used to buy “Reader’s Digest” in bulk whenever I came across them in used book shops. Once, she saw the pile of old magazines I had with me. That became a common topic of discussion as she was also one of the few life-long subscribers of the magazine, much like my own family. ?She still subscribed the magazine and offered me the current ones every month. I looked forward to them because not only I got the magazine but also an opportunity to engage in stimulating conversations. She was the closest thing to a grandmother, I had in a foreign land...someone who was warm, considerate, and offered a balanced perspective on life !!

Up came Diwali that year. It was a working day. I was far from home and my family on one of the bigger festivals of the year and still quite young in my career. Naturally, I was nostalgic, homesick, and sad. In fact quite heartbroken...I, somehow, got through the day and was ready to head home.

My mentor was leaving for a couple of days, with his wife, to another city, that evening. I went to see him off. After he left, I went in the house to wish a very happy Diwali to my adopted grandmother. She was very happy to see me and started talking about her time in Jamshedpur and how colorful, those Diwali days were. I too shared tales of Diwali at my place (Patna) and how we celebrate the festival – the sound, the sight, the sweets, the family, the rituals, the mood, and the enthusiasm...

Through my tales, she sensed my gloom and homesickness. ?She asked what my plan was for the evening. I replied honestly that I had none. I was living, at the time, with my younger brother and my friend. Both workaholics. What Diwali plans can three lonely bachelors have? She consulted her maid if they can feed some youngsters that evening. Her maid suggested freshly made “Dosa” with all the accompaniments. That sounded yummy to me and so she invited all three of us to dinner. ?????

So I went, on a Diwali evening, accompanied by my younger brother and my school friend, with a box of traditional sweets, to a “Dosa Party”, hosted by a kind, considerate and large hearted lady. The food was delicious, the company was entertaining and the atmosphere festive.

Looking back, the Diwali of 2003 was a memorable & a happy one…without the crackers, the crowd, the buzz ?& the festivity, Diwali that year, was still a happy, festive, radiant & luminous affair...

Thanks to the efforts of a kind old Christian lady who wanted to spread some joy and cheer in this world...a lady from an era that knew that festivals are all about making others happy, strengthening relationships...and spending time with family and friends !!

Wishing my LinkedIn family, a very happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful Diwali...May your aspirations take wings this year and you achieve success beyond your wildest imagination !!

#Strategyk

#dropintheocean