People in Attingal and nearby villages welcomed Deepavali, the festival of lights, in grand style by bursting a flurry of firecrackers yesterday. The smell of gun powder and other chemicals filled the evening air, accompanied by the gun-shot noises of crude fire crackers. Children light up the night with an assortment of traditional fire candles, such as poothiri and mathappu. While grown-ups showed off their skills sparking off tharachakram and pookutty in front of the amused children.
The enthusiasm among people for any festival these days is judged by the crowd in the market. Shops that sell firecrackers in Attingal had a windfall yesterday. Meeranasan’s shop in Market Road, from where many generations of Attingalites bought their first crackers in Deepavali, was chock-a-block yesterday. There were a number of other temporary retail outlets, which functioned in make-shift shops. There was heavy rush in front of every such shop, and fire crackers were outrageously costly. But the customers were in no mood to give up. One youngster elbowed out from the crowd in front of a shop remarked rather wryly: “people are buying firecrackers as if the world is going to end today”. But later he too fought his way through the crowd as if the world is going to end within minutes.
Stores in Attingal that sell fire crackers have been doing brisk business at the time of Deepavali for many years now. Over the last few years bakery owners too are happy souls at the time of Deepavali. The north Indian custom of gifting sweets at the time of Deepavali seems to have caught up down south in Attingal too. Some of the bakeries, including Modern Bakery, offered special Deepavali sweet boxes, with usual suspects like peda, mysore pav, laddu, and jilebi.
We wish a cracking and sweet Deepavali to all our readers.
The enthusiasm among people for any festival these days is judged by the crowd in the market. Shops that sell firecrackers in Attingal had a windfall yesterday. Meeranasan’s shop in Market Road, from where many generations of Attingalites bought their first crackers in Deepavali, was chock-a-block yesterday. There were a number of other temporary retail outlets, which functioned in make-shift shops. There was heavy rush in front of every such shop, and fire crackers were outrageously costly. But the customers were in no mood to give up. One youngster elbowed out from the crowd in front of a shop remarked rather wryly: “people are buying firecrackers as if the world is going to end today”. But later he too fought his way through the crowd as if the world is going to end within minutes.
Stores in Attingal that sell fire crackers have been doing brisk business at the time of Deepavali for many years now. Over the last few years bakery owners too are happy souls at the time of Deepavali. The north Indian custom of gifting sweets at the time of Deepavali seems to have caught up down south in Attingal too. Some of the bakeries, including Modern Bakery, offered special Deepavali sweet boxes, with usual suspects like peda, mysore pav, laddu, and jilebi.
We wish a cracking and sweet Deepavali to all our readers.
Comments