Diwali 2007 (by Swagata)

During Diwali, I saw a side of my son’s personality I had never seen before. My quiet, calm child taking off with his friends to light all different kinds of firecrackers, totally unafraid, and thoroughly enjoying the lights and the sounds; the louder the noise, the happier it made him. Lighting up ground sparklers, and then dancing in the flames. Crying ‘Awesome’, and jumping up and down. There is something called “A typical boy”, and that was what he had become.

At the end of it all, we found him going around looking for unspent firecrackers, putting them all in a heap, and making a bonfire out of them!

Our entire complex had met in front of the main gate, with their repertoire of firecrackers, and the collective shooting of crackers and all different kinds of sparklers went on for 2 hours. All their lives, my children had only seen fireworks in the sky during 4th of July, never went near one or set one on. This was the first time that Rohan could be an active participant, and he truly lived it up. I was amazed at Rohan’s bravery, and kept screaming at him to keep safe distance. He, of course, ignored me. But then these are the things childhood is made up of. Next day in the newspapers, you read about all the eye injuries that happened from errant firecrackers.

Rohan thinks his life in the U.S. was too sterile. Making appointments for playdates, and then having to drive there, as opposed to simply walking over to one of the 14 friends’ homes and knocking on the door. Walking back home with friends after dark, or simply getting a ride on a moped from one of the older kids. Or, sitting on the back of someone’s bicycle. Gives a child more sense of freedom, I suppose.