After colourful rangolis, many happy hues of diyas and lights, flushing sparklers and not to forget various suspicious shades of sweets, plus plenty of colourful food on the table…it felt like today’s colour is certainly blue.
With no more festive holidays in sight, everyone looked grumpy this morning as I came in to work. Traffic was ultra heavy with people returning from various interior Tamil Nadu destinations. The long distance bus drivers looked more hassled than ever and did not hesitate to use their frightful air horns on unwitting motorists! It was funny the way everyone was giving way to this air-horning horrid bully!
The mood at office was subdued. Palpably irritable and angry.
Plenty of work has piled up over the last week (all of which we kept saying “let’s do this after Diwali”) is suddenly upon us. Clients who are in an equally foul mood are calling up and asking for work. They all need it &^#@^ NOW!!
I did notice that no one is wearing new clothes today. True to mood, everyone is wearing their worst. Gone are the pre-Diwali, bright festive colours that everyone was wearing.
Everyone is silent like they have nothing more left to say to each other. Before Diwali it was a constant babble about “how expensive crackers are this year” or “I bought this from here” or “where did you go Diwali shopping”or “are you making sweets at home or ordering from out.” Or “do you know how to make this……….sweet?” or “buy crackers from xyz shop – it’s relatively cheaper and the crackers actually burst!”and so on. Happy, nonsensical chatter that put even hardcore cynics like me into Diwali mood!!
As lunch time nears, the mood is altering. As everyone gathers to eat, there is excited chatter in the office of people describing their celebrations. Someone burst 10,000 walahs. Someone else went green and totally boycotted crackers. Everyone wore new clothes. Everyone overate. Everyone feels at least 5 kgs heavier. Everyone can still smell the sickening sweet smell of ghee laden sweets.
I feel like a leaf that's getting carried away by this storm of emotions. The collective force of people’s mood sways me here and there. Even if I want to alienate myself – I cannot. I’m at the core of this storm. But the weather is starting to calm. Smiles are reappearing. Perhaps this leaf will now be tossed into a corner and be left alone to do its thing and serve its purpose in the world.
Nice to see the mood altering. The resilient human spirit is waking up. Things must move on. Life must go on. Work must be done. Grumpiness is gradually vanishing. Ah I like this mood change. This spirit. This determination to move on rather than linger in the happiness of the moments gone by. Those memories will remain treasured and new ones will soon get added to this treasury. I salute this human spirit as I mercifully see many exciting hues getting added to the blue…
