The festival of Tihar always fascinated me perhaps because it involved the object of my obsession "Lights". To me lights meant more than clay pots filled with oils and cotton-like string wicks inserted in them where those little green and black bugs (especially in Terai where I am originally from)would rotate around the flames get closer to the fire and finally die and my eyes fixed on their dead body as they floated in the pots during Tihar. Lights meant hope and an end to darkness or despair for that matter. Lights have universal significance since they guided prophets, enlightenment seekers, philosophers, poets, leaders, scientists,revolutionaries,Jack Karouac or that not-so-famous want to do good in the village or neighborhood activist who is yet to recieve Nobel Prize unlike Barack Obama who recieved it for all the good and god-like intentions and just that for the world.
My obsession to lights ranges from the astonishing sparks on the recent snapshot captured through Hubble telescope in that ever expanding galaxies to my Chinese emergency light used during load-shedding night hours or bunch of candles for that matter. That little bright spark our ancient wanderers often spoke about humbly and inspired us to strive for. Lights that darkness always fears and feel threatened to. Lights that caters me warmth and comforts me in the middle of chaos, doubt and anxiety. Lights that radiates from the brightest star in the darkest of the night and reminds me of next day with hope.
Unlike our other major festival we are sometimes forced to believe "Truth Always Prevails"standing upright or drowning in the blood-pond created out of suffering of innocent animals to make our gods happy, I prefer lights to that utter darkness and gross ignorance.
During Tihar we played with fire-crackers in the evenings and my favorite one was rocket bomb since it aimed for the sky unlike other bombs (?). As a child, I always wished to be as small as rocket bomb tie myself in its tail and take off to the space because I have heard our planet looks really small floating freely in the milky way galaxy from up there like that green and black bug floating in the oil during Tihar.We would search for old beer bottles where ever we could find insert the rocket-bomb and see it whistle through the sky and watch it with awe and wonder.
This Tihar my wishes have not changed but only skyrocketed like my rocket-bomb fire crackers for more lights and end to darkness. Happy Tihar to everyone!
