Bhaiphota/Bhai Dooj
As a kid, it was a tiny festival. Papa used to go out the previous evening or early in the morning to buy loads of sweets and snacks, Mamma would make fish fry in the kitchen, some gifts would be bought, and I would stay excited at the thought of receiving gifts!
It was a tradition. I would wear a kurti or salwar and go to my grandfather's place, then to my grandmother's brothers’ houses. There was a feeling of celebration, chaos, laughter, and the aroma of food everywhere.
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As a kid, I would be happy to receive books or gifts. As I grew a little older, cash didn’t feel like a boring gift anymore. But as I kept growing up, things weren’t the same anymore, they started changing. People became busier, traditions faded, there were fewer houses to visit, and there were losses too.
And what about now? Now there’s nothing - just a WhatsApp wish.
When I think about it, I wonder what changed so much.
It’s definitely not just the physical distance. The mental distance has surpassed the physical one, but when did that happen? I don’t have an answer to that.
I just know that as a kid, I thought this was how it was supposed to be.
Little did I know that time changes and more than time, people change. Quite a lot, and quite suddenly.
Seeing pictures of people celebrating today made me realize that once upon a time, I had this too. Once upon a time, it wasn’t just a regular Wednesday.
