Pushpak Landing : The Tale of Diwali

We have all heard many retellings of the Tale of Diwali from our grandmothers, grandfathers and just about anyone who’s had the time to narrate it. As a child, this is a tale that had always made me fall asleep with a smile on my face. It is always the narration that determines the reach of a story but this story stands in its own merit and grandiose. After a battle that shook the earth; Ram, Sita & Lakshmana were making their way home. It wasn’t their usual mode of travel, something surreal had happened, as soon as Ram had felled the great Ravana with the support of his army. The heavens opened and a chariot had descended, a flying chariot. Imagine those intricately carved chariots we’ve all heard about in mythological stories, this one surpassed them all in its splendour and was made of pure gold and shown in all its lustre. All that had the privilege to see this wonderful sight were flabbergasted. Now, let’s quickly cut to Ayodhya as we are telling the story of Diwali and not the travel experience of the Royals aboard Pushpak.

The city (you’ll know which one very soon, if you haven’t already guessed)was resplendent, it was extremely excited to welcome their Rama & Lakshmana along with their beloved Sita. When I talk about the city, I mean its people because what is a city but just a reflection of it’s citizens. Every street, every corner, every house and every building was cleaned, painted and polished if necessary. People who had left the city a week ago were agape with wonder at the transformation the city had undergone in such a short-time. All of it was to welcome the trio that had lived on in their hearts these past fourteen years , even though they had been banished to the forest. The Crown Prince of Ayodhya had left a boy and now was returning a man, having vanquished the mighty Ravana and completing his fourteen years in exile along with Sita & Lakshmana. People were going berserk, what should they wear? Who would welcome them first? Would they recognise them after such a long time? Their heads were buzzing with questions like these but it was a tiny shadow compared to the joy that was brimming in their hearts like the radiant sun.

The big day had arrived, the whole city was waiting with bated breathe and suddenly there came an uproar from the city gates. The trio had been spotted walking towards the entrance. The bells were rung, drums were beaten, trumpets were blown into and all of Ayodhya went into a dizzy state as they fought to get a glimpse of their Rama, Sita & Lakshmana. The path the three had walked the past fourteen years had been filled with thorns and sharp stones and had made their feet rough, but now the path they treaded on was lined with soft, multi-hued flowers all being tossed from atop each house. Ram had tears of joy in his eyes as he saw the love being show to him and his companions and Sita & Lakshmana followed suit. The sky was suddenly glowing as it was lit with a thousand diyas all from the terrace of citizens showing their love in the simplest, most powerful form. Lamps were lit to guide the trio to the Palace, maybe they forgot the path, it had been fourteen years since they’d last been here. Since then, Diwali has been celebrated as the Festival of Lights, symbolically signifying that the light will always guide us home. Light dispels darkness and evil and what better way to celebrate the victory of good over evil? What ensued was a grand feast for the trio that lasted days as everyone wanted to pamper them with sweets & savouries that they must have missed in all their time away. That’s how the tradition of making sweets & savouries for Diwali started and we bring you closer to home by giving you the opportunity to pick to your heart’s content from the Aha Diwali Bazaar. We’ve covered a few tales that tell us about Diwali but there’s another that’s very close to my heart. I don’t want to keep you guessing, it’s about the Ganga Snaan. Yes, why do we wake up early in the morning for that dreaded but important ritual? Story coming up soon…