School days – Diwali and Kali puja

This is another great festival of Bengalis where Goddess Kali is worshipped - it is also the Laxmi Puja or worship of the Goddess of Wealth and New Year for some communities. Hence, there is a festive air all around with shops selling varieties of sweets while other shops sold firecrackers of various types.
In those days there was no restriction of the decibel levels of firecrackers and, hence, there would be packets of low decibel levels for use by us children and the higher decibel ones apart from rockets were meant for the college going ones and the elders.
We children had to be content with sparklers, charkis, tubris and other such innocent combinations.
Of course, the lightings of houses during Diwali used to make the occasion more attractive - there would be tiny earthen lamps which would be lit in the evenings and oil in them would be replenished at regular intervals to ensure that the wick did not burn out.
Some households would install garlands made up of tiny colored electric bulbs – these would be set to glow at pre-determined intervals thereby adding to the charm. (to be continued …)