Way back during my growing-up years, things felt almost equal everywhere at least in my world. I grew up in a non-tech environment, where life had its own natural boundaries of height, depth, and scale. Within that space, everyone seemed to breathe the same air, enjoy the same fragrances, and speak a shared language of living.
Festivals, too, had a single, familiar rhythm. There was only one way I knew to celebrate them and it was largely the same across my surroundings.
Slowly and steadily, things began to change.
As I moved across different states and cultures, I started relearning the same festivals each one celebrated uniquely in every nook and corner. I had studied this diversity in school, but I truly lived it much later.
For me, festivals were always about family bonding a collective effort where every member contributed wholeheartedly. There was no classification of small or big roles. Everyone simply belonged.
So it came as a surprise when I later saw festivals transforming into something almost like a battleground, people stepping out in large numbers, restaurants overflowing with all age groups, celebrations becoming more about spending and going out. It felt so different from what was deeply rooted in my DNA.
Back then, festivals also quietly taught us life skills pre-planning, time management, and mindful spending. There was even a belief that if you spent (excessively) on a day like for ex. New Year’s, it would set the tone for the entire year. So, everything was planned in advance, and the day itself was reserved for being at home, together.
Adapting to this shift was not easy. Change rarely is.
It took time for me to come to terms with it, to understand it, and eventually to accept it.
Today, I stand at a place where I embrace it all with open arms and a smile. Whether celebrations are small or grand, at home or outside, I see beauty in every form.
And yet, outliers exist everywhere. There are still families who continue to follow traditions with all their heart and there are those who have redefined celebrations in their own way.
A salute to both for choosing what resonates with them.
And perhaps, the true celebration lies in respecting every version of joy.
कोणत्याही टिप्पण्या नाहीत:
टिप्पणी पोस्ट करा