Foreign Colours

 Writing this on Rakhi surely tells how free we actually are on festivals when we aren’t with our family.

 I am not a commie but capitalism and this fast paced world has surely impacted our personal lives a lot. I am 18 and collectively in these 18 years I have lived 5 years far from my family for my school and now college.

This being not the first festival but my first Rakshabandhan without my family and mainly my sister. I was 10 when I first spent a festival which was The New Year far away from my family. With the tradition of going for a picnic (most probably to a waterfall) on new years my whole joint family was gathered together when I called to wish them a Happy New Year. I wished each one of them sounding joyful with my voice but tears flowing down on this side of the phone (I was successful not letting them know I was crying). 

From that day 8 years ago to this I have missed a lot of festivals and family traditions on those, living far from them. Well the tears have stopped but hearing loud crackers, seeing families all dressed beautifully going somewhere together and my family calling to say ‘wish I could be with them’ does break a cry in this vacant heart. Making me remember how my whole family would fire the last skyshot together, dad scolding us on being late again, maa preparing a full course meal of our favourites and my di tying me rakhi different and better than all she brought for others. 

World surely has became a lot faster, competitive and maybe harsh for our hearts from what we all lived when we were 8 with The OG Ben 10 rakhi on hand and that plastic goggle. 

This fast world surely has its own pros and cons as the above but this has made me realise of the utmost importance family and these traditions are. Yes, when living far away in a big city for a purpose we do have our obligations and important duties but even with the slightest chance to be with your family specially in festivals, do make it.

From eating in a certain manner, taking three steps while stepping on escalators or styling in a certain procedure. Every part of ourself is more of what we have acquired from people around us and most from the family and those traditions.

It makes us live a little more from our hearts which surely isn’t the part of this fast world and makes it colourful, colours that vanish when you’re alone sulking in your room hearing the loud crackers that makes us a little more silent and colourful reflections of them telling us how black&white we have gone without our loved ones and those traditions.