I am going home this Diwali! :) #GharWaliDiwali

While scrolling down the news feed in my Facebook wall, I saw a friend had shared a post with #GharWaliDiwali video from Pepsi some days back. I did not see it. Not because I do not have the time or interest to watch it, but because I didn’t want to cry sitting in my office. I was pretty sure it will have something that will make me emotional and remember what I was about to miss again this year. Like three years in a row.

In the past two years, I have Diwali spent sitting back at home, lighting diyas just to follow the tradition and spending time reading books or cleaning the house. Alone. All my friends and flat mates had gone home to celebrate Diwali with their families. Whomever I called, they were already on their way back home. I could not join them because I was going home a few months later and getting leaves was difficult. Yes, my mom felt bad but she said, it’s ok. You’re coming in January, in her choked voice.

I was all prepared to spend this Diwali alone here again when this tiny incident happened. My boss called for a meeting a few weeks back to check our schedules and whether we are taking leaves during Diwali and when are we planning to join back work. One team member was already going home for a week, the rest of us replied in unison that we’ll be back at work on the day office resumes. None of us were happy with the answer though, he felt. He took a minute and looked at us. He said, “I got a call from my mom. He wants to Shaurya to spend his Diwali with his grandmom this year. Shaurya hasn’t spent one single Diwali with his grandparents till date and it has got us thinking. So, this year, we are going home. I am going home to spend my Diwali with my mom.” We saw his smile widen. But it failed to bring to smile on our faces.

The next morning, we all got mails from him to assemble for a meeting at 11 am. He had something very important to discuss. He came and sat with his laptop, connected it with the projector and looked at us. He announced his dates of travel. Then, looked at us again and said, “You need to quickly tell me the dates of your travel as well. It will help me synchronise the work schedule accordingly so that none of us lose our jobs!” Where are we travelling was the look on our faces. “To your homes, of course! I saw your expressions last evening and could understand your state of mind. Diwali is a celebration to be enjoyed, not a regular holiday to spend cleaning the house and watch movies. I want you all to go home, spend time with your families and come back with a bang.” We weren’t expecting this. Seriously.

We booked our tickets and planned our return dates accordingly. And we decided, let’s surprise the parents and enjoy the smile on their faces. We’ll whatsapp on how each of our parents reacted. Let’s preserve those priceless expressions.

Diwali is a just a few days away and my tickets are booked. All of us leaving very soon for home, to meet our parents, to enjoy the puja, the burn the crackers, to get scolded for not coming back home despite getting late, to hang out with friends and remember how we spent our Diwali together, to eat as many laddoos as possible without caring about the numbers on the weighing scale and to breathe in fresh air. 

And in the meantime, while I am busy shopping gifts and packing my bags, I decided to watch the PepsiCo #GharWaliDiwali film. This time in a happy mood.

After watching the video, I wanted to thank someone for making this Diwali happy for me. I logged on https://www.gharwalidiwali.com/ to check the offers on the gift hampers. I typed my message for my Boss, thanking him for what he’s done for us this time and sent him a Pepsi Ghar Wali Diwali hamper. It’s definitely not a bribe for the upcoming appraisals but a heartfelt thanks to him.

Image courtesy: webneel.com

Happy Diwali! :)