Diwali lockdown period: ‘We made rangolis, lit diyas and had lots of fun’

Planning social get-togethers with friends and family through virtual platforms is a bit of a task but worth the hassle. It was very disheartening to think that Diwali, the festival of lights, would not be filled with lights and companionship this year but just reminiscence.

Thankfully, the miracle of technology restored those lights and did not let the Covid-19 pandemic dampen the spirit of festivities among family members and friends. My friend called me up on the morning of Diwali, asking me to vote for a time that suited me for a virtual Diwali celebration using ‘Doodle’ and to make a beautiful rangoli for a Rangoli Competition among friends.

Once I was done with the rangoli, I started getting ready. We all met on Zoom’s video platform and showed each other our rangolis and decoration. One of my friends happened to slip over her rangoli and got herself covered with colours! All of us had a good dose of laughter. Later on, we all lit diyas – far away yet with each other, and chatted for hours while we relished sweets…a few sweets never hurt anyone except gifting us a few extra kilos and sweet memories.

It is wonderful how just spending time with our loved ones can ignite a beaming ray of light and hope within us. We might be far apart in this pandemic but our hearts are definitely not. As close as the pandemic has brought us to our family, it has also disconnected us and disturbed our social life.

From the ringing bell of recess and the loud chitter chatters to joining our virtual classrooms and sitting in front of our devices for hours without our friends around us, we cannot help but ponder how this ordeal has turned our lives completely topsy turvy and realise the significance of our fellow human beings – our companions in varying ways in this journey of life. Living with the threat and destruction posed by the virus is not easy but with the amity and love of our dear ones, all of us will make it out of this pandemic with resilience and a lot more respect and love for our fellow beings.

(Author Vibhuti Dogra is a Class 11 student of St. Mark’s Girls Sr. Sec School, Meera Bagh. Views expressed here are personal.)