“Firecrackers! We need lots of them!” I remember the joy and excitement on my grandfather’s face and in his voice when he told me this. It is like it was yesterday. Before his demise, he was such a big part of the Dasara celebrations at home.
Each year around Dasara season, he would become our best friend and help us make our own mini Ravana, Kumbhkarana and Meghnatha. We would make effigies using cardboard boxes and wood. My elder brother and I would look forward to the occasion with excitement, and work arduously for days preparing the effigies. My brother would do the designing while I would take care of the painting part. And till Dasara day we would keep making the finishing touches on the effigies to make them near-perfect.
On the all-important day, the whole family would gather in the backyard after sunset and the effigies would be set alight. Though my grandfather would never let us use any high-intensity firecrackers, keen as he was about the aspect of safety, I reckon letting us set afire the effigies was his own way of teaching us the value and the underlying message of the festival, that is, may the fire burn all the evil inside you and fill you with joy.
Then of course there is the pleasure of getting all dressed up every evening and watching Ramlila, the enactment of the story of Lord Rama defeating the forces of evil, in open air would make the occasion all the more enjoyable. During the nine days preceding Dasara, when Ramlila is staged, we would tour the market several times a day and savour a variety of foodstuffs, including jalebis, of which my grandfather was fond.
Almost three decades later, we still have decent Dasara celebrations at home, but I reckon these lack the excitement and energy of yesteryear. And that’s what I try to pass on to my two children, aged six and four.
More recently, I’ve taken over my grandfather’s role in helping my children build effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkarana and Meghnatha. Although at this stage in life, they’re too young to understand why the ritual of burning effigies is observed every year and is such an important part of Dasara celebrations, they enjoy indulging in the whole experience of making effigies, painting them, stuffing them with crackers, setting them on fire and so on. And yes, they love eating jalebis too — the traditional Dasara sweet.
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