The holiday list is an integral part…actually the most pleasant item that I have pinned on my cube’s board. My eyes scan them very frequently to find the next holiday.
So finally another holiday has arrived…July 4
th which US celebrates as its Independence day. The feeling that there will be a 3 day break from the mundane of office was ecstasy to say the least. In such a blissful state of mind, I was reading some random articles from National Geographic magazine.
It said that the last country to win independence in the world was
East Timor in 2002 when the country broke free from Indonesia.Since then no territory has achieved self-government.Nearly 50 years after the UN said colonialism must end, the organization lists 16 places and 1.2 million people, still under foreign rule. Two colonial powers, the
US and
UK refuse to co-operate with the UN.
France will let
New Caledonia vote next decade. And
New Zealand urged Tokelau to choose equal partnership, but a 2007 referendum failed by 16 votes.
This nugget of information made me thank god that I am not one of those 1.2 million people. My cerebration was suddenly broken by sound of crackers. I rushed to my balcony to check if I could see something. There I saw people gathered in large numbers on the other side of the road. They were all out of their homes and had settled comfortably on the grass beside the road...as if waiting for some kind of show to start.
Without a thought, I rushed there to be a part of that crowd. Then started the fireworks which is a customary event on July 4
th. The sky got illuminated with bright colorful patterns in every few minutes. The bigger the explosion and formation…the more kids shouted in enthusiasm. I was looking at those amazing short lived art being formed on the sky.
Within seconds I was transported to atleast 10 years down the memory lane and the sky became a 70mm IMAX screen. Without a doubt, the scene was a Diwali sequence where there were “dia” lighted homes, plateful of sweets…Motichoor ke ladoo, kaju barfi, rasogolla, aunties exchanging pleasantries, uncles talking but yet keeping a strict vigil on children around. Children used to hoard some of their allocated crackers because there was a un-declared competition that who ever has crackers till the end gains the maximum respect and envy of others. I have no qualms in admitting that when children lighted their rockets or fired their mini bombs, I was right there in the far most corner of the house with my eyes closed and hands on my ears. I enjoyed looking at the fireworks but was too scared to light any of them. To be honest, I graduated from phuljhari to chakri, kumpi only when I was full 21 years old.
Then my thoughts were a bit fast forwarded to my college days where the annual fest “Vibranz” ended with such firework extravaganza.
Suddenly, some commotion pulled me back to the present.
I looked around to find what has happened.
The pipes camouflaged in the grass had bursted to water them and all those people who were sitting on it were startled initially as they got wet.Some kids who were not even sitting there ran towards them to get wet and started playing. The ruckus ended up in laughter, smiles and everybody enjoying the water splash on a hot day. This turned out to be a truly spectacular sight....Fireworks on the sky and fountain on the ground.
The fireworks lasted for a good thirty minutes and then the crowd started to disperse.Well being a proud citizen of a free country…I saluted this feeling by wishing all such free spirits around me “Happy Independence Day” and went back to my home.
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