A very Happy Deepavali to everyone.

We did a small family puja in the evening and then lit candles and diyas all over the place. For the first time, am not going to burst crackers. Reason??? Out of solidarity for the families who were affected by the recent earthquake in Jammu and Kashmir and the serial bomb blasts in New Delhi.
Moreover, every year, someone or the other keeps 'educating' us about the pollution caused by the crackers especially during Deepavali time. Last year, after Deepavali, there was a thick smog over New Delhi for a couple of days. I dont need crackers-'Deepavali' word itself spells 'Deep' (Light) rather than 'Patakha'-avali. (Patakha is Hindi for crackers). And I ensured that lot of candles and diyas were all over my place.

We are planning a drive to Allahabad day after tomorrow to see my 6 month old niece. Lets see if that materialises or not.