Everyone's Invited

It's Diwali Eve. There's light. And sound. Some flowers. Lots of smiles. Some flared nostrils. A lot of bravery. People are shaken. The ordinary and the important. Everyone is talking to everyone. Just checking, bhai. You know. Terrorist-sherorist, bag-wag, bomb-shomb! Kalyug hai!!

People are exchanging 'What they were doing when it happened?' stories. There is silent fear. There is loud abandon. No need to cancel the party, yaar. Oye, haar ni manni. We aren't scared, yaar. May be we should talk about something else. Saturday's party rocked, no? Hmm… well. But the DJ from Lahore… great music man. By the way who was missing?

No, not on TV, in real life! The channels are anyway just competing for TRPs. Yes I saw that. The burnt hand? On TV, where else. Yes, but they could have spared us the blood. Just too bloody, man. SMS. A friend's friend's friend's mother has been found missing. Shit. Tried the hospitals? Tell him it's okay, he'll find her, not to worry. Another SMS. The friend's friend's friend found his mother.

A certain Mrs Jain. He found her dead, at that hospital morgue, where some people were fighting over a burnt body. Oh, umm… I am sorry, man. My sympathies for the friend's friend's friend. A call. Are you all right dost? Yes, what will happen to me. I was worried. Hmm. Called home? Yes… did… ahem will… Hello, home? Am all right. Good, but we never doubted that. Never mind. No, no tell us. Delhi had blasts. What? Where, how, who?? Are you all right? Safe? Yes. Please watch TV, sometimes. Hmm goodbye. Have a call coming.

Call says… But I just left the place a few minutes ago. Hmmm. I was planning to go there, next day another friend says glumly. I am glad you didn't! I could have been there too. Walking into, past a shop selling... umm death.

But tonight is different. It's Diwali Eve. It's a night of vengeance. Revenge through music. The apartment block is throbbing with DJ music and the number of the night is Kajrarey. The Apartment Youth Club has decided to go ahead with the Diwali Nite. The party is, as they say, rocking. The occasion is life. Which is actually a party, where some people live. Some pass out. Some get get drunk and start fights.

And there... there goes a whistling cracker. Bright blue-green sparks. And flying flames. It's Diwali Eve. And it's revenge with music. Dance. And 'harmless' paper bombs.

You're Big Hearted Dilli. Way to go!!