Eid now and then

As I sit here in my closet my thoughts wander into the time when Eid was not merely a holiday but signified an exuberant occasion. A day which used to bring a splendid smile on everyone’s face and filled the hearts with unrestrained joy. But somehow this auspicious day had lost its charm- at least for me. Nowadays Eid is merely a day when my dining table is flooded with lots of delicacies but is surrounded by just a few members. Lunch over Eid over!

Earlier I used to wait for this day whole heartedly because it used to bring with it a message of love and a message of brotherhood. Those days Eid meant wearing new clothes to make yourself look like groom and then visiting your relatives in order to get a hefty sum of Eidi and not sitting in your room and writing a note. What a joy it used to bring when Mom, Dad and relatives slipped in a hundred rupee note each into my bosom and I was free to buy myself crackers and sweets. The noise of the crackers was like music to my ears and fireworks not only flamed the sky but also the living and enthusiastic child in me, that child which I used to be.

Now the flavor of Eid has been lost or perhaps it’s my taste buds which have forgot to sense the spice. Nowadays Eid comes with a message of solitude and social isolation. Relatives are the same but the heart is disinclined to see them. The Eidi has been enhanced to greater extents but gives less happiness. The sound of firecrackers, which was music to my ear, has become an intolerable noise. I still remember the barbeque stall where I used to spend the whole afternoon living the best of my life, making most of the little money which I had. Now my pockets are filled with currency but I don’t have anything to buy. The local barbeque stall is still there but now I don’t find it up to my status. Although the city has Café Robusta and CCD but the edifice is too far. Though we’ve got a car in reserve, there is no one to fill the adjacent seat.  The nearer pizza hut has a variety of pizza pie, from Italian to Indian and from parched to roasted, but hunger is less.

I want my life back! I want to dress myself up like I did before- Just like a groom. I want to wear the turban once again and fell the felicity which I am craving from a long time. Take away all my money and give me back those days when ten rupee note was enough to buy the happiness of whole world. I want to go back to the time when tears used to roll out on seeing the broken pieces of your favorite toy car, the time when mothers love was the most beautiful thing one could ever experience, the time when fairies were real and magic existed, the time when my father’s shoulder was the highest peak of the world, when my brother’s new toy made me jealous and when my sister was the first person to wish me happy Eid, the time when heart’s job was to pump blood only and my life was my own; the time when the world was as simple as it may be- just like me.