It's that time of year again...

The signs that the festive season is here are all around us

As surely as summer follows spring, Diwali comes calling soon after the Goddess Durga has gone back to her home in the hills after celebrating Pujos. But even if you don’t monitor the calendar too closely, it is easy to tell when the festive season is upon us. The signs are all around, even if you aren’t really looking out for them. 

In my case, the first hint arrives from Mother Nature herself. The two Shiuli plants on my balcony start budding and in a matter of days, tiny white flowers with an orange centre begin appearing. They bloom during the night, bringing the most amazing fragrance with them. And the next day, the floor is covered with the blossoms that fell overnight, creating a white, perfumed carpet to greet you as you wake in the morning. 

But there are some signs of the approaching festive season that are far more universal. Let’s count just some of them. 

• Everyone who serves you in some way tends to get even more solicitous around this time. The doorman of the hotel you visit opens your car door with a extra flourish; your hairstylist spends more time on your blow dry than ever before; the employees in your office can’t do enough for you; and your staff at home is suddenly full of smiles and good cheer. Is it just the festive spirit that is improving their mood? Or is it the thought of Puja and Diwali bonuses? An ignoble thought, perhaps. But we have all had them, haven’t we?

• No matter where in the country you live, the traffic suddenly increases exponentially during this time of the year. It could be that everyone is out celebrating with friends and family. And those that aren’t are busy delivering gifts to their near and dear ones. Add all those couriers schlepping across town to deliver corporate gifts and you have got a right royal traffic jam on your hands — no matter what time of day or night you venture out. 

• Markets begin to look like something out of a fairy tale with twinkling lights as far as the eye can see. The clothes on the racks get more glittery and sparkly. Gifting hampers tend to get far more elaborate. And mithai boxes start cropping up in the most unexpected of places. 

• Your email inbox starts to look like a roll call of famous and expensive brands as anyone who has access to your details (which is everyone, basically) starts sending you promotional material, offering you ‘special festive season’ discounts on everything from luggage to furniture to shoes to baby care. 

Even if you are a bit of curmudgeon like me, who abhors the commercial aspect that has overtaken every festival of late, it’s hard not to get just a little bit excited about the festivities in store. So, here’s wishing happy holidays to all of you out there. May your lives be filled with light and love. 

Is life a beach?

Or is it a hill to climb?

So are you a beach person or a mountains person? Are you the kind of person that loves splashing in the waves and then drying off on warm white sands? Or are one of those who loves snuggling down under layers of covers next to a roaring fire, with a glass of brandy and a good book in hand, while the snow turns the landscape white outside your window? 

Which one am I, you ask? Well, to tell you the truth, I can’t quite make up my mind. There are times when I feel that I was made to lie lazily on the beach, sipping a cocktail under an umbrella, watching the immutable rise and fall of the waves. But then, the sea breeze makes my hair grow all crinkly, the sun makes me all sweaty and red and the sand gets absolutely everywhere, and I feel that I might be better off in the mountains. 

And I love the mountains! There is something magical about driving uphill on meandering roads and finding yourself looking down on a beautiful vista that changes subtly ever so often. The air is crisp and cold, the weather is bracing rather than blistering, and hot chocolate never tastes better than when you’re sipping it by the light of a bonfire. But then, the cold settles into my bones, the sun goes missing in the mist, and I feel as if I will never feel warm again — and I find myself longing for the beach. 

Is this just me — perverse to a fault — or is this longing for what we do not have an essential part of the human condition? 

There must be a reason why we all head for the cold of the mountains when the temperatures begin to climb in the plains. And why we plan our escape to the sea the moment winter comes calling. We want to enjoy the cold when it’s hot and revel in the heat when it’s cold. 

I am writing this column in Goa, where I am taking a little break from a Delhi winter that is inflicting record levels of pollution on us, and I have to say that the beach life looks perfect to me right now. The shrimp is fresh, the air is salty, and the sand feels soft and satiny beneath my bare feet. The beach is not exactly empty but there are stretches where you can enjoy a little bit of solitude. What’s not to like?

If I had headed to the mountains instead, what would I have encountered in this season? Traffic jams on hill roads because too many other people had the same idea as me, overcrowded hill stations heaving with tourists, crumbling infrastructure — and the guilty feeling that I was despoiling the environment with my very presence. Even the best hot chocolate in the world couldn’t possibly compensate in that scenario. 

So, maybe on balance, I might be better off as a beach person, after all.  Glad we got that cleared up well in time for the New Year!