Growing Circle

It is the time of year when I follow one family tradition. During Navratri, I keep the traditional display of dolls, a custom prevalent in Tamil Nadu. I grew up in Mumbai and after a longish stint in the USA, I am now a Hyderabadi. But traditions stay the way they are because they get transported across not just state borders and geographical limits but across generations as well.

The collection in my annual display is eclectic. It has clay and porcelain dolls from my grandmother that are over 50 years old, miniature brass ans steel utensils from my mother, local Kondapalli toys bought by me, plastic Barney and Winnie the Pooh from Aparna's toddler years, terracota Ganesha's from Pondicherry artisans and a mish-mash of souvenirs from places visited including a bamboo basket from the recent holiday in Shillong. While there is an overarching religious significance to this ritual, for me it has been more of a social ritual. I am not a party animal. I seldom have hordes of people visiting me at one time. But I invite friends to visit during these nine days. Mostly the women and children show up. I make a little snack along with the prasad and give age-appropriate gifts to those who come.

Coincidentally this year the festival marked the one-year anniversary of my occupation of my new apartment. So I invited friends who had been visitors in previous years but I also had new people on my list - my new neighbors. Shweta came with little Yogya, who did not mess the display but quietly destroyed the rangoli outside the door. Little Snigdha did not come but her grandmother came and I struggled to keep a conversation going in Telugu. Anjali appreciated not just the display but other parts of the apartment as well since it was her first visit. My cousin's kids had a great time identifying objects and animals. Shyamala is not a neighbor but a new friend who I met hardly a few weeks ago. Priyanka and I got friendly after she opened a book store near my old home. Shailaja,Radha and Prabha come every year.

It struck me that I had built a substantial network of friends in Hyderabad. As I thought about the years in the US and the friends who would come over then, I realized that I have always made friends in each of the places I have lived. It felt to good to count my blessings in terms of the friendly bonds that I have with so many people. The festivals give us a chance to renew links, to share joy to spend time on what is important. While it may seem like a little extra work, it is worthwhile to keep growing the circle of friends, making new ones and nurturing the old. Long live tradition!