The air is full of smoke and smells of gunpowder; the asthama patients have run away from the city...
As Diwali (the set of festivals that falls on various days) draws to a close, those guys who ran away can return back. It seemed to me that this year the number of fireworks burnt were much lesser compared to the previous years. The High Court order did not seem to be working completely, but maybe it did make a difference. Or perhaps, this year people became wiser and decided to spend their monies on other things.
Around this time of the year, people are much happier probably because they get paid more salary (bonus). Shoppers of all kinds of hues and sizes flocked to the shops and bought all kinds of things. It is almost mandatory for people to buy new clothes - so most shops selling clothes were completely swamped with customers. The shops, in turn, utilized the opportunity to entice customers with "huge discounts". Shops selling snacks and sweets made a roaring business. It is probably also customary in businesses to gift a "gift hamper" containing dry fruits or sweets or whatever to loyal customers / associates.
As is the usual custom, sweets and snacks were exchanged with friends and families. I also got a much needed break (change of routine).
The past few years (and this year too) I've also been utilizing the mini-Diwali break to catch up on things. Its an ideal time to complete (or at least try to complete) unfinished assignments and projects.
