Siblings have their little weapons tucked away. The one I hold against my brother is the somewhat misleadingly cheerful 'busvanam'. Even today in the midst of all the Diwali 'atom bombs' and rockets, the one thing he actually pales a little bit in front of, is the 'flower pot' or the 'busvanam' (pronounced boo-svaa-nuhm). The reason goes back to that one eventful Diwali many moons ago, as they say.
Diwalis at Gokulam were a crowded riot. Sooner or later, aunts, uncles and cousins would converge to take thatha-patti's blessings. We waited expectantly for the cousins, mainly. While the adults wished and blessed us etc. and we fell flat several times at the feet of elders, the youngsters were in the thick of Diwali galattas and the crackers, sweets, noise and laughter too converged. With most of us about 25 cousins coming together (and yes we regularly counted ourselves) this was a real event.
It was one such Diwali evening, which became more eventful than we planned for. My parents had some errand or visit to run, which really did not matter too much to us. Through childhood there were two aunts and a married cousin living next door and it was pretty much like an extended family. Those who have experienced a joint family know what it's like - there's a lot of familial things happening, from gossip, to food to playtime, or even wars! My sister would frequently for instance march off to one of my aunts to request for 'pottu kadalai' (fried gram) - seating herself down with a cup, without much ado. I would have standby hairdressers in my relatives whenever the need arose. So it went without saying that Diwali would be all across.
We continued playing with crackers and as it became dark, there were a lot of the sparklers, chakras and flower pots now coming out. Among the fireworks, it was common sometimes to get a 'buss' - that is a cracker that didn't go off and we would just kick it away to the side and continue. My brother, boisterous as ever, was trying to make the most of every firework. In this instance he came across a flower pot that did not light. Pushing to ensure paisa vasool, instead of kicking it away, he tried to light it once more with a sparkler. The next thing we heard was a big bang and my brother was screaming. Used to his acoustics, very often I would not take his shouts seriously, imagining him to be playing the fool or just making a scene. Mind you, both happened very often. Here too, I almost started clapping to cheer him - this was usually also a mechanical reaction to anything he did - when I realised this was not play.
We saw in horror that his hand had taken the impact of the blast and he was, actually in pain. My elder cousins rushed to help and his hand was immediately doused in water. But it was clear he needed medical help. My aunt and uncle - pattathai and athimber as I called them - also rushed. Very rarely had I seen my uncle look flustered or worried, but this was a unique situation. They took him in their black Ambassador car to the doctor to get his burns treated. My parents returned and heard all, but even before they could wonder about how he was, the brother also returned, hand covered in bandages and very often as is the case, looking more proud and heroic, than in pain. The scars and the burn healed very quickly, though the skin on his hand looked much paler for several days after the incident. My brother continued to milk it for all it was worth talking about the entire incident like an adventure; however, so did the whole family.
We returned to business as usual, that year and the subsequent years, bursting the usual assortment of firecrackers though my brother ensured that he steered clear of the busvanams.
Looking back it was possibly a narrow escape from what could have been a much nastier accident. In addition to any risks associated with crackers, what kept us feeling more safe and sane is the idea that there is a family and an extended family safety net that takes care of you. More than ever, Diwali or festival times are when these bonds get strengthened. The rituals around taking blessings of elders or the practices of sharing sweets and gifts are a way of reinforcing and reassuring ourselves of people who care for us, all around us. Here's to the spirit of family and the Diwali spirit!
You can read more about Diwali at Gokulam in an earlier post here.
