Every Diwali, my parents and I travel to Chennai to meet my relatives. Although I enjoy spending time with them, there is almost always a lot of preparation involved for the trip. The plane and car journeys are also long and tedious.
On Diwali, I am expected to wear a kurta pyjama. Although I find kurta pyjamas uncomfortable and would rather wear shorts or track pants, I put up with them since I do not want to upset my parents. My family prepares a lot of traditional Indian sweets, which we are all expected to eat but personally, I am not a big fan of them.
Towards the end of the trip, our entire family gets together for a grand dinner at a famous restaurant in Chennai called “Mathura”. While I have a lot of fun with my family, I do not particularly enjoy the food there and would rather eat a Domino’s pizza.
Unfortunately, this year we are not able to travel to Chennai due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I also found out that the Mathura restaurant has been closed for good. I am now realising how much I miss the traditional clothes, sweets and the grandiose Diwali dinner.
Sometimes you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory.