It's been a long time since I've

This Diwali at my home, as I stepped out in the evening after helping to set up the lights, I saw them projecting a tri-colour hue; the Diwali lights were the colour of the Indian flag. I know for a fact that these lights were sale items from Independence Day or Republic Day stock. It made me laugh so hard because our house looked like the home of a Congress party politician. This incited the thought that it's been a long time since I celebrated Republic Day. Not just attending the event with 2% interest organized by a Junta Party, but comporting myself and committing fully- memorizing khooni hastakshar, dressing up like Rani Laxmi Bai, or reciting the preamble as the audience follows.

I made a list of more things.

It's been a long time since I've watched Ramayan with my siblings and my mom on TV. This evoked the thought that I haven't peeled matar in a while. That's what we did after all, to protract the watch time and see Mahabharata as well. We were big fans; it was the only time Mom allowed us to watch TV on the inverter if the lights went out.

It's been a long time since I've experienced long electricity cutoffs, when days were marked by aberrant normalcy, when the fans lay dormant for five-six hours. Appliances when switched on, bore the semblance of a full-fledged thermal power plant in the home. As time would pass, the inverter discharged, and only darkness and anger remained. The telephone number of NPCL was always on our tips. They were courteous and supportive, and honest people.

When the electricity would go off, I made canvases in the sunlight- some earnest, some playful, some bad, some worst, some so ugly that I needed to repaint the canvas all white. but one thing was consistent: they were all ready-to-hang on the wall pieces (after permission only). It's been a long time since I've finished a painting, let alone made one. I made a Mickey Mouse canvas in 2021, and it's still not complete. I haven't touched it, and maybe I will not because it has one lakh nanometers of dust on it. Since then, I've bought two Mickey Mouse sweaters, but what's the point, really? I promise I'll clean it and finish before March 2026. 

It's been a long time since I've followed my mom's designated aesthetic for me. She is yet to woo me successfully with her fashion sense. I have not worn what she's brought for me in 5 years or more. Now I buy for her online. Now, everyone and I crave that Y2K style moms wrought for their kids in the 2000s. Slowly, she's also desisting from bothering about how my hair looks.

It's been a long time since I've cut my bangs. It was September 200x, I don't remember the exact year, but it was the year I was utterly besotted by Britney Spears. During Navratri week and on a Thursday, I cut my bangs. My mom rewarded me with a boy-cut because my hair got as uneven as that lady barber's eyebrows (she shaped them herself). In this era of self-love, it is frowned upon to wish to be Britney, Kareena or Katrina. For once, can we not want to be ourselves and idolize looking like TV personalities?

Lo and Behold! I almost forgot the most important one. It's been a long time since I've found cash lying around outside, all thanks to digital wallets. My parents recommend putting them in Mandir's daan peti. Hey, hey, hey, I do that. I do that, and I'll do that again if I find cash soon.