Diwali celebrations are under way - fireworks are easily available on the street corners, unlike Europe where the sale of fireworks is strictly controlled for safety reasons. The streets are full of loud bangs, as everyone gears up for the celebrations. There will be special Diwali sweets and family parties. The Old Town is full of colourful confusion with carts displaying neat pyramids of brightly coloured sand for rangoli sand art, all part of Diwali activities. A little plastic bag of sand will cost about 2 rupees,and the essential plastic 'sand pen' a little more. Every colour imaginable is on display, from deepest blue to palest green and everything in between. The sand is poured into the 'sand-pen' and a pattern can then be drawn freehand, or a stencil with perforations can be used - the sand is lightly brushed over the surface and then the stencil is lifted off to reveal the design underneath.
There are also stalls of brightly painted terracotta oil lamps and candle holders, hand painted with dots and flower motifs, by women in the back of the shop. On the counter, was a tumbler of water with an inch of oil on top and a floating wick, lit, to provide a very home made lamp.
Shops stay open during Diwali, because, as someone explained to me, this is the best time to make money !
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