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I replied, "Guy Fawkes must have been very fond of crackers and Diwali." Said Harinder, "Not exactly Diwali, but he did get hold of 36 barrels of gun powder to blow both the Houses of Parliament and kill the King after the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603. Fawkes and all other conspirators were caught and Guy Fawkes was executed. The event is commemorated with burning the effigies of Guy Fawkes and lighting up fireworks." Driving around the city
we reached an area called Papatoetoe. The intensity of the fireworks
increased suddenly. I said, "Seems like in this area, people are
really angry about Guy Fawkes’ conspiracy." But Harinder said,
"This is an area, where Punjabis are celebrating Diwali with
zeal. There are five gurdawaras in this area only and each is trying
to outdo the other."
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THIS
Diwali, I was in Auckland, New Zealand. I was highly impressed to see
fireworks and crackers all across the town. "These Kiwis show
quite an enthusiasm for Diwali," I remarked to my host Dr
Harinder Malhotra, a former professor from PGI, now permanently
settled in Auckland. I was about to compliment a gora and
gori for the fireworks on Diwali when Harinder pulled me back,
"They are celebrating Guy Fawkes Day. Diwali just happened to
fall on the same date."