Touchstones: Our loud festivities & what comes day after

It’s that time of year in Delhi when you wish you were anywhere else but here. Parties, festivals and celebrations — everything converges as the city gets ready to greet the nicest weather (neither hot, nor cold) that we have just twice a year. This magical time comes briefly and one is tempted to go and explore all the wonderful music festivals, exhibitions and shopping offers that announce unbelievable deals and temptation. But wait, the season is not as idyllic as I have made it sound. Did I mention the noise, the pollution and the heart-attack producing traffic jams? The eagerly-awaited season, like so much else, has undergone a makeover for the worse in the last few years.