It is that time of the year when every, well almost all homes in India go through soaring temperatures with the highest decibels heard from the lady of the house. Yes it is about the Diwali cleaning. The home maker begins with lukewarm instructions about the cleaning process. Within days when it doesn’t pick up the momentum she realises that the staff is giving her deaf ears. Finally the volcano erupts, anyone and everyone coming in her way bathes in the moment of her blast. This is the usual ritual of how the cleaning in Indian homes begin, well almost!
HAPPY DIWALI AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
Diwali cleaning is a very interesting process, most homes do deep cleaning once a year hence a lot of work needs to be done in a short period of time. Staff has to literally race against time to complete the given chores. Certainly the resources used like water, detergents, cleaning liquids etc get utilised more than required and the consideration levels of the home maker and her staff gets equally compromised. Everyone is in a rush to sparkle their homes hardly realising about maintaining their immediate surroundings tidy as well. One classic example of this is while cleaning the window panes and frames. The correct way of cleaning windows is to just use damp cloth and dry newspapers. Cleaning this way avoids waste of water, cleans panes to the optimum keeping the window channels clean and dry and also keeps the neighbouring flat below happy. No one gets affected by the cleaning process. However! the opposite of this process is generally followed for the reasons not known. A lot of water is wasted in the name of cleaning. It is a general psyche that by using more resources the work gets done faster but that is far from the fact. If only people get a little more compassionate and considerate towards fellow neighbours then the Diwali cleaning process can be more enjoyable filled with positive energy. After all, the reason to clean the house is to bring happy vibes isn’t it?
So this Diwali cleaning let us do something different from what we have been doing over the years… Do cleaning at regular intervals to avoid getting too exhausted during Diwali cleaning… Let us be considerate towards staff, neighbours and immediate surroundings while cleaning our homes… Use natural resources like water judiciously, remember there is a wide range of population in our country who still walk miles to get few litres of portable water every day…
Let us remember to pay our staff the bonus and a little extra over and above for cleaning our homes and shining it thoroughly… Diwali is not just our festival it is for everyone including our staff and other people who serve us…
Let us also clear the clutter from our heart and soul that fills us with negativity and hatred. After all what is the point of having sparking homes when our souls are dark and gloomy?…….
Let us spread the real joy and happiness through loving & cheerful vibes, cleaning our homes is just a small gesture towards it…
HAPPY DIWALI AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR AHEAD…
By Jignesha Bhansali, Peddar Road resident
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