Diwali at Felix Road Adventure Playground
The playground holds a bowl of noise
An orchestra tuning up in the pit.
Parents’ voices arpeggio
Soprano to tenor
Pre-schoolers on scooters
Wheels grate the tarmac
A gyroscope’s scale
A hungry baby’s roar
The passionate urgency of a trumpet.
The DJ interrupts, releasing a Bhangra staccato from her decks
The effect instantaneous
Hands reach skywards
Hips loosen
Heads nod in affirmation.
Suryan granted a boon:
A shamiana of warmth and speedwell skies.
Chins lift up
Shoulders unclench
In homage to the respite from October’s insidious rains
Leeching colour and energy.
A tamasha of aromas insists on attention:
Dhal, pakora, biriani.
A meal fit to welcome Sita and Rama back to Ayodyah
Eaten modestly off disposable thalis for £2.50
Priced for punkah-wallahs rather than courtiers.
A history book of immigration to England opens its pages
Within the playground walls.
Bidden by the Bhangra beat, two boys dance:
One in saffron turban, indigo kurta, pyjama trousers
His Turkish friend tires of copying his moves
Lured by the basketball hoop.
Russian rises from a table of laughing, eating women
Barricaded by pushchairs.
The cooks in the kitchen wipe brows with chunnis
Bangles tinkling as they roll pakoras in an inferno of oil.
A line of petite Heidis wait in a proper English queue.
Mandalas, oms and lotus flowers transforming their hands into living art by the Henna Lady In skinny jeans, voluminous hoodie, immaculate weave,
Unwavering focus.
Without a single note of Auld Lang Syne sung
The Hindu New Year is welcomed in.
Subitha Baghirathan
10th November, 2019.
Glossary:
Suryan: The Hindu sun god
Shamiana: large ceremonial tent, similar to a marquee
Tamasha: a fuss, commotion; a performance
Punkah-wallahs: servants specifically in place to operate the large ceiling fans (punkahs) to keep Europeans cool in their homes, during colonial times before electric fans were available
Chunni: a long scarf in thin material, often part of a matching salwar kameez set
