Mandy was getting ready to sleep, when her ipad buzzed, indicating that she had a video call. It surprised her when she saw the caller id

“Hey babe, what’s up?” Mandy asked her best friend

“Hey” Niya said weakly

“What happened? And where are you going all dressed up?”

“I came back already. It was alumni night”

“It was today?” then she looked at the wall clock for time “It ended early this time; it would only be seven in the evening there”

“No, it’s still going on. I came back early.” Niya said as she sat down on her bed

“What happened? Didn’t HE come?” Mandy asked cautiously

“Oh He came alright; with his fiancé” Niya said

“Oh, sweetie I’m so sorry” Mandy consoled her friend

“It’s okay, he looked really happy” Niya said in a defeated tone

“Are you okay?”

“I will be; it’s actually for the better only. I was obsessed with him too long, now I can finally move on.”

“That’s right; and now that you’re not interested in him anymore, guys all over would be really happy” Mandy cheered on

“I miss you a lot” Niya said

“Me too”

“So what are you doing day after tomorrow?”

“What’s day after tomorrow?” Mandy asked

“When is our alumni always held?” Niya questioned her

“Two days before……” and then realization hit her “Oh! It’s day after tomorrow. It came so soon.”

“So what are your plans?”

“I don’t know, I’ll think of something. Oh my god I totally forgot; thanks for reminding me” Mandy said gratefully

“That’s what I’m here for. Now you go to sleep, we’ll talk later. Good night”

“Good night; bye; love you” Mandy said to the screen as it went blank

“Ji Hoo, would you go somewhere with me tomorrow?” Mandy asked him the next day as their classes ended

“Where?”

“The place I go to when I miss home”

“The same place you went to when we had the fight?” Ji Hoo asked

Mandy nodded

“Are you missing home?” He asked in a concerned way

“Sort of; it’s just a special day tomorrow. So would you come with me there?” Mandy asked again

“Ok; at what time do you want to go? In the morning or after the classes”

“In the evening”

“So what time should I pick you up?” Ji Hoo asked

“How about I pick you up?” Mandy asked

“Huh? You got a new car?”

“No; we are taking a cab, because I doubt that there would be any parking space there tomorrow”

“You are not gonna tell me exactly where we are going are you?”

Mandy shook her head, grinning at him “But I have one question for you” she said

“What now?”

“What size shirt and shoes do you wear?” she asked with a secret glint in her eyes

The next day, Ji Hoo got a present from Mandy after the classes.

“What’s this?” He asked, shaking the rectangular box

“Your wardrobe for tonight; be ready by 7” and she vanished again in a cab

Ji Hoo opened the package when he got home and was surprised to see what was inside. There was also a note in the box that said

 Don’t worry; it’ll fit you nicely and is also in your favorite color

He pulled up the long shirt in front of his body and looked at himself in the mirror.

A car pulled up outside his home at 1900 hours sharp and the next minute he got a text from Mandy; telling him to come out. He checked himself in the mirror once more and went outside.

“Hey!” Mandy greeted him with a hug as he got into the cab.

“How do I look?” Ji Hoo asked, straightening his shirt collar

“Dapper as always” Mandy grinned at him

“What am I wearing, may I ask?”

“Kurta Pajama; it’s a traditional dress for males which is worn on festivities.”

“Yours looks very much like mine, except this long scarf around your neck” Ji Hoo commented “And why am I wearing this?” he asked

“It’s Diwali! Happy Diwali!” Mandy said in a cheerful mode “It’s the biggest festival in India” she continued on in the same tone.

“Is it like Christmas?” Ji Hoo asked

“Yeah you can say that; but it’s not the birth of a god/deity. It’ll take too long for the whole history but long story short- it’s the return of Lord Ram after 14 years of exile and also after getting his wife back from the evil king of Lanka; Ravana. So in celebration of his return, the people of his kingdom lit lamps around their houses; that’s why it’s also called festival of lights. It’s the celebration of victory of good over evil. And even though it’s a Hindu festival in origin, but people from all religions celebrate it.”

She then looked out of the cab to see where they had reached.

“We are going to reach soon. Just a warning, beware of the firecrackers” she said to him casually

“Firecrackers?!” Ji Hoo asked

“Yeah, well nowadays people also burst crackers to celebrate in addition to lighting up their houses and exchanging gifts with near and dear ones” Mandy said. They reached their destination and Mandy paid the fare

“Where are we?” Ji Hoo shouted above the noise around

“Uijeongbu area”

They headed towards a heavily lit marble structure with a dome and musical sounds could be heard over the speakers installed around it.

“What is this place?” He asked

“It’s a Gurudwara; it’s a Sikh place of worship”

“You follow this religion?” Ji Hoo asked

Mandy nodded “There’s actually a history in Sikh religion too that happened on the same day as Diwali, but I’ll tell you that later” and led him through the gates. “You have to remove your shoes” she said to him as they stood in front of a booth. “Shoes are not allowed inside”

Ji Hoo hastily got rid of the Punjabi Juttis Mandy had given him with the clothes. They deposited their shoes at the booth and Mandy put the token in her purse.

“Did you bring a handkerchief?” Mandy asked him

Ji Hoo nodded and got out the piece of cloth from the kurta’s pocket.

She took it from him and folded it in half diagonally. “Bend your head a little” she instructed him and when he complied, she wrapped it around his head bandana style.

“You are supposed to cover your head as a sign of respect” she explained and covered her head with her dupatta.

“That’s why most men around are wearing turbans?” Ji Hoo asked

“It’s more of an identity thing than for covering our head. All Sikh males are supposed to wear turbans.”

“And their beards and mustaches; what’s the reason behind that?”

“It’s also a part of our identity; all Sikhs are forbidden from cutting their hair.”

“Why?” Ji Hoo asked, perplexed

“It’s also a form of identity; it’s a long story, I’ll tell you some other time. I would have to explain the whole history to you and that would take a lot of time.” Mandy explained

They then went to the sinks installed in the yard and washed their hands.

“Just follow my lead” Mandy said to him and entered the main building.

The inside was jam packed with people but a center aisle was empty and at the end of the aisle was a raised platform where the holy book- The Adi Granth, aka Shri Guru Granth Sahib- was placed and was adorned in the most bright and luxuriant pieces of cloth; filled with embroideries and sequins. Right next to it was another raised platform, a little lower than the previous one, where three men sat and sang hymns in praise of God.

When Mandy and Ji Hoo reached the end of the aisle, Mandy gave him further instructions “Fold your hands, close your eyes and pray for anything you like, just transfer your thoughts. After you are done praying, kneel down and touch your forehead to the ground” and then she closed her own eyes.

Ji Hoo looked at her for a second and then closed his own eyes and prayed. When he opened his eyes, Mandy was kneeling on the ground beside him and he followed her actions. They then exited from the left and got out to stand in a queue.

“What are we doing now?” he asked

“It’s the queue for ‘prasad’- the holy offering. When we reach the end of the line, cup both your hands and accept whatever they give you. It’ll most probably be hot; so be careful not to drop it. Just juggle it in your palms a little, it’ll be ok then.” She said to him as they reached the end of the line.

Ji Hoo was totally not prepared when the server put a hot gooey substance in his palms. He was about to drop it but remembered Mandy’s words and juggled it in his palms and blew on it.

“What is this?” Ji Hoo asked when they had got out the line and returned back in the front yard.

“It is wheat flour cooked in ghee and sugar; it’s called ‘Kadhaa Prasad’” Mandy explained “You are supposed to eat it. It’s good, try it” she encouraged him as she gobbled up her portion.

Ji Hoo put a little in his mouth and was surprise by the sticky sweet taste and finished up his portion too. But now his hands were oily from the ghee

“Here” Mandy took his hands in her and wiped them with a tissue paper.

“So what do we do next?” Ji Hoo asked as he wiped his hands

“We light candles” she said enthusiastically, taking out a pack of six from her purse.

They went to a metal platform where many other candles were already lit and added the ones Mandy had brought to the collection.

“What next?” Ji Hoo asked when they lit the last candle

“Langar”

“Huh?” he asked, totally confused

“Communal kitchen” she just said and led him to another hall

The hall was filled with long slim mats that were spread out in parallel rows on the floor. “All the people are supposed to sit on these mats and eat together. This concept was started as a way to reduce the cast differences that were very prevalent back in the days” Mandy started explaining “Kings and beggars would sit together and eat together in this communal kitchen. It’s a free communal kitchen where everyone is allowed. Before this system was started, the people of lower classes didn’t have the permission to enter temples and were categorized as untouchables. This system said that no such discrimination was to be made. We are all human beings and therefore are all equal in God’s eyes and are identified only by our deeds, not our wealth or caste.” She finished.

“It’s absolutely free?” Ji Hoo asked, surprised

“Yes, anyone is welcome. People donate money and food items so that the system keeps continuing on. People even do volunteer work; it’s called ‘Seva’, which means service. All the food that we would be served is made by the common people only; they have other jobs but take time out to help around here.” She said as they sat down next to an old couple on their right.

“And get ready for good news” She said excitedly “Dal is also on the menu”

Ji Hoo smiled at this as a small kid of 10 offered him disposable plate and spoon.

They ate a simple meal of dal, chapatti, paneer-peas dish with pickle on the side. It didn’t matter who was of what stature in the society; in the house of god, all were equals.

Ji Hoo and Mandy called for a cab after they got out of the Gurudwara.

“So how was it?” Mandy asked when they sat in the cab

“It was good; a new experience for me. But is it always this crowded?”

“No no; it’s usually very calm and quite around here. Today’s an exception because today is a festival.”

“How many times have you been here?” Ji Hoo was curious as to how close Mandy was to this place that she knew it was quite usually.

“I come here every weekend.” She said looking out the window

“You miss home that much?” Ji Hoo asked

“Not really; I just like being here; gives me a sense of peace” she said “When I was in school, me and Niya used to go around Delhi and when we felt tired, we would go into the nearest Gurudwara and just sit there and then take the bus back home.”

“You travelled by the public bus?!” Ji Hoo asked in a surprised tone “And no one recognized you?”

“Yeah, well I’m not that famous back home; when I returned from my kidnapping incidence, my sister was adamant that I don’t get known in the media, so they hid my identity well. I got transferred to a normal public school and that’s where I met Niya. She is the reason I know how normal people behave. I used to hang out at her house a lot and I mostly ate lunch there only.”

“Your parents were fine with that?”

“My mom and dad didn’t really know what was going on with me, they were always busy, but my didi knew and didn’t mind. She would do anything to make sure I was happy.”

“She is like a mother”

“And the age difference adds to that. She was already a teenager when this accident happened; so the terror of it was very much comprehensible by her. When they all went out to any social gathering, I was ‘ordered’ to stay home. At first I resented her for being like this but then understood her motive. She didn’t want me to get recognized in the circuit. And that’s how I got close to the help of the house. I used to hang out in the kitchen a lot; that’s how I learned how to cook.” Mandy smiled at the sweet memories

Soon they reached her apartment building and Mandy said her farewells to Ji Hoo. Ji Hoo sat at the back of the cab, thinking, how nice it would’ve been if he also wasn’t as famous as he is when he was a child.