Happy Diwali

Diwali is the best time in the Hindu calendar. More than being an excuse for eating a lot (and in my case, a hell of a lot) of sweets, it's a time for the community gather together in an annual reunion. Sort of like Party Conferences, but with better food and closer to home.

On the Council, Cllr Ansuya Sodha, Cllr Sachin Rajput and Cllr Sury Khatri are the other Hindu Councillors celebrating. All four of us get along very well, despite political differences, and I guess that's the point of Diwali.

These sort of celebrations can get a little tricky. People still pull my cheeks and tell me how sweet I am. I'm 25, and I moved beyond being describable as "sweet" when I was 3. More worryingly I am now entering the crucial phase of 25-30 in my life, i.e the "why aren't you married yet?" phase. Already this year, eight people have mentioned to me that they have daughters my age looking to get married. Cue awkward shiftiness and unconvincing laugh.

Unfortunately for me, I will be spending most of the week working, and will only get to enjoy the food that gets brought home. I suppose we all have to make sacrifices. At least I got to see some fireworks.

Happy Diwali folks!