08.11.2026
I woke up in the morning and realised that I had wrongly thought that I was working in the day. Guess what? I had a free day and it was Diwali! I looked around for something to do and then saw that a film I had been looking forwards to for a great while was on at 9am! My day:
- The Ramayana at Vue Cinema Stratford. With the Ramayan, I was completely immersed in the story. It was a spectacular film too. I couldn’t get enough! Looking forward to part 2 with impatience. And the only actor in it I actually follow is Sunny Deol. So a completely unbiased opinion. Ravana the villain was given a lot of screen time, including getting into his mind. I remember my grandfather telling me that Ravana was one of us, that he came from the low castes. That is one tradition of how he is perceived. And certainly, they played on this in the movie, where one that is born in royalty calls him someone that came from slaves. The problem with the film? It reflects the class culture of Indian. All the bad thoughts, resentment and jealousy come from the servants and the dispossessed like the Asuras or Keikei’s servant.
- Lunch at McDonald’s at Stratford. Chicken burger with chicken nuggets, fries and orange juice. Even though it was Diwali, I refrained from having beef because I avoid red meat as much as I can for the environment. I would have liked a Coke but am trying to restrict my sugar intake.
- Canary Wharf Park and waterfront. Messaged my friends with a happy Diwali message and got approached by some random dude that wanted to talk to me. The tranquility of nature and the beauty of autumn.
- Chocolate cake at Ole & Steen’s in Greenwich. This is why I didn’t have the Coke earlier. In my special moments in life, I always try to celebrate with chocolate which is one of my favourite things in the whole world. I was doing an extra shift today and therefore I didn’t feel guilty about spending the money.
- Got some books about Empire I wanted at the Oxfam bookshop. It is Diwali in England. I am Indian. It is fitting to read about how we still live in neocolonial and Imperialist times by Indian authors. We are still facing the Empire as a community.
- The Astronomer of the Year Exhibition at The National Maritime Museum. Intriguing and inspiring photography which I will return to time and time again over the coming year to see more and more each time in this intricate images.
- Luxmuralis at the Old Royal Naval College with one of my best friends there. It is the day of lights. It is Diwali. Dilwalon kein har ekh din diwali hoti hai (It is Diwali for those with hearts every day).
