Do you have to believe in God and religion to celebrate festivals? When I was a kid, the sleepless nights would begin a week in advance. My paati would start preparing bhakshanams and the entire home would be infused with the aroma of the savouries being prepared. On the day of Diwali, we would begin celebrations at the crack of dawn and never really stopped. The first day of school after Diwali was the worse. The only thing that comes close to that feeling now are Monday mornings. Now, I know Diwali is close when I open the newspaper and see 3 consecutive full-page ads from e-commerce sites, all shouting out offers that I really cannot differentiate. There is a pre-Diwali sale, Diwali sale and post-Diwali depression sale. I still enjoy festivals, but a lot of my beliefs have gone up in smoke in the interim years. We are all born believers. I never grew up in an overtly religious family. My parents, thankfully, didn't thrust any godman dow...