The game of diwali or lagao, as used interchangeably in local parlance, precedes its namesake festival. Although, Diwali is around a fortnight away, the irresistible clattering of the dices of diwali and the shrill cries of lagao have shattered the silence of the night in many localities. Paupers seeking instant enrichment and the affluent looking out for some hours of leisure join casual gamblers, squatting or leaning forward in an arc around the laiyum to place their bets.
While playing cards with high monetary stakes has no social sanction and Housie has more acceptance, none can deny the fact that in this festive season and time of family re-union with the ensuing Ningol Chakkouba festival, diwali has played the role of a major dampener.
Already, rogue personnel have begun working overtime to raid the localities in search of lagao games – as individuals, groups, many times led by officers in official vehicles – not to apprehend the gamblers but to negotiate their daily shares as in the previous years. The police department should take measures so that the law enforcers do not stoop so low as to cash in on the ‘gambling season’ as an easy way out to earn extra money as appeasement from their family members and earn their gratification.
The game of diwali is a not a religious obligation but a social nuisance. It is the incarnation of the devil in the festive season that embodies a spirit of giving. Social organizations and local elders should not give it license based on misplaced festive grounds but instead count the scores of reasons for its obliteration. Each year, hundreds of households have been deprived of the joy of family reunion as the lure of placing a bet in the prospect of easy money to augment their spending power have instead culminated in emptying their pockets. Many individuals marketing for Chakouba have to return home with droop shoulders after losing their money in bets. The tradition annual luncheon and family gathering were unnecessarily turned into a sumptuous feast of barbed words, scorching glances and kin not meeting eyes. The festive season is much better off without the joy of gambling.