In the midst of project work in Mumbai, the Rockefeller team experiences Diwali - a celebration of Indian color, lights, sound, and revelry.

As luck would have it, we happily found ourselves in Mumbai for Diwali. What a celebration of color, lights, sound, and revelry! The pop-pop-pop of “crackers” started several days ago but did not heat up in earnest until last night, when fire cracker after fire cracker exploded close to the hotel window. One errant crack hit the windshield of our taxi as we drove to meet up with friends and the head of IDEO India for dinner. Crowds were out in the streets and people were abuzz with last minute shopping before heading home to decorate their houses.

Today, the actual Diwali, most Mumbai residents spent the day with family, cooking, decorating the house, and getting ready for candle lighting. We, the Rockefeller Team, huddled in my hotel room and did project synthesis on the wall of the bathroom.

Tonight, the sky (and the street and every alleyway) was on fire, popping like crazy with light. The air was thick with smoke from fireworks, and every house, hotel, and building was twinkling, blinking, and spinning with multi-colored lights and lanterns. Beautiful colored powder designs were arranged in patterns in front of doorsteps and people were out celebrating in the street. We went to a joint Diwali/housewarming party, where little clay cups full of oil burned on the floor, on window-sills, and around a small built-in-the-house temple. Outside, we lit sparklers and small fireworks in the parking lot and watched the braver neighbors set off huge chandelier fireworks just a few feet away.

Even now, the pop-pop boom is still going strong as we pack up to head to Tanzania later this evening. What a great way to end our time in India. Our taxi driver from Delhi, Ram, summed it up well in a text message he sent to us earlier this evening, “Happy Diwali to my 3 American and 1 Mexican friends. Lots of love for all of you. I hope you remember this international festival full of sweet childhood memories and a sky full of light.”