Who stole the Candle Wax?
On every Diwali, known as the festival of lights, our family has a big discussion on the kind of lighting we should have. And after talking about candles or electric bulbs we invariably choose the diyas or earthen lamps for their beautiful flames. But last year, we reached the kumhara or potter’s roadside shop a bit too late. The lamps had been sold out and the potter had a big smile on his face. So we decided to light candles. On Diwali eve we lit up the house with candles, putting one small candle between two large ones, to create a pattern. Horror of horrors, when we looked at them some time later, they had become much smaller. My five-year-old cousin thought it was magic. “Where did the wax disappear?” he asked. I smiled and remembered my uncle Prosanto, who had solved this mystery for me when I was a child. When wax disguises itself “When you wear a disguise, people cannot recognise you. Similarly when candle burns, the wax simply changes into something else.” That’s how my uncle
