Grand Finale

And so the Edinburgh festival came to an end, the tourists are still loitering the city streets, albeit fewer in number and the festival theatres have started to wear a deserted look. The city is settling into autumn with the winds getting colder, the leaves turning brown and temperatures not daring to to go beyond 18 degrees.

Before bidding farewell the Edinburgh festival did have its Grand Finale. A lovely concert was organised in the gardens below the Edinburgh Castle. While connoisseur's of music who were rich as well chose to buy tickets and attend the concert, lesser mortals like myself decided to wander around the streets near the gardens where strains of music floated through. The concert was followed by a display of fireworks.

People around me had been raving on and on about the fireworks days before the actual grand finale and each time I heard them, I thought to myself that I come from Trichur and whatever else, fireworks are something we are good at. In fact I felt that the Edinburgh festival fireworks could never match the splendour of Thrissur pooram fireworks. I must admit that I still continue to hold my view after watching the Grand Finale, however, my conscience says that it is my fondness for my hometown which forbids me to think otherwise.

The scots are quite creative, they had music (compositions from great English music maestro's) running in the background and then orchestrated the fireworks in tune with the music playing. The fireworks were so well orchestrated that they arranged themselves like military arrangements, in perfect lines and crosses. With the Edinburgh Castle as the backdrop, the fireworks worked to accentuate the history and culture of Edinburgh. There were times when you felt the castle was lit as prettily as our houses in India is during Diwali and then there were times when you felt the castle was on fire and it needed to be rescued. Almost as if to convey that

the scots had times of harmony and peace and then times of turmoil. Perhaps that's fanciful thinking on my side but I sure did enjoy the fireworks.