Lights are to Diwali as Cake is to birthdays, so whenever people light up their homes for no apparent reason, others feel as if they are celebrating Diwali. But lights are lit up for weddings and celebrations too. And I remember an aunt of mine used to celebrate Diwali even in the middle of the year because that was when her boys came home.

So there are many ways in which one can celebrate Diwali, though the traditional methods still hold true.

However, they have changed a lot since I was a child. Not only were they simpler, but also celebrated traditionally with home-made sweets, new clothes, fireworks and family time.

 My Diwali Celebrations

Since my dad’s transferable job took us all over the country, our Diwali has always been a simple family celebration. Sometimes we were lucky enough to celebrate with extended family on either side of the tree, but essentially, our family developed its own way of celebrating festivals.

The bath at the dark dawn 

Believe it or not, back in the day when I was growing up, Diwali mornings would actually be freezing even in Bombay.

My mum would wake us up on the first day of Diwali, at crack of dawn. Believe it or not, but back in the day, it was frightfully cold in Bombay and with our teeth chattering, my brother and I would sit stripped down to our underwear (when we were very young that is). We were made to sit on low wooden stools bordered with rangoli patterns and flanked by a flickering oil lamps. Then in the darkness, my mum would massage us with special scented oil. Off we would be marched to the bathroom one by one as she continued the rub down with This would be followed by a scrub down with herbal paste of turmeric , sandalwood , chick pea flour and fresh cream. This was followed by a soaping down with a specially opened round Moti sandalwood soap. Finally, we’d be rinsed with steaming hot water and rubbed dry with a new towel.

Each one of us would set off a string of firecrackers while having our individual baths.

New was the operative word and after dressing up in our new finery, we’d sit at the table for the special breakfast. 

In my own home, the children resisted getting up at dawn. Holidays were meant for a lie-in. They didn’t bother with new clothes either, since clothes were bought all year round. I did, of course, keep away some clothes specially for Diwali but the tradition of shopping for fabrics and choosing patterns was a thing of the past.

Diwali breakfast 

Clean and well attired, we looked forward to the Diwali breakfast – a special  feast of home made goodies – Ladoos ( hand rolled sweet balls) made of semolina and coconut or toasted chick pea flour. There’d be fresh coconut karanji ( stuffed deep fried pastry) crispy savoury shev , chakli and chivda and some fresh snack like pohe (beaten rice flakes).

After breakfast , my brother and I would be sent off to the neighbour’s house with a plate of goodies covered with a stiffly starched napkin and  strict instructions not to dawdle as we had to go to several houses that morning! We returned with more goodies and got down to the exciting competition of judging whose goodies were best!

While my children were little I used to make the customary sweets but with everyone becoming calorie conscious, I now just make the bare minimum as it is considered inauspicious not to light the stove on a festive day.

 Similarly , the exchange of goodies is more a style statement with traditional sweets being replaced by store-bought stuff like baskets of fresh fruit, boxes of dry fruit, chocolates & cake delivered by emissaries like drivers and or maids. Worse still, gifts are exchanged well before the festival itself as many people lock up their homes and go away on holiday!

Diwali meals

All meals during Diwali were vegetarian. Breakfast was no longer eggs and toast but pohe or upma. Meals were served with special sweets like Shreekhand or Basundi and at least one meal was eaten with the extended family.

Like everything else this too has changed and I even serve non- vegetarian fare made in non traditional cuisines like Italian and Chinese.

Of course, my grandmother would have been horrified, but I believe that festivals are meant to be enjoyed and food plays a very important part so I hope God forgives me this transgression. 

The Festival of Lights 

As children, the most exciting part was going to the bazaar to buy clay lamps and firecrackers. These would be sunned for a few days so that they were really dry and ready to be used. Occasionally, my mother would let me colour them. 

We’d roll out long , thin cotton wicks and soak them in oil so that they stay lit the whole night. Lamps were lit in the door way or in the verandas, at dawn and dusk two wicks at a time and in a lamp filled with oil.

This was one time of year when we were encouraged to light at least ONE light in each room on at all times ( including the bathroom and store room) so that Good Luck and Prosperity found its way to our home. 

Traditional clay lamps have to a large extent given way to tealight candles and electric starry lights and floating candles but essentially the lights still remain the highlight of the festival.

This Diwali doesn’t seem very festive, and I wonder if it is because of the extended rainy weather that has played havoc with our lives and moods.

Nonetheless, I’m going to start with getting things ready for the celebrations tomorrow and hope to make it as festive as I can.

Ciao,