Reminiscing about Diwali

There is something very special about this "festival of lights" that puts me in the highest of spirits and takes my enthusiasm to its peak. I just returned from a hectic trip to India two weeks back and was generally feeling low with my daughter leaving for hostel the next day and the house dusty after my long absence. When someone asked me what I was going to do for Diwali I just mumbled "maybe order some sweets from saravana bhavan,I have so much cleaning to do". After vijayadashami it suddenly struck me only 2 more weeks for Diwali and I really don’t know what came over me (for that matter, nor does anyone in the house know why I am working like someone possessed).

Let me begin from diwali in my parent's home. I come from a palakkad iyer family where vishu and onam are generally celebrated more enthusiastically by my parents since both of them lived in kerala till they made Mumbai their home. As kids, I remember getting a new dress. In fact I would get two dresses (much to my brother's indignation) because mostly my "star" birthday would coincide with diwali. My mother's main agenda would be the preparation of bakshanams and that too 3-4 days before diwali.. Sometimes it used to be a joint affair with both my athais joining in and we loved that festive atmosphere and also the fact that no one kept an eye on us. We could be outside the whole day long (Mumbai is famous for its diwali vacation).

Diwali morning would start early. There used to be an unwritten, unspoken competition as to who would be the first to keep the crackers. Raju, our friend would invariably be the first. Silly fellow would get up at 4 am, burst that long chain of crackers which woke up everyone in the vicinity and disappear, only to brag later that he was the "first". We kids had an oil bath, dressed in our new clothes and ran out to burst crackers (phatakadi as we used to call them .I used to be quite scared of explosives but liked colours, or phooljadis) then came home around 9 for breakfast of idli sambhar and moms bakshanams (sweet would invariably be rava ladoos, mysore pak, boondhi ladoos or coconut burfi and kaaram would be ribbon pakoda, murukku (my mother was the only one in the family who made kai murukku)mixture or muthuswaram).this was followed by a visit to the temple and a sumptuous lunch.

Then some years later, I got married into a typical madurai thanjavur family for whom this was the ultimate festival. My MIL began preparations a month before. The whole house was turned upside down and given a thorough cleaning. Every vessel (haha she called it "ever silver" whereas it was just "steel "for us) was polished till it shone. She bought new bedspreads and at least one decorative item for the house. After the whole house looked spick and span, she ordered some sweets. Anyway since it was our thalai diwali(why is every festival for the first year after marriage prefixed with a thalai ,will someone please enlighten me?) my parents had sent us new dresses and two whole baskets of sweets which in fact was a complimentary gift from the wedding contractor.

We then went to my parents place where my dh insisted that his MIL had to keep oil in his head ( haha my mother did not know "that" ritual and was so embarrassed …which was what dh intended, naughty fellow) all the other rituals thankfully remained the same. Oh yes, one change was that for the first time in my life I burst a chain of crackers and that too holding it in my hand. I guess my dh, the hero in my life had given me the confidence. I was teased to no end about this by all my friends.


Now nearly twenty years later in my home I celebrate this festival with gusto. I have no ego and take what I like from anyone I meet. I too clean the house till everything shines but enter the kitchen a week before, at least. The festive atmosphere rekindles my enthu for cooking and I try out some new sweets. Of course with chithvish being so readily available I do not foresee any problems. Like I have seen my maharashtrian neighbours in Mumbai do, I put a colourful rangoli and surround it with diyas. We go to the temple and I share sweets with my immediate Chinese and Malay neighbours (the nice thing in this being that they do not know the taste of the original recipe so always say my sweets are lovely). And along with some friends we have a potluck dinner and the kids burst crackers.

I am again cheerfully looking forward to it as usual. Luckily some things do not change with time, place or age. Wish you all a very Happy Diwali, my friends and please do share your celebrations.

Dear Dear Mindi

Nostalgia....!(You came back with a bang. Guess you recovered from your viral fever)

I think about deepavalis before and after singapore(married) life. Will come back later after I chew the memories your post have unearthed.

Take care and Happy Diwali to you and Family!. Is there anyway that you could send the eatables you make to Singapore ?

Dear Mindi

A nice write up on Diwali. You brought me back memories of Diwali during childhood days. It was so much fun celebrating Diwali with brothers and sisters in parent's house. Those days only for Diwali we used to get a new dress so we used to wait to celebrate Diwali so that we can wear a new dress and have different kinds of bakshanams made by mother and grandmother. My grandmother was expert in making all bakshanams and making kai murukku.

After marriage it was different, though that time also we used to enjoy with in law's family.

After the children came it was more enjoyment. Till they were children they used to enjoy bursting crackers but after they reached teenage they lost interest in it. Beginning I also used to make bakshanams for Diwali but later started buying from out only since I was a working woman.

This year daughters and granddaughters are here but we dont have any celebration as my husband lost his nephew. But still will be buying new clothes for children grandchildren, especially for grandchildren it will be their first diwali.

But of late Diwali charm is not much like olden days.

Wish you also a very Happy Diwali

love
viji

My dear mindi,

loved your write up. Well my mum has startedthe house cleaning and from nextweek will be helping her in making the snacks and sweets, so i can feel diwli is round the corner. Also will start hearing the crackers.

Wishing you and your family a HAPPY DIWALI

love, hugs and kisses

alpa

dear Mindi,

Wishing u a very happy diwali in advance to u and yr family.Well said, and i can see u in the shiny home, and with new clothes, smiling and making everyone cheerful.

god bless u.

kamal

You remind me of my childhood.
I suppose most of us have similar Diwali experience. Me too Palghat brahmin it Diwali was like you said& here more time is spent in scrubbing & cleaning and food preparation.
Wishing you a happy Diwali and prosperous year.
Jaya

Mindi,
Advanced Deepavali greetings to you and your family!
Most of the experiences about Deepavali are the same...except the fact that I am afraid of 'big' fireworks, I would be satisfied with kambi mathappu, busvaanam, saattai, chakkaram...hehe..

Here, in US as we don't have holidays, children celebrate only during the evenings..

About 'thalai' for the first festivals after marriage...I think ..as thalai is important to the body so do the 'first' festivals for the newly weds..

sriniketan

My dear vijee,

SO GOOD to see u here.i have really missed u since you started to work..

guess i was really in a nostalgic mood:))))

hey, re the sweets wouldnt it be a better idea to wish a parcel from chithvish than her new shishya,"me".....why settle for saravana bhavan when you can have grandsweets..i hope my analogy is correct since i am not from chennai

dear viji,

glad that u liked the post and it brought back nostalgic momemts for you too

I thought this year it would be a BIG celebration with Prathima and gopika. anyway even having a simple lunch with the whole family of children and grandchildren is a HUGE celebration,isnt it?Enjoy yourself.

my dear Alps,

how have you been..its such a long time..I mUst visit the thread where we became friends mostly after diwali only i will have the time..

do enjoy yourself...and have a lovely time with your BF.( I KNOW U WILL) i miss hearing all your news.