Old is Gold | Diwali Recipes

My tail bone just heaved a sigh of relief as I sit down on the bed. The back shouted I exist and the shoulders have gone into a temporary coma. This is me after two weeks of house detoxification which summarises the process of cleaning the house. The dirt and grime have been given a cautionary notice of staying away from the house because its Diwali. The festival of lights celebrated all over the world. Rejoicing the good and denouncing the bad. Somehow the modern-day definition is far more lukewarm.The bad keeps happening while the good has somehow gone for a toss. Amidst all the negativity which is going around there is faint of glimmer of faith in people.The faith which gives them strength meet each day with a new ray of hope.

I have found so many forwards all through the year castrating granular realities of life. There are pesticides in veggies, MSG is an acronym, meat has a caste and festivals are pollutants. The gory picture just puts a big splash of black paint on my golden memories of all things good from childhood.

I hereby declare that I am yet not giving up my celebrations. So be it. Diwali has been a festival which till date fills my heart with so much enthusiasm that its difficult to keep this cracker contained. I am going right back into the flash back mode without going overtly gaga over words because this is about the festival and not me. We will save the philosopher’s stone for some other day.

The scene is enacted at my childhood house amongst real life actors and the story line is repetitive with no place for pathos. A Diwali day in the life of Roy family.

House : The windows have new curtains only for this day otherwise they keep sulking over the dull brown mass of cloth looming over them like a shroud. The new ones are floral and there seems to be a sudden surge of fresh air in the house cause the windows are breathing.The bed linen is spotlessly clean with no creases…halt only until I have not climbed the bed. The little sister was blessed with dormancy since childhood so the bed never feared any disruption on her arrival. The clutter has been yet again shoved into the box bed, so long as the overall look is clean.

Lighting: Diwali comes every year on a new moon day. The light is said to ward off all evil which befalls in the dark. An Ariel view of the town would show thousands of tiny lights glowing like glow worms. The light is varied there are clay diyas for the pavement. There are candles over the gate.There are garlands of fairy lights suspended from the roof (all credit to yours only).All the houses fits the definition of a wedding house.

Chitta : This is a folk art where patterns are made at the door step and courtyard.This is made to welcome Goddess Lakshmi into our house. Yes it is said this day the goddess of wealth visits every house and blesses them with wealth and prosperity. What an optimistic belief :-). All doors are kept wide open so that the free way is clear for all holy traffic.

Flowers: The otherwise expensive flower has found a place in the loving room vase. There are marigold garlands which are adorning the doors of the house again considered very auspicious in hindu decorations. The bronze urns are filled with water and the flower petals are floating. The whole house speaks of royalty and is somehow rejoicing its liberation from everyday drudgery.

Food: The dry recipes are prepared well in advance and its surplus is always dwindling due to the numerous tasting requests from my sister and me.They comprise of besan ladoo (sweet bengal gram flour balls), Nimki (savoury flour crisps),Murku (spicy lentil spirals) and the list goes on. The readily consumable recipes are prepared on the D-day. They are mostly Poori and Cholae and Kheer which is also offered to god as Prasad. A few memorable Diwali recipes.

Dresses: We are wearing simple cotton dresses because we need to burst crackers.We will be given a chance to wear our new dresses only during the Aarti. This is a lucky month for us as we both are november babies. My mum is draped in a beautiful saree looking as resplendent as usual. I am not sure mothers ever bought sarees but each time I saw her in one she looked as if she has worn it for the very first time (Mind it I am talking about the simple cotton sarees which are marred with daily household chores). A Saree is considered to be the most purest garment because it is an unstitched piece of cloth.

Crackers,Crackers & Crackers: I have no regrets in mentioning that crackers played an integral part of my Diwali. They gave me an immense sense of pleasure and merry-making. Culture is a progression from one generation to another. My father burst crackers and he taught me how to burst crackers. He used to burst tala path aka which are palm leaves wrapped around a little amount of gun powder.I was introduced to red chinesse crackers. The activity of showing the crackers to sun was a ritual I followed every year. Belonging to a middle class family the value of money was quite high and it was a mere hundred grand affair that too bought from the wholesale market to ensure the best economical price. I hardly had the maturity to understand and always kept yearning for more.

The society has progressed to the next level of consciousness and has come to a phase of rethinking celebrations. We need a conscious effort to reduce the pollution and the threat to animals. I am no longer the 10-year-old and I have a role to play in the world which is undergoing a transformations.

But, I have a cherub which is growing to see the world with a new perspective. All the above remain unaltered. But its a new country with a new ambiance. I have brought a minuscule moment from my childhood into this household. She lighted her first sparkler yesterday and for that moment I was just drooling over her expression. Déjà vu !!

I have put a hold on the child’s intellectual and emotional maturity. I want to expose her to my cultural influence and I will let time decide what she endorses. For now its Diwali. Its time to celebrate Diwali.

May the festival of lights be the harbinger of joy and prosperity for all my readers. As the holy occasion of Diwali is here and the atmosphere is filled with the spirit of mirth and love, here’s hoping this festival of beauty brings your way, bright sparkles of contentment, that stay with you through the days ahead.

Best wishes on Diwali and New year!!

I am making Bhajani chakali, besan ladoo, Masala chivda and shankarpali.