A few glimpses of our Deepavali celebration this year … have not posted any pics of our new clothes because it’s really not a pre-requisite to have new clothes to celebrate a festival. Earlier people would buy new clothes once a year during Diwali, so it made sense. In today’s world of unbridled consumption, it’s important to talk about minimalism because the Earth cannot cater to our constant “shopping” and consequent “dumping”.
Our Deepavali 2024
I made several batches of Sattu Laddoo, dry fruit laddoo and Kaju Katli for sweets – all of them were obviously OPOSed. If you are interested please buy this book on Amazon and learn OPOS. There is no better way to cook and no better way to retain the nutrients in food.
In fact my plan was to cook 120 thalis from scratch and I connected with RK (Creator of OPOS, One Pot, One Shot cooking method). He did share tips and quantities that had to be made, but I didnt make the attempt this year because I didnt have enough prep time. Will also need a couple of buddies to help, especially with the large quantities of rice and rotis. Am certainly going to try it during some other festival with a smaller number of plates before taking on the big number. Am very confident of pulling it off, just fell short of time to plan this year.
Instead of my cooking the thalis, we ordered lunch and dinner for the guards and support staff at our condo complex. We try and do this every year.
Amma and I also made a few batches of Thattai and Thenkuzhal (murukku for the uninitiated :):)) for the savoury element. Ofcourse Amma made the Deepavali Marunthu.
On the Deepavali day, I decorated the door and the Puja shelf with flowers. We took bath early in the morning and Amma made Idli-Sambar for the morning meal. I didnt make any special sweet on Deepavali day. We had some visitors the day before and on the day. It was lovely to have Amit come over with Arti and his daughter. He has made it his annual ritual and am glad that he has.
I packed the sweets to give away in biodegradable plates made out of bagasse (sugarcane waste) and Betel Nut leaf. Had picked up these plates in Rengas when we were in Coimbatore earlier in the year. This is not because of climate change …. remember, we used to distribute sweets and savouries to our neighbours on a steel plate covered with a cloth ? The instructions given to us by our moms was to bring back the plate :). Everything got reused.
Our traditional Deepavali celebrations were “SUSTAINABLE” and eco-friendly long before these words became fashionable.
In the evening, we lit lamps using clay diyas. The ghee lamp with the wick is from Cycle Agarbatti. We don’t use candles because they harm the environment. Ghee is healthy, secular and environmentally sustainable. Are you laughing ? Please do. :):)
Deepavali Crackers
We couldn’t burst any crackers this year too because of the ban…. hoping for the day when we can celebrate Diwali the old fashioned way without the hypocrites giving us gyan. I have to use the word hypocrite because, the same people who have strong objections to crackers being burst during Deepavali become silent when animals are killed in droves during Eid or trees are cut during Christmas or crackers are burst during Christmas and New Year across the world…. and please lets not talk of the pollution bogey. One day of bursting crackers won’t add to the pollution. This is clearly an attempt to ensure we don’t celebrate Deepavali in the traditional way.
Before some joker starts talking about how crackers were never part of Deepavali celebrations 2000 years back and how the Chinese and Arabs brought gunpowder to India, please read True Indology’s tweet thread –
Hope everyone had a great celebration on Deepavali. Keep the celebrations going throughout the year. Happy Deepavali and Happy New Year Vikram Samvat 2081.
Do watch the video below to see our Deepavali celebrations and hear the crackers being burst all over Gurgaon.
Great mam 👍.
Bindu, I appreciate your introducing US people like me to traditional Indian customs, but questions: I have heard the Chinese discovered gunpowder, but only used it in celebrations, like the ones you describe. The West has taken it to barbaric extremes. True?
Of late, I read of border disputes between India and China, but these go back to Mao Tse Tung and his covert relationship with Stalin. Regional histories remain, as do regional grudges. BRICS seems to be rattling US cages, for many reasons.
Is this the traditional Indian start of the New Year? Deepavali? Pardon my ignorance, but I’m really trying to understand a cultural tradition so different from what I’ve been taught.
Dear Katharine, apologies for the late reply. I am trying to get back to posting regularly but it’s not happening for some reason and in the process, I am missing out on replying to comments.
Here are the answers – Chinese did expand the use of gunpowder but the basics went from India. BRICS is indeed rattling the US because a strong India and a strong China would change the world order completely. The border disputes between China and India are again partly China’s own expansionist agenda and some of it is built up through fake news. Culturally India and China share a deep relationship, not always antagonistic.
Deepavali is also the start of the Hindu New Year. Traditionally new books of accounts will be opened. It’s still a practice in several Indian companies. Government and many Indian companies distribute bonuses to employees just before Diwali.
Hope I got all the questions :):).
Thanks, Bindu. You tried, but only opened the door to more questions. That’s why I need to travel more, to see for myself, ut to learn different languages, which give true insight into the countries and places I visit. I don’t like the way the US is heading. The war mongering factions seem to be provoking conflict.
Please feel free to ask questions – I will try and answer to the best of my abilities. And do visit India, would be happy to take you around and show you my beautiful motherland. There is absolutely no substitute to seeing a culture up close.
Thanks, Bindu. And to sample true Indian food. The best of cultural experience comes from its cooking!
Oh yes ! Please come over for a year. It would take longer to sample the variety of Indian food … every hundred kilometres brings a different dialect (language) and a different cuisine.