LEAD, KINDLY LIGHT
The deluge of mails in my inbox brought back to mind that it was that time of the year again!! And I needed reminding of my home like I need a six-inch nail in the head!!
It’s Diwali, and I am going to miss it. Of course Diwali isn’t such a big deal to us Mallus, but having being brought up in Bangalore; I wait for it with as much impatience as I wait for Onam or Vishu. I guess I am not too pleased at having just three mallu festivals to celebrate throughout the year!!
Diwali to me means clay lamps, new clothes, sweets and invites to all my non mallu friend’s houses to partake of all the goodies.
I absolutely love little pottery lamps. I have quite an eclectic collection of them since I keep adding to them every year. Every year it’s a ritual to sail forth to the little market in R.T.Nagar with an unwilling parent in tow, to go choose new lamps. Not for me the new-fangled ones with candle wax, the non drip candles or electric lights. I believe one of the most beautiful sights during Diwali is a home all decked out with little twinkling oil lamps, so my lamps will always be the traditional clay ones.
My new lamps are brought home and along with the old ones, are soaked in water for a while; taken out and carefully wiped dry. They are then placed on a tray, filled with castor oil and cotton wicks placed in them all ready to be lighted when twilight falls. Once lit and all lined up in rows, I make occasional forays outside to check to see that all of them are still alight and god save anyone who dares switch on any of the porch lights during the entire time!!
New clothes are yet another must haves. My dad protests violently every time I make a plan to get a new dress. This could probably be because I encroach into his closet space, and worse I am so untidy that every time he opens the closet door to get something, clothes tumble out landing either at his feet or if he did not manage to dodge in time, on him!! He has been known, on these occasions, to throw all my clothes out into the hall. And one of his all time favorite laments is that with two women in the house, he hardly ever gets any closet space for himself.
And as far as sweets go, we absolutely have to have sweets from Bhagat Ram’s on Commercial Street. My dad absolutely swears by them. I think we should get a special discount from the store, since we have been buying sweets from them for at least 25 years!!!
Combine this with invites from my friends for a special Diwali lunch/dinner and Diwali is truly a feast for all your senses!!!
It’s Diwali, and I am going to miss it. Of course Diwali isn’t such a big deal to us Mallus, but having being brought up in Bangalore; I wait for it with as much impatience as I wait for Onam or Vishu. I guess I am not too pleased at having just three mallu festivals to celebrate throughout the year!!
Diwali to me means clay lamps, new clothes, sweets and invites to all my non mallu friend’s houses to partake of all the goodies.
I absolutely love little pottery lamps. I have quite an eclectic collection of them since I keep adding to them every year. Every year it’s a ritual to sail forth to the little market in R.T.Nagar with an unwilling parent in tow, to go choose new lamps. Not for me the new-fangled ones with candle wax, the non drip candles or electric lights. I believe one of the most beautiful sights during Diwali is a home all decked out with little twinkling oil lamps, so my lamps will always be the traditional clay ones.
My new lamps are brought home and along with the old ones, are soaked in water for a while; taken out and carefully wiped dry. They are then placed on a tray, filled with castor oil and cotton wicks placed in them all ready to be lighted when twilight falls. Once lit and all lined up in rows, I make occasional forays outside to check to see that all of them are still alight and god save anyone who dares switch on any of the porch lights during the entire time!!
New clothes are yet another must haves. My dad protests violently every time I make a plan to get a new dress. This could probably be because I encroach into his closet space, and worse I am so untidy that every time he opens the closet door to get something, clothes tumble out landing either at his feet or if he did not manage to dodge in time, on him!! He has been known, on these occasions, to throw all my clothes out into the hall. And one of his all time favorite laments is that with two women in the house, he hardly ever gets any closet space for himself.
And as far as sweets go, we absolutely have to have sweets from Bhagat Ram’s on Commercial Street. My dad absolutely swears by them. I think we should get a special discount from the store, since we have been buying sweets from them for at least 25 years!!!
Combine this with invites from my friends for a special Diwali lunch/dinner and Diwali is truly a feast for all your senses!!!
posted by newatthis at 3:18 PM
1 Comments:
Belated Happy Diwali Sam :)
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