Desi Diwali

As a kid, Diwali was the most exciting festival of all. The anticipation of its arrival and the excitement of having a great to-do list was a beautiful experience. Start of the holiday, my brother and I would start looking for old objects for our mud castle. Old earthen pots, paper cylinders, sticks, etc., would come in handy. After two days of hard work, our mud castle would be ready.

We usually would get new clothes twice a year, once on our birthday and the other was Diwali. On Diwali, both brothers would get the same dress, a family uniform specially tailored from the same fabric. I always wondered why our parents would stitch family uniforms for us. Maybe 70s Bollywood movies and brothers getting separated in a mela must have played a significant role in our parent's minds. They also realised we did not have any family song to recognise each other, in case we met years later.

The 2nd item on our wish list was the most important, the firecrackers. With a limited budget at home, we would get a modest package of bare essentials. We would start with tiny ones and plan the ultimate climax with rockets, Sutalis, Laxmis and chakras. Lighting up crackers with incense sticks was the art one had to learn with years of practice. It would take 4-5 attempts to connect the wick with the burning tip of the incense sticks (अगरबत्ती). Laxmi Bomb introduced us to Tamil script. While scavenging for leftover live fireworks, we would find a heap of Tamil newspaper pieces from the Laxmi bomb. 

The Diwali day would start with an early morning auspicious bath (अभ्यंग स्नान ) with Moti (and Moti only) soap. The big round and hard soap only appeared in every Marathi family on Diwali day. At the same time, almost every Marathi family would make Chivda (चिवड़ा) + dry Rava Laddu (रवा लाडू). You will be served Chivda and Rava laddu if you visit any family during Diwali. 

As a kid, I had a few challenges during Diwali. I had dry mouth syndrome, and I would choke on Rava Laddu, Shankar Pala and Anarsa. Going to neighbours' homes for Diwali greetings was a nightmare. Aunty would give you a plate of Chivda + Rava Laddu combo and stand there to ensure I have eaten it (why?). I would divert her attention, put laddu in my pocket, do the act of eating the same and dispose of it or offer it to a friend.

Looking back, these experiences played crucial roles in designing many products over two decades. Festive lighting is a fascinating subject for me. It is exciting to develop new expressions inspired by our rituals and fuse them with new-age practices. It is essential to evolve our traditions, products and techniques with time to keep the essence of our festivals alive. 

Wishing you a very happy Diwali story.

I See Desi.

I See Design.