From electronic diyas to Oreo cookie hampers, younger generation is finding newer ways to keep tradition alive.But old timers bemoan the loss of Ganga Snanam at 3 am, among others
CHENNAI:As millions around the world gear up to celebrate the festival of lights, which is said to mark good over evil and light over darkness, City Express finds out the changing/new trends that seem to be challenging the core traditions of the festival. While, the younger generation does not find this culture new or different, the old timers beg to differ.
Since the number of children in families was often more, parents bought several metres of materials with the same design to stitch dresses for all the children. “We had to wake up at by 2:45 am, apply oil and do Ganga snanam. Sweets were freshly made and we used be given only one sweet of each variety per day by our great grandmother. The most integral part was of course the Diwali marundu, which most of the younger generation haven’t tasted or wouldn’t even like now-a-days,”
recalls 70 year-old Manjula.
While the festival was celebrated as a cultural event in a joint family, many argue that traditions have taken a backseat and it has become a social event. “I remember celebrating Diwali with my entire family. But with time, we turned to the concept of nuclear families and met only during such occasions,” opines Shyamala.
Buying cartons filled with crackers have become a thing of past for several families for various reasons. Firstly, most people have turned to the concept of ‘going green’. Secondly, aged parents who live away from their children say that they don’t have the ‘energy or the interest’. Deepika, shares that she has never been interested in the tradition of bursting crackers. “We were one of those families who never burst crackers and have always been conscious about the environment. Why do it if it’s going to affect us in the future?” she opines.
But some old timers still seem to not get over the years of traditional conditioning. “I have been bursting crackers for 50 years now and I haven’t able to accept the fact that we have to stop that tradition. Somewhere, the child in me wants to burst at least a 1000-wala!” grins Kanakasabesan with a child-like enthusiasm.
From buying clothes online to switching to battery-operated diyas, the heart of the festival has taken a huge shift from traditional to commercial. LED-light diyas, fancy lanterns now adorn the houses instead of the traditional oil lamps Reason? Oil lamps create a mess, and it’s tedious to clean. “I prefer the LED diyas, they are less time consuming and it’s safe to have them when children are around,” says Geetha, a home-maker.
Talking about online shopping, youngsters opine that they have a wide variety of choice on e-commerce platforms. “Most of us work late nights and unfortunately, many shopping malls aren’t open then. Last
Diwali, I ordered my Diwali clothes online, else I wouldn’t have had any new clothes to wear! I was working late night on Diwali eve,” explains Madhan, a media professional.
While, the grandpas and grandmas cannot stop gushing over the ladoos, jelabis, mysore-paks and jangris that filled their tummies, Gen X and Y prefer to choose from Oreo truffles and cakes to assorted deserts. The founders of Cake Studio, Chennai, reveal that they have till now made 2,250 oreo truffles and Diwali hampers for clients. With more people becoming health conscious, families have stopped making sweets in huge quantity “My mother and her sisters started making sweets for Diwali a week ahead of the festival for the whole family. Now, times have changed. We either buy them outside or make only little for ‘sasthram’,” says Lakshmi.
What about people who celebrate Diwali away from home? They do it the traditional way! “It’s been six years since I settled in the USA, but every year I wake up early, apply oil, have bath and also try making sweets at home,” chuckles Sarvesh, a game designer.