CHENNAI: Be it the comforting loudness of having the whole family in one place or the weeks of preparation that goes into fixing up the goodie bags or simply the sheer joy of being able to go where you please and when you please - there’s much to miss about Deepavali this year. Even as festival enthusiasts find new traditions amid the still present danger of the pandemic, they reminisce with us about Deepavalis past.
APOORVA MOHAN, PSYCHOLOGY STUDENT
I don't particularly celebrate Deepavali anymore. I did have a tradition of meeting my cousins on the day and going out for dinner. I would end the day by snacking on Deepavali murukku and watching fireworks from Kodambakkam railway station footover ridge before heading home. I will miss those 20 minutes when I could spend watching the fireworks by myself.
MYTHRI SENTHIL, SOFTWARE ENGINEER
My entire family sits up when we discuss what to do on Deepavali. We stopped bursting crackers 12 years ago and, since then, have created other traditions to follow. Every year, my brother and I design our festival clothes.
It’s something my mother insisted we do since we were children. I think she did it to expand our creativity. Our simple minds would explode with the ideas that kept popping into our heads. Last year, I had made a funky outfit whose pants were half sharara. As this year has been taxing, neither of us have had any ideas for our outfits.
Instead, my mother suggested that we stitch masks and distribute them among the underprivileged. We have already stitched and distributed around fifty masks to the sanitary workers who work in our colony. On Deepavali, we hope to reach out to more people.
MRITHULA CHETLUR, ACTOR-PRODUCER
Deepavali has always been about togetherness for me. Ritual-filled mornings at our grandparents’ house with my extended family and laidback evenings with my friends are an annual tradition. This year, however, we will be celebrating a socially-distanced Deepavali.
My mother has rekindled the tradition of sending homemade bakshanam to loved ones, whom we can’t meet. I will miss spending time with my grandparents and trying to woo my grandma to sneak me an extra dollop of her legium. However, through family Zoom calls, I feel we are sharing love during a pandemic, in the most responsible way possible.
AGNISHWAR JAYAPRAKASH, ENTREPRENEUR
Every year, Deepavali is that one occasion where old bonds are strengthened and new ones are conjured. I, usually, help my mother and my aunt deck up the house with 4,000 authentic lamps. Our house would buzz with hundreds of friends and family dining on freshlycooked delicacies and bursting crackers.
It's also the time when we all catch up on each other’s lives, discuss a variety of topics like films and politics, and make elaborate plans for vacations that seldom work out! However, the festivities will be subdued this year. I hardly get to see my relatives and friends regularly.
I will miss those moments of laughing at mindless jokes, gorging on desserts, the mini troll fashion show where everyone roasts each other’s attire; above all, I will miss making new memories with those I love. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s an important lesson that life is short and unpredictable
MAYANK DAMANI, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
The lockdown has been a good thing for my family. Because of my parents' social life, we always have people in our house during festivals. This year, hardly anyone has visited us. As their only son, I have had the whole house to myself. My mother hasn’t been taking it as positively as I have though.
She is persistent in conducting and attending Zoom calls with her friends and relatives. As Diwali inched closer, she plunged herself into preparations. She's bought new clothes and has selected kolam designs. She doesn’t let the fact that her friends cannot make it, drag her down. For the first time, this year’s Diwali picture will only have the three of us standing in the frame.
CHITRA PHALAN, HR EXECUTIVE
For as long as I can remember, I have celebrated Diwali with my parents in Varanasi. It's a week-long process, where everyone is shopping for clothes and jewellery. Two days before the festival, we begin making our traditional sweets.
All the women in the family get together for this process. It’s a huge reunion and us younger girls get to eat as many sweets as we want. This year I am away from my family. I hesitate to visit them for fear that they will contract the virus. My mother is diabetic and my father is old as well. This year, Diwali will be a quiet affair for me.
SL NAANU, THEATRE ARTISTE AND PLAYWRIGHT
During my childhood, Deepavali excitement used to wash over me almost a month before the actual festival day...my mother used to have frequent meetings with all the neighbours regarding the preparation of sweets and savouries for the festival.
These meetings were necessary to avoid any repetition on the menu (except for mixture, which was mandatory in all south Indian households during Deepavali), given that these items were exchanged on the festival day. My father used to purchase crackers in two or three installments. Mostly, new clothes for Deepavali used to be our school uniform.
We would visit all our friends and relatives to exchange pleasantries and sweets. Everything was simple, relaxed and so was life. There was no dearth of excitement, enjoyment, true love and affection. Now, the celebrations - from buying clothes to sweets have become more virtual. I will miss the personalised and intimate celebrations; every thing about celebrating Deepavali the traditional way.
KALPANA MANIVANNAN, AUTHOR-ORGANIC FARMER
I don’t think I will miss doing anything, in particular, this Deepavali. The only purchase I am doing this year is getting new clothes for my farm helpers and giving them some bonuses and pampering
them.
This is the usual thing we do every year and so I am planning to focus on what’s really needed instead of doing things just to tick off a "socially accepted list" in the name of celebration. Also, more
importantly, I will be purchasing only from my local retailers and be conscious to support the local economy.
(With inputs from Roshne Balasubramanian and Vaishali Vijaykumar)