I still remember how my cousin and I used to rush to school during Children’s Day. We used to be so excited to reach school on that day. Do you know why? Because we could go in a dress of our choice. We could wear any colour on that day. We used to go to our school and decorate our classes with fritters and balloons. We used to have a whole lot of programmes for Children’s Day. We used to have this song on Chacha Nehru which I don’t recollect now which we used to sing in chorus. Children’s...

So how ready are you? I asked myself this as I packed my bags. We had all decided to go to the Pushkar fair. Now that I am in Ahmedabad and after the final semester was over, all of us would part ways and go the way we wanted, obviously it was imperative, we do something that would completely seal our college life in our memories. Yes all of us wanted to take back good memories of our times together. Well into the last semester, our placement interviews were due anytime and we had but two months...

Whenever the festival of Diwali comes, my aunt’s daughter gets very happy. She plans what she has to get for Bhai Dooj and my aunt’s son on the other hand, starts planning what he has to take in return. This gave and take program is what makes Bhai Dooj the knot of love between a brother and sister so important a festival. My aunt’s daughter also ties rakhi to a friend of hers. So come Bhai Dooj she gives him to a gift and he comes to our house and gives her whatever she needs and...

“I think I will buy it on Padwa. I have heard my mom saying that it is alright to do any good thing on three days of the year. Akshaya Trithiya, Gudi Padwa, and Padwa during Diwali. These are the days when you can do anything good like purchasing a new house, a new vehicle etc.” So today as I am going to buy a new vehicle, I was quite happy and I decided to do it on the Padwa day. Hussain my friend asked me what that was. I said that Bali Padyami is a day that is celebrated after Diwali...

“So we will make everything tomorrow.” My mom said and hung up. Diwali is fun, and is the time when you really do a lot of things. There is something about Diwali that brings about the best in you and you get to do a lot of things that otherwise during the year you would think twice about. For example cleaning the whole house is one ritual which very few like to do but during Diwali they do it with a lot of fervor and enthusiasm. So as my mother hummed her favourite tunes and cleaned...

“I think I would buy it on Dhanteras day.” I heard someone say. Dhanteras, Dhanteras and only Dhanteras. I know that Diwali starts with Dhanteras, but have never bothered to understand the significance. This time I was quite piqued by the whole concept and came home and surfed the Internet. I got substantially enlightened and by the end of the whole article was quite convinced where I would be on Dhanteras! The story goes that there was once a king who ruled over a region. He got a child...

Troubled and worried how you would manage your Diwali this time without help? Upset that your servant left you at the last moment just before Diwali? Frantically searching for your cookery book? Well all your worries are rest assured as this article would deal with all that you needed to know about Diwali Faral. Let us have some Maharashtrians fare from India. The Diwali faral is the sweets and the other savories that we make during this festival. Diwali is a time when we get to make a lot of sweets...

“So everything is set, I have got everything ready, the lanterns are bought, the rangoli powder is ready and I have even got a new set of lights to decorate the windows.” I told my children as I set everything ready for Diwali. “But why do we celebrate Diwali exactly, Mom?” asked my daughter. As I worked on my decorations, I told her that Diwali is the festival of lights. It is actually Deepavali and comes from the Sanskrit word Dipavali meaning a row of lights. It is called...