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| Saakshi Tanwar, Television actor I always celebrate Diwali with my family. I have always managed to take a day off during Diwali. As a child, I was very fond of the charkhi whereas my brother was more into bombs. Once, I was at someone's place and I thought that the charkhi was not lit. I held it in my palm and it lit up. It was a very bad experience. I still have the scar on my palm. I was barely six years old then. I've stayed away from crackers since. Now I stay away from crackers because of the noise and pollution. As a kid, we were into Diwali cleaning big time. | |
| My parents always told my brother, sister and me that we were responsible for cleaning our rooms. Even now, I make sure everything, from the bathroom tiles to the kitchen tiles are sparkling during Diwali. Diwali shopping is a must. We celebrate Diwali in the traditional way. The first day is dhan teras, then choti Diwali, the third day is Diwali, the fourth is Govardhan Puja and the fifth day is Bhai Dhuj. We do Laxmi Puja. I hail from Rajasthan, so I follow all the rituals of that region. For Bhai Dhuj, the walls are cleaned, then a base of cowdung is slapped on it. It's called as gobar ka lep and then pictures depicting a story are drawn using chawal and atta. For Bhai Dhuj, pictures of brother and sister are drawn. We try and incorporate all the festivals in our serials as well. We celebrate on the sets. |
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Smriti Irani, Television actor
I'll be celebrating Diwali as I do every year, by going to our ancestral house in Dahanu. We do Laxmi Puja in the temple of out house. We do a puja in the office for the account books as well. Every child looks forward to Diwali. I did too. Diwali sweets are still are a passion. As I grew older, firecrackers lost their charm because of the noise and pollution. I believe, life should be enjoyed with all its flavors, so I don't believe in depriving myself of Diwali sweets. I always make it a point not to shoot during Diwali as there is so much to do around the house. I visit every house in the neighborhood and distribute sweets.My husband, Zuben, is as enthusiastic about Diwali as I am. On the sets, I distribute sweets among the unit hands. Gambling is not allowed in my house. As a parent, I want to set an example for my children so that they learn to respect money.
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| Archana Puran Singh, Television actor Diwali is the only festival which is celebrated in my house. It is the only day in the year that we do a puja at home. Our kids wear kurta pajama, decorate the home and perform the puja. We bring khel-pataka, white little animal shaped figures made of sugar which are symbolic of prosperity and puffed rice is used for the puja. It is a typical UP tradition. I put diyas in every room. We bring mitti ke diya, sarso ka saag and my children love making whicks of cotton. One night prior to Diwali, we soak the diyas in water. My mother stays with us. She is representative of all that is traditional. The presence of elders during the Diwali is essential. Parmeet's parents, though Sikhs, celebrate Diwali, like most Sikhs. My Muslim driver, Azim, takes great pride in supervising the arrangements. Another driver of mine, a Christian, is in charge of the cracker division. I don't enjoy wasting money on crackers, so my kids convince Parmeet's parents to take them out for Diwali shopping. | |
| Diwali shopping begins one month in advance. I have fond memories of my mother drawing Rangoli in Dehradun. There, we didn't have the Rangoli colours sold in the market. They used atta and haldi. Very simple designs of the swastik are drawn. It's tradition in UP to make bhujiyas for Diwali, so we do that at home. It's an open house on Diwali day. People saunter in and out all day. With eyes closed, you can say what will be served for lunch on Diwali at Archanna and Parmeet's house. There will be the standard fare of puri, aloo bhaji, chole and raita. We avoid non-vegetarian stuff on Diwali. Thanks to Diwali, the house gets cleaned every year. Parmeet is an all night reveler and enjoys card sessions. It's that time of the year where he lets himself lose and drinks, hogs and gambles. I'm sure he loses more money than he makes! |
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| Rohit Roy, Television actor Diwali is very important, especially this year, as two baby girls have been born in our family. My brother Ronit has had a baby girl and so has my brother-in-law. We have all decided not to shoot during Diwali and chill out with the family. My mother still buys Ronit and me two sets of shirts or kurtas for Diwali. But now the list is longer as she has two bahus to look after as well. My mom is famous for her kheer. My friends relish it. Mansi, our daughter and I will be going over to Ronit's house and have a quiet lunch, burst crackers and then have dinner. Later, the quintessential card party follows. I am a gambler. You can call me anytime, and if I'm not shooting, I'll be there. | |
| My fondest memories of Diwali are those I spent with my father. He was against crackers because of the whole thing about children being made to work in the factories which make crackers. We are Bengalis and we would always join him for the Puja on Diwali. I also have fond memories of Diwali at Amitabh Bachchan's house. He makes you feel like it is your Diwali. Even though you may go to his house once or twice a year, for Holi, Diwali or his birthday, he makes you feel like you are part of his family. The aura of the super star drops and you get a glimpse of the human being. The first time I took Mansi there, he took us to his garden and said, "The two of you are phatakas." The one thing that I want to say is to keep children away from fire. Once, Ronit was burning a cracker and he burnt himself badly. |
SOURCE: REDIFF.COM
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