No crackers
this year, said my son.
When I protested
he exclaimed, "Amma I think you don’t care about global warming!"
When loud crackers shattered the (relative) silence of our evenings and nights, he would rush to the window and yell "Can you please stop that noise!!"
Ms. Sheila
Dikshit and Delhi-NCR schools have certainly done a decent job of getting kids
to promise to celebrate a cracker-free Diwali. It’s a long haul but it’s a
start. Dilli ke pyare pyare bacchon, says the Delhi CM over the airwaves,
patakon ke bina hi Diwali manayein.
We’ve had a unseasonably chilly and smoggy November so far, so I’m glad our family isn’t contributing to choking up the air any more. I went a little crazy buying up beeswax candles, glass votives and mud diyas for the home.
We had been cleaning and throwing out junk from the house for the last one week. Ads kept compulsively straightening the cushions and bedcovers everywhere saying that the house has to look really tidy! Never mind that his room like Hurricane Sandy had just visited :) On Diwali day, Ads made chocolate burfis (a no-cook recipe he learnt at school with crushed Marie biscuits, condensed milk and cocoa powder). I made payasam (kheer). We put up thorans and drew several rangolis.
We had been cleaning and throwing out junk from the house for the last one week. Ads kept compulsively straightening the cushions and bedcovers everywhere saying that the house has to look really tidy! Never mind that his room like Hurricane Sandy had just visited :) On Diwali day, Ads made chocolate burfis (a no-cook recipe he learnt at school with crushed Marie biscuits, condensed milk and cocoa powder). I made payasam (kheer). We put up thorans and drew several rangolis.
A simple aarthi in our puja alcove, and visiting the few friends/neighbours who happened to be in town over the long weekend took up the rest of the morning. The kids fell on vadai, sweets and mixture indiscriminately as though they had not been fed for weeks!
I lit a bunch of mud diyas in the evening. Here's a shot, our balcony in the forground.
We're off post-dinner to people-watch (me!) and get some second-hand cracker enjoyment (kids!) :)
Happy Deepavali, people!I lit a bunch of mud diyas in the evening. Here's a shot, our balcony in the forground.
We're off post-dinner to people-watch (me!) and get some second-hand cracker enjoyment (kids!) :)
The diyas in the fourth and fifth pic look really nice .. And so does the dazzling balcony ..
ReplyDeleteHappy Diwali!!
Thanks aarthy...I love how diwali makes the entire city look so pretty.
DeleteHappy Diwali!!!
ReplyDeletethe diyas look wonderful..lovely decorations.
Ads is so mature for his age! and, he made a choco barfi? how cool is that! didn't Yukta protest? didn't she want the crackers?
No she said that some "black-black things would get inside her chest" if she burst crackers - we assumed she was talking about pollution :)
DeleteAds' school does a class-wise sweet-making, rangoli-making and fiya-painting session every year just before the Diwali break, so all these boys get very enthu about it.
Your balcony looks so beautiful!! and the rangolis too!
ReplyDeleteAds and Y look so cute - all quiet and mature - watching the rangolis! Look at them all huddled up together!!
Happy Diwali to you, too!
Would love to have the recipe for the no-cook barfee, please. I remember making something like that when I was in school. Had completely forgotten about it, till your post reminded me. Would love to bring back that flavour again. :)
Thanks TGND!
DeleteTHe recipe is just crushed marie biscuits+cocoa powder+milkmaid all mixed up and rolled into balls or patted into a flatter shape. I used some ghee wwhile rolling into balls. Quite yummy.
Hey! I just realized my comments on the last couple of your blogs didn't appear... must have been my blogspot problems didn't realize .. :(
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say that I am going to start making D read your posts about Ads.. he sounds so mature!
We've had a very chilly November too, I know no comparison to the north, but still it seems to have had the unfortunate effect of keeping all the cracker smoke pollution trapped and not doing much good for anyone's allergies.
Oh thanks aparna...he isn't as mature as he sounds on this blog :)
DeleteHmmm....bangalore's never been great for the respiration has it? I can imagine the smog and pollution post Diwali must have made things worse. Hope it has cleared up somewhat now.
Thank you for sharing such important information with us.i was looking for some Diwali 2013 Calendar | Diwali 2013 Vacation | diwali images | diwali pictures | greetings for diwali can u please help me to find it?
ReplyDelete