A Simple Diwali
Diwali in the times of Covid-19, was indeed strange. No Diwali parties. No celebrating with friends. No planning out an entire month of activities. But if there was ever a year when we needed to bring light into our homes and hearts, this year is probably it!! It took us some time to get into the Diwali state of mind but Vikram and I decided that we would frame our simple festivities into three parts - Decorations (this was mostly me and our daughter), Sweets (this was mostly Vikram) and virtually wishing family and friends.
Decorations:
Every year, during Diwali, my daughter and I spend hours making a Rangoli and also putting Mehendi (henna) on our hands. But this year, we started our Diwali preparations a bit late so our decorations instead were all about flowers, floating candles and making home-made lanterns with battery tea-lights. While these were much easier and simpler to put together, the time we spent as a family decorating our home was still priceless. I am proud to say that our daughter is a resident home-made lantern expert!!
Sweets:
Every year my parents send a Diwali gift package to us all the way from India that includes sweets, snacks and a dress for our daughter. The happiness and excitement that I personally feel when I open that yearly package has become something I look forward to each year. This year along with those sweets and a simple diwali dinner that I conjured up, Vikram brought his inner dessert chef to the fore-front and we made three sweets which ended up simply amazing!!
Chenna Poda (Link to recipe)
This popular dessert from Odisha is an Indian version of a cheese cake and it has taken years for Vikram to perfect. Our daughter LOVES this dish and it is a true labor of love by Vikram every time he makes it. We highly recommend that this dish be made with fresh homemade chenna.
Mysore Pak (Link to recipe)
If you happened to read our Karnataka Thali blog post you may remember that Vikram wanted to make the soft version of the Mysore Pak but ended up making the crunchy version that my grand mom used to make instead. Well, this time around he definitely succeeded to make the softer version that just melted in your mouth.
Suji Kakara Pitha (Link to recipe)
Another sweet dish from Odisha, this is one of the dishes that I have learnt from Maa (Vikram’s mother). A filling of coconut and jaggery is stuffed into an outer shell made out of Suji Halwa and finally deep-fried. This takes time and energy to make but the end result is soul-satisfying. Also this is a sure-fire way to make an Odia husband truly happy :)
While it took us time to summon up excitement for Diwali this year, I think we ended up having a memorable time with the three of us and virtually celebrating with our friends and family. At the end though it was really all about hoping that we get through this strange period of darkness and bring light back into our lives. Hopefully we can celebrate Diwali next year with twice the fervor!!
