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The quest for the inner light
The celebration of Diwali
or Deepawali might vary from one religious sect to the other but the
lighted diyas convey the message: Let us remove darkness and therefore
ignorance from the face of earth
Ashok Vohra
The
Sanskrit word Deepawali means "an array of lights".
It symbolises the triumph of brightness over darkness. Though the
festival of Deepawali is primarily the festival of Vaishyas —
farmers, cattle rearers, traders, merchants — it is celebrated all
over India and by all varnas – classes and castes. Though the
reasons for the celebration varies from one religious sect to the
other.
A priest’s puja rituals (detail). By Nainsukh of Guler; Pahari, ca. 1740. Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston. |
’Art
& Soul
Light Haat
From traditional terracotta diyas,
craftwork to lanterns and candles, a huge range of artefacts are there
to pick and choose from this Festival of Lights
Nirupama Dutt
It
is the season of buying and gifting; and now not just sweets and more
sweets or glass bowls that make for Diwali gifts. The past decade has
seen Diwali art and craft coming of age with experiments aplenty to
give a classy touch to the traditional terracotta diyas, lanterns,
candles and what have you for the autumn festivity. The Diwali haat
has brightened like never before offering an immense variety of
artefacts to pick and choose from.
festive
fervour
Fitness
good
health
Celebrate the
healthy way
Sweets, snacks and special foods
are an integral part of festivals. Unfortunately, most of these foods
are loaded with calories. Moderation and balance can help us avoid the
festival pounds
Ishi Khosla
With
the change in weather and arrival of the festive season, the party
mood has begun. Sheer number of festivals, outings, extravagant food
and alcohol, made even worse with late nights, can throw even the most
disciplined off their fitness regimens. Not only does it result in
extra kilos, it causes digestive disturbances and compromises on
general well-being of the body.
The bitter
‘sweet’ truth
With a long festive period ahead,
an array of sweets is bound to tempt even the most disciplined,
leading to a marked increase in sugar consumption
Dr Rekha Sharma
The
typical Indian diet consists of foods that are rich in carbohydrates,
such as white rice, potato, white bread, sugary snacks and beverages.
A long festive season ahead ensures intake of even more unhealthy,
fatty foods and sweets. In every Indian household, the consumption of
sugar and oil/ghee is almost double in the festive season. Even though
sweet or starchy carbohydrates provide energy to the body, their
excess consumption can lead to heart problems, obesity, diabetes,
tooth decay, metabolic disorders, nutritional deficiencies and even
cancer.
Society
Spreading sweetness
and fervour in the downturn
Thanks to the roof-touching
inflation, many people are using originality and creativity to cut
costs and still have a rip-roaring time
Aditi Garg
 All
over India, people celebrate Diwali in one form or the other.
Depending on the region, the scenes vary but the spirit of the
festivities is the same. The markets are dressed to the hilt to
welcome the customers who line up weeks before to buy gifts to be
given for Diwali.
The Diwali puja is a ritual followed by most families and all the members make it a point to be present for it, howsoever busy they might be.
The young & the
restless way
Instagram, lights, smartphone
camera, and lots of action. A look at how the young brigade makes
Diwali fit into their fast-paced, white-collared lives
Swati Rai
Shopping
sprees and festive cheer is here. Holidays are planned a year in
advance for family reunions, flights are booked and Diwali festivities
begin a year later. How does the youth connect with the festival of
lights? We get some real candid answers.
Diwali in the
Northeast
Upasana Chandan Sharma
WHAT
crackers are to North India, banana trees with saaki (earthen
lamps) is to the Northeast when it comes to the celebrating Diwali. In
fact, a survey conducted last year pointed out that each year Diwali
celebrations cost about Rs 2 crore worth of banana trees.
FOOD
Tradition with a
twist
Light and sound and abundant
splashes of colour are what make a festival. Food is no exception.
Interesting garnishes and attractive presentation can enhance the
appeal of even a plain recipe
Pushpesh Pant
The
last quarter of the year in India is the season for festive feasting.
It begins with Dasehra (Puja in Bengal). In Himachal Pradesh, UP,
Bihar, West Bengal and Karnataka it marks the most mouthwatering day
in the calendar. Eid follows bringing with it succulent kebabs,
aromatic pulav, biryani, sevian and phirni. This is the
time to gorge on pakwan and mishthanna.
Entertainment
Bollywood sparklers
Films from different genres and
storylines are all set to entertain audiences this festive season
Shoma A. Chatterji
Diwali
kicking off in November is spilling over with some out-of-the-box
films with the masses as the target audience. These are glittering
celluloid Diwali crackers and sparklers that will send our pulses
racing and our hearts skipping beats. Diwali kicks off with Krrish
3 directed by Rakesh Roshan. This is followed by Sanjay Leela
Bhansali’s Ram Leela and writer-turned-director Vishwas
Patil’s Rajjo releasing on the same day.
Cinema at its best
With a sprinkling of many
award-winning movies, the recent Mumbai Film Festival was a treat for
lovers of good cinema
Ervell E. Menezes
Yes,
it’s one more film festival for me. Efficient as usual, S. Narayan,
director of the Mumbai Film Festival, sees that the best films
available are here for the cine buffs. If only the ground realities
were as competent. But the slips between the cup and the lip persist
as though caught up in some warp of the law of perversity?
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