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A taste of Chennai in Chandigarh
FOR Sivaram’s family, Divali continues to be a tradition-bound affair, with each family member zealously participating in all the ceremonies, whether it is the puja or the oil bath, called ennai kuli in their home state Tamil Nadu. A senior executive with Punjab Tractors Limited, Mohali, Sivaram, his wife Mala, his father, R. Padmanabhan, a retired government servant, mother Lakshmi, son Anand and daughter Sharmada have been part of large family get-togethers during Divali back in their home town. Their festive day begins with a puja, after which the eldest family member dabs a little oil on the heads of all assembled kin. Interestingly, this is sesame oil in which a dash of black pepper and kadi patta have been heated the previous night. New clothes for each family member too are placed next to the idol of the family deity and each garment is sprinkled with a bit of kumkum. Namkeen and mithai like Mysore pak or besan laddoos are made at home. an integral part of the celebrations is that crackers are burst before sunrise. A unique thing is that
after savouring various goodies each person eats the legiyam (digestive
golis), which in popular lingo is referred to as the Divali davai. |
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After Sivaram’s family moved to Chandigarh though, some of the rituals have become diluted, at times out of sheer impracticability. Says Mala, "One doesn’t feel like bursting crackers at five in the morning for fear of annoying the neighbour though in our home place it is the accepted thing." Since most of their peer group is not here, the motivation to wake up at dawn for an oil bath is not too strong and for the past few years, they’ve been getting the salted "mixture" and laddoos made from outside. and yes, though her daughter loves making the rangoli, as far as the gifts are concerned, instead of the traditional pavadai (silk sari), she prefers getting capris and skirts. But if you thought that the pop culture must have made some inroads into their festivities, think again. Instead of Harbhajan Manns or Daler Mehndis, the sounds of music that light up their Divali are those broadcast by AIR from 4.30 am that day! — CB |
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