celebration Archives - Page 5 of 14

04/11/201315/04/2017

Whew Diwali..

So Diwali has gone. I have to admit it’s a bit of relief. Oh I like Diwali, in fact I like all festivals but they do turn your life upside down. There’s loads to do. You are overworked and the maids are overworked and are always in a hurry and more than a little cranky.

The kids are in the way.. Either they’re disconnected with the cleaning and decorating, which irks you no end or they want to do everything and that’s worse because you have to think up ways so they can help without doubling your work. The hapless souls got more than their share of yelling thanks to frayed nerves. Not that they seemed to mind. Egged on by friends they kept up a steady list of completely non priority demands.. May I have a pat pat gun? May we buy some Lotus flowers? Can we get home the PS 3? In fact when I took some time making the rangoli for the puja N asked if we cold postpone the puja to the next day and go down for the fireworks right away. Priorities!

When we did go down she discovered a sudden fear of fireworks. Last year she was the one going crazy setting off rockets and anars while H stood in a corner trying to pretend he wasn’t scared. Well this year he got over his fear and N developed cold feet to the extent of dropping the phuljhadi even before it was half done. I’ve no clue what has brought this on. Investigation is pending!

H on the other hand was all over the place, a phuljhadi in one hand and his dhoti in the other (despite repeated assurances I could not convince him that it wouldn’t fall off if he let it go).

The Husband probably puzzled and very annoyed by his star performer’s seemingly irrational fear, gave her a piece of his mind. By the time I reached down after wishing a few friends N had been home in search of me and when I ‘didn’t open the door’ had assumed I was ‘lost’ and was crying in one corner.

We had kept the menu simple. I did manage to make jimikand (or Yam). According to North Indian folklore if you don’t eat Yam on Diwali day you are reborn as a chhuchhundar (Wiki calls it the Asian House Shrew). And so I saved my family from an extremely smelly next life (Oh yeah they smell BAD). For the record the yam kebabs I tried (for the first time) turned out quite delectable.

So that was our Diwali!!

I might not agree with Scrooge but I can see where he was coming from.

Managed to get them to pray

The hurried rangoli

Loved these floating candles.
The markets had such pretty stuff I wanted to bring it all home.

01/11/201315/04/2017

Diwali is round the corner…

… and we’re busy busy busy.

Thanks to Shruti’s super idea our Diwali cards are all done.

Aren’t they gorgeous?

We’re onto the diya painting now. Will post the finished products soon.

16/10/201315/04/2017

N has to be for 'Navratri'

.. the nine nights of celebration. Few other festivals can match this one in colour, music or the sheer energy of it all. What I completely love is how the same festival is celebrated across India in so many different ways. The message, however, remains the same – ‘A clebration of the victory of good over evil’.

In North India:
where I was born – Navratri meant nine days of fasting. At night we would go to see the Ramlila where scenes from Lord Ram’s life would be enacted culminating in Dussehra and the burning of the effigy of Ravana on the tenth day. What fun it was.

In Western India:
specially in Gujarat Navaratri is synonymous with dancing. Over the last decade since I’ve been shuttling between Bombay and Pune I’ve come to realise that no written word or pictures can match the energy of a real live dandiya dance. It has to be seen to be believed. Can there be anything more colourful that the traditional garba dresses? N specially loves Navratri for this reason alone.

Dandiya…

Down South:

people put up the golu. The first time I was invited to one I had no clue what it was. Idols are displayed in a typical step fashion and friends and relatives are invited home. This one is from a friend’s house this year. Strange, isn’t it.. how we keep on discovering new things about our country?

I love the add ons she did just for fun – a village scene

and that cricket pitch – her son’s contribution.

And in the East:
There’s Durga Puja. Maa Durga is believed to visit her ‘home’ during these nine days and what a welcome people give her! Majestic idols of the goddess are put up and worshiped. On the last day they are immersed in water. Bengalis all over the country celebrate it but I guess it’ll be something else in Calcutta, I’ve yet to experience that.

I’ve talked about just four versions of Navratri. Apparently there are many many more… in Goa, In Andhra Pradesh, in Himachal Pradesh… Seriously India is a hundred countries all rolled into one.

Linking to ABC Wednesday

14/10/201315/04/2017

Blockbuster Weekend

What a weekend this has been and N has been the undisputed leading lady of the week. We had some high octane sports, lots of dance, some drama and a bit of action thrown in too.

On Friday the kids had their Sports Day
The Husband excused himself, citing “unavoidable official work” (Lest the quotes don’t convey my disbelief, let me say it out “I didn’t believe him”). He’s a heartless man to leave me alone to witness two dozen races all on my own. After finding a place in the first row (some consolation) and trying fruitlessly to strike up a conversation with the two ladies (also alone) on either side I opened my BlackBerry and settled down for the wait. One of the women had brought along a book and I thought that was a great idea. I idly clicked some pics of the empty victory stand and the grounds, thinking that was all what I would take home.

There couldn’t have been a day more perfect… clear, breezy and cool

The introductory walk started and H passed by me looking exactly over my head waving to God knows who. Then N came along and spotted me right away. She waved so hard and blew so many kisses that the commentator remarked on it. Muah.. to expressive daughters.

And then she went and won a medal.. yay!! It would not have been a big deal if it hadn’t been N. She has been longing for one for the longest time. It was truly a ‘dream come true’ moment for her. Each Sports Day I handle a deluge of tears so I was just glad she was the one who got it. While H, doesn’t normally bother he was a trifle put out with all the attention N was getting.

Still can’t quite believe it

That’s the trouble with having twins. However, to his credit, he handled it pretty well. He promptly cooked up an imaginary injury (on his hand) because of which he couldn’t win!

Saturday morning was the kanjak and N was all thrilled with the morning partying till I burst her bubble a bit with my lecturing. Mums need to do that sometimes.

Saturday evening it was dandiya time, N’s forte through and through. The dressing up and the dancing… what more can a girl ask for? Take a look..

Sunday morning it was Dussehra and the kids made a rangoli thanks to Shruti’s help from Artsy Craftsy Mum. Of course she’d promised it would take 15 minutes flat but they spent much more time – drawing, wiping, bickering, fighting – it took them all morning. A case of two-many-cooks!

Sunday evening we enrolled N for Bharatnatyam class
Although I was a bit apprehensive about putting her in but I completely loved the atmosphere – the puja before the enrollment, the Krishna bhajan that won over N instantly – the Indianness of it all was very very heart warming. Such a sweet contrast to the Bollywood dancing I see everywhere. I need to clarify though, that I have nothing against Bollywood dancing, moreso since I’m no good at any dancing at all! But this was just different. I do hope N takes to it and keeps at it.

And finally to end the day ..
H punched N on the mouth and she came home all bloodied. The cuts inside her lip and cheek seemed too deep so we rushed to the hospital where mercifully she didn’t need stitches. On antibiotics for the week.

Whew!!

So how was your weekend?

20/09/201315/04/2017

The Ganapati story

Ganapati is gone but I need to do this post as a final goodbye till next year. After many many years in Maharashtra this year finally I caught up with Ganapati in as Maharshtrian a way as I could.

If you want to experience the true flavour of a festival, any festival, you should head for the old city area. And so it was to the city we headed when Chaturthi came around. Since the SIL brings home Ganapati we had tons of shopping on the agenda. Yes it’s dreadfully crowded, yes it’s noisy, yes you have to walk and walk, yes it’s hot and sunny and sweaty and utterly chaotic. But amidst the chaos you’ll find some of the best bargains ever. The streets are crammed with merchandise as colourful as the wares of Sarojini Naidu’s bangle sellers. A true treat for the eyes. And you have the added pleasure of haggling shamelessly till you’re blue in the face. Can it get any better?

Take a look…

All things glittery…

This is what we started working with.

And this is what Ganapati’s seat finally turned out. We were pretty proud of our handiwork. Check out that toran – done entirely by the SIL out of handmade paper even while nursing a mother of all colds.