A nutty aroma wafts into every room of the house from the kitchen. There is besan being roasted with some ghee, cardamom and a hint of sugar – you know that this mixture will be turned into little besan ladoos. Making besan ladoos for Diwali is a tradition that has been followed in my household for generations. Since ladoos are considered to be the most favourite mithai of Lord Ganesha, most families prepare them and offer them as the main prasad to the gods for the Diwali puja that is held in the evening.
My main focus on Diwali, however, is the savoury delicacies since I do not have a raging sweet tooth. From the aloo-poori that is cooked in the morning and served during brunch, so that everyone stays sated till evening as we get set to decorate the house before the puja, to the elaborate pulao, dahi vadas, cholle, and kheer that is cooked for dinner – the kitchen is the spot for family bonding.
I wondered about what is cooked in other communities for this auspicious day and learnt about some amusing culinary traditions. “Suran (yam) ki subzi is a must. There is a legend that runs in the families from Uttar Pradesh that says that if you do not eat this curry on Diwali, then you will be born as a mole in the next birth. So, in our childhood we would always eat it without any fuss”, Sushmita Srivastava, a resident of Noida shares this rather funny anecdote. But if you dig deeper into this myth, you realise its logic.
“Since Laxmi puja is done this evening, no non-veg food is made on Diwali but in Kayasth families, faux meat or meat imitating foods are made. For instance ole ki sabzi is made. Ole or suran or jimikand, whatever one may call it, is basically elephant foot yam. It’s made in a gravy of mustard and garlic paste. It’s cut in the shape that imitates a fillet of fish and even has the same mouthfeel”, explains Surabhi Sinha, a resident of Gurugram.
Another resident of Gurugram, Surabhi Bhandari shares about her Jodhpuri heritage: “We always make kabuli, a Jodhpuri pulao and fruit cream on Diwali in our family – as do most households in Jodhpur.” Jodhpuri Kabuli is a rice dish from Rajasthan, it is like a biryani featuring layers of basmati rice, vegetables in a tangy curd-based gravy, sliced tomatoes, and saffron milk – a meal fit for festivities.
But not every community celebrates Diwali. For the people from West Bengal, Odisha and Assam, this day is celebrated as Kali Pujo. Kali Puja honours the avatar of goddess Durga in her formidable manifestation as Maa Kali. Kali Puja coincides with the festival of Diwali in most parts of India, but instead of focussing on the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, devotees in Bengal and surrounding regions devote this night to Goddess Kali. Kali Puja generally celebrates the destruction of darkness itself, while Diwali celebrates the victory of light over darkness. Both signify the same thought.
Sneha Lata Saikia, a resident of Chittranjan Park explains, “Diwali is not celebrated in Assam like north India. The sects of naam kirtonia who do not worship idols, just light up their homes, while others celebrate Kali Puja with niramish mangsho as prasad . I live in Delhi and follow both customs – I do puja of Laxmi and Ganesh and then go pandal hopping at night in CR Park for Kali Pujo.”
Diwali witnesses the city of Delhi NCR come to life with diverse cultural expressions. While the customs might vary from one another, this uniqueness is what makes India so culturally vibrant and adds a colour to our festivities. On that note, wishing you all a very happy and delicious Diwali!