My Diwali memories - Debashine Thangevelo

DIWALI will be different this year. How could it not be with the arrival of Covid-19!

Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is something experienced with family and those regarded as family.

Since I’m 600km away, I won’t be in Durban for this auspicious day on the Hindu calendar. Although this doesn’t prevent me from celebrating, it isn’t the same. There’s something special about celebrating Diwali at “home”. Aside from the infectious energy, there is an abundance of love (not to mention food, baked goodies and sweetmeats) and an incredible feeling of belonging.

This takes me back to my childhood. About two to three weeks before Diwali, the aroma of baking would permeate our home. I volunteered to be the taster, the Gulab jamun syrup dipper as well as castor sugar duster. I wore these hats with pride. As I got older, I joined in the baking spree. I loved trawling through the well-worn, hand-medown hand-written family recipe books. I baked everything from butter biscuits and Hungarian tarts to fruit cakes.

Every day, the baked treats were carefully placed into round biscuit tins or Tupperwares and sealed with sellotape to ensure no air got in before we were ready to pack them into parcels.

On the morning of Diwali, I would rise early with the family, enjoy a bath with three kinds of oil, put on my new outfit and help distribute the treats to everyone in the neighbourhood. Every time, we arrived at someone’s door, they would offer us a drink and give us a parcel to take home.

My other favourite part of this day was nightfall when the fireworks display would light up the sky, although, I was, and am, not a fan of those ear-drum popping bangs.

This year the celebration will continue – albeit in a downscaled way. My family in Durban will not be having a huge family gathering. My cousin, who loves to visit the temple for the morning prayer, won’t be doing so either.

Even though I haven’t had time to buy a new outfit, I will be celebrating with my other half. It will be a day spent tucking into home-cooked food, store-bought sweetmeat and treats (who has the time, really?) and the lighting of my lamp, with clay lamps lining the porch and placed around the home.

There will be plenty of video calls and chats with my family, too, so there is a light at the end of this story.

Happy Diwali to all celebrating!