Hello, Dear Readers,
This year has been hard on everyone. Many have lost their loved ones, their jobs, their health and many are still recovering from it all. But, if we have made it this far, I believe the festival of lights this year can be a celebration of the victory of light over darkness in the true sense – We have fought bravely against the pandemic and continue to do so while keeping ourselves and our loved ones safe.
Until twelve years ago, Deepawali, to me, was all about holidays, sweets, loads of firecrackers and noise – Until one day I saw the plight of the dogs in my street – scared to death, visibly in pain from the ear-shattering noise that is too harsh on their sensitive ears. Then I saw the plight of the road cleaners the next morning, sweeping the roads and clearing the mess that we created. It made me wonder, was it a ‘Happy’ Diwali only for us?
From the next year, the Deepawali rituals at my home changed. Instead of buying firecrackers, we buy earthen lamps a week in advance and spend the week painting and decorating them. After all, the name Deepawali is derived from the phrase a row of lamps. These are from my 2020 painted Diya collection.
Beautiful rangolis, delicious homemade sweets, prayers, well-wishes and lots of twinkling light all around. From our family to yours,
Wishing you a very Happy Deepawali!
Stay safe, stay happy.
Love,
Ashwini
