LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION !!!!! – DEEPAVALI IS HERE!!

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION !!!!! – DEEPAVALI IS HERE!!

Just like Come September – It is Come Deepavali and every Indian household is filled to brim with Deepavali cleaning, sweets and savories making, lighting lamps, diyas, kandil buying and last but not the least shopping.  Shopping for clothes, shopping for rangolis, you name it we do each and everything during Deepavali.

However, with busyness setting into our lives and business also entering the lives of the caterers, there are not many who are as enthusiastic with regards to making sweets and savories.  Being born in a traditional Tambrahm family, having got married into one and being a mother to a 24 year old daughter, much hasn’t changed in my home and my life. 

I still enjoy the nostalgia associated with buying the raw materials for making pakodam, maa laddoo and theratipaal (all these are typical Tambrahm Delights) generally a must have in every Tambrahm household during Deepavali.  Vilakku, pakodam, maaladdo, theratipaal –A Typical Tambrahm household is filled with these sweets and savories.  The list includes adhirasam, thenkoyal, mullu pakodam, 7 cups barfi and many more.  The list is endless.

With changing times, many amongst us have slowly handed over this to the high end caterers like the Rajashekhars and the Raunaks who not only are counting big money for weddings but for every celebration like Deepavali,  krishnashtami and other festivals.

However, I still enjoy making these traditional sweets and savouries at home.  For me, making these sweets and savories is like getting in touch with my roots.  When I make the ribbon pakodam, it is like being in tune with the universe – I feel every planet gets encompassed in every circle. From the sun to the mars to Jupiter.  When the dough is towards the end, then it’s the turn of the stars (pun intended).

The maa ladooo(or the ladoo made from soft chana dal) is like Mother Earth – soft and pliable and her sweetness in each and every laddoo. The ghee that gets added to the laddoo are like soft drops of rain water – so you know if there is heavy downpour, it could be a mess.  Same goes with the ghee for the laddoos. Anything in excess is bad for us – we have been taught this so well right from childhood.  Certain virtues and values have to get imbibed in us – it has to be deep skin rooted.

The theratipaal (basically is peda or sweetened khoa) is made by heating sugar and milk and by contionously stirring it by keeping the gas on sim.  You can’t hurry it up or else it would be disastrous.  The same holds for life as well, we need to be patient.  Things will happen to us at the Right time and space and just hurrying up will mess up things. So be like Theratipaal – patient and sweet!!

I am somehow not very fond of the crackers since it not only makes the atmosphere polluted , it adds its part for noise pollution leading to a whole lot of health issues.

Lights, diyas for sure – I love them, it lends such warmth and happiness.  The candle diyas that we get, the floating candles are such a treat to the eyes.  Our entire building had such lovely rangolis welcoming the Goddess into each and every homes. We want to have a bit of her everyday, every year during Deepavali.  Torans made from orange and yellow marigolds is such a delightful watch outside every home.  Evenings are such full of festivities and goodness.

The colours of the rangolis signify every colour of our life, be it when we are happy as well as not so happy.  Yellow and oranges to reds violets and blues.  Greys and whites and browns for the times when we are sad.  Just like there is sunshine after every downpour, there is a rainbow of happiness after every not so good times.

So be cheerful, stay healthy and happy, eat your sweets but also exercise.

May every day of our life be like Deepavali where we try and spread light and happiness in each and every life that we meet beginning today!!!!

Loads of love

Yours

Rekha Mahadevan

p.s.  Even though we get a lot of outside sweets (not the ones made at home), the taste associated with the home made ones lingers in our taste buds.  My daughter is not very fond of the ones that we get from out, she still says AMMA ONE MORE MAALADDOO PLEASE!!! When she says that I am in seventh heaven.  Its like me getting an OSCAR!!!

Translation:

Pakodam  - Chakli

Maa laddoo-  sugar and dariya ka dal ladoos

Theratipaal – pedas not given a form.