Precious Diwali

Diwali during my growing up years,always ended up in tears. As I was extremely scared of crackers, my brother just to tease me,used to burst crackers, the entire day. By separating the strands of 1000 Wallas and the tiny kuruvi vedis into single pieces he would have a blast throughout the day much to my annoyance.
After my marriage, my husband was not enthusiastic about crackers and thus spared me the agony of noise. When my daughter came along it was only sparklers and flower pots. Time flew fast, and during those trying times, when we had to pull through the empty nest syndrome, a call from my daughter made me pack my bags and land in Singapore for 2 months.The Diwali which I celebrated in Singapore, a decade back, at the instance of my daughter who was working there, is the most precious one I have revered in my memory till now.

She was Living on the 24th floor of a condo,sharing the the 3 bedroom apartment with three of her friends. Navigating the winding path to reach the 11th condo,with similar looking buildings, swimming pools, gyms, clubhouse etc thrown in between was a hard task.The view from the 24th floor was stunning but when the rain clouds surrounded the top floors it was a bizzare experience.

With just 2 days left for Diwali my daughter announced that she had invited 40 of her batch mates for lunch on Diwali. With just a small pressure cooker and a few pans,cooking for 40 people was a tall order-a challenging task.Ordering from Annalakshmi or KomalaVilas could have been the easiest solution but when she said that her home sick batch mates were just looking for some authentic south indian home cooked stuff I accepted her plea. I prepared a menu consisting of Ven Pongal,Sambar,Tamarind rice, curd rice,Vermicelli payasam, puli Inji and appalams. After an exhausting round up of Mustafa we ended up totally exhausted buying the essential items. I started preparing the first batch of items 2 days before the get together.

Having cooked all these years just for 3 people, I was literally a novice when it came to cooking
huge quantities that too without spoiling the authentic taste.I braced myself for the challenge and started preparing food in small batches due to the paucity of cooking vessels and the very small size of the kitchen where only one person could stand comfortably,though the kitchen was replete with a micro oven,double door fridge, piped gas with cooking hobs and a big SS sink.

On the day of Diwali food was ready, piping hot and fresh, courtesy the microwave,and a buffet was neatly arranged on the dining table with plates,water and cups.Friends came pouring in till noon and while every one was having their second helping, I was scared the food would be over in minutes. Thankfully the food lasted till everyone had their fill and in the end what was left was only empty vessels and just some kheer. The happiness reflected on their faces having enjoyed a sumptuous feast and the instant appreciation conveyed by everyone present there, put behind all the struggles I had to go through in making the dishes and even my hunger pangs. When they all settled in front of the TV enjoying latest movies , filling the drawing room with their incessant laughter,giggles and jokes I thanked my daughter for making that day the most memorable and precious one in my life!!

 

Dear Iyerviji,
Thank you for being the first one to comment on my very first snippet.Happy I could share those happy moments with Indusladies.

 

Dear satchitananda,
Thanks for your appreciation. A decade back I was ten years younger and was very enthusiastic about celebrations. The same cannot be said of me right now. Yes, it is those happy moments that I savor every now and then.

 

Dear Samyugtha,
Thanks for your appreciation. Yes, you are absolutely right when you say that the way to human beings heart is through their stomach.That's why I still remember those tasty lip snacking food my grand ma prepared.

 

Dear Rith,
Times are changing and we have to move on with the changing times.The present generation is very much in to social net working and is almost addicted to such websites. So Diwali or any other celebration , they find happiness in virtually connecting with people,posting updates, photos etc.Thanks Rith!