This festive season, UP celebrities take a trip down the memory lane

With Dhanteras today, the Diwali celebrations have officially begun! Shagun ki shopping with family members is a must for most people and celebs from UP are no different. Agra Times spoke to celebrities from the state who shared with us their Dhanteras memories.
I got my first scooty on this festival
We used to wait for Dhanteras to buy something new for ourselves.It was Dhanteras when I got my first scooty and till date, it is very close to my heart. It is believed that goddess Laxmi comes to your house on Dhanteras and therefore Diwali celebrations start from this day itself. In small cities like Agra, people are excited for every festival and they start decorating their houses with lights well in advance, which is rarely seen in Mumbai’s busy life.
- Sonia Balani, TV actor from Agra
Sonia Balani
Special days with my nana-nani in Lucknow
Dhanteras always used to be very special for me as I would celebrate it with my nana and naniji in Lucknow. I remember those days so well. My nanaji would give us a brand new crisp note every day. 1 rupees on the first days, 2 on the second, `5 on the third and so on– it was such a sweet gesture just to make us stay a bit longer with them. Bachpan mein toh we used to go shopping on Dhanteras and mom would buy new things and a silver coin. This time, it’s my first Dhanteras after my marriage so Siddhant and I will buy some jewellery. Diwali we will celebrate with my in laws at their ancestral house.
-Megha Gupta, actor, Lucknow
Megha Gupta
What Dhanteras means to these Agra celebrities
During school days, Dhanteras meant beginning of Diwali festivities which, in turn, meant the start of the holidays.Also, Dhanteras serves as the perfect time to buy all those things which a family keeps planning all year round
- Aparna Dixit, TV actor from Agra
Aparna Dixit
Our family bought its first car on Dhanteras
I have special memories of this festival, we bought our first car, a Maruti 800, on Dhanteras. I still remember the day because it was the first car that my father bought and we were so excited. It was a maroon car with my birth date as the licence number. I also remember how we used to go shopping on Dhanteras when my mother would buy gold and silver coins as it is considered auspicious to buy them on this day. I used to be the official ‘mithai delivery boy’ of my family – it was my responsibility to take sweets and other gifts to the houses of friends and relatives.
- Maninder Singh, TV actor from Agra
Maninder Singh
-With inputs from Mahima Chawla and Itishree Mishra