What's happening on Diwali tonight in Bhopal?

With crackers out of the picture, and a green Diwali in mind, Bhopal's youngsters will be ushering in a quieter, albeit still illuminous, Festival Of Lights this year. For many, it will be a day to spend time with family, indulging in some old traditions and making some new ones.
From potluck parties with friends to bonding with family over rituals, or even adding a touch of their own creativity and spark to their celebrations by creating their own diyas and decor - here is how Bhopal's youngsters will celebrate the festival of lights today.

A cracker-free, indoors Diwali
The recent ban on decibel firecrackers hasn't put a damper on the city's Diwali spirit. Instead, the youngsters are excited for their noise-free celebrations this year. “After seeing the condition of Delhi, we don’t want something of that sort happening to our city. So, we have planned an indoor party," says student Jatin Kumawat. They'll spend the night playing cards, and eating the yummy Diwali traditional meal of chole-puri.
Similarly, Kolar resident Shikha Chaturvedi has organised a potluck Diwali meet at her house for her friends from her colony. “We plan to exchange sweets and snacks that we will prepare at home."
The menu will include dishes like samose, kachori, chivda, mathri, gathiya, and namak pare.
She adds, "Festivals are all about happiness and fun, and if your near and dear ones are there with you, the fun will follow.”

Decorating, whitewashing and preparing traditional fare with granny
This time, many youngsters are focusing more on the traditional aspects of Diwali, such as preparing one's home for the festival, or helping their family in the kitchen. Yet, they are also adding a touch of modernity to these rituals.
For example, Rupal Sharma has made decorative items at home by following internet tutorials.
“The net is flooded with DIY videos and images, and it's so simple! There are dedicated pages on social media for this," says Rupal, adding, "I made a lamp out of an old jar, by painting it with transparent glitter.”
Another student Vaidehi Verma made Chinese lamps for her house. “I stumbled upon it on a social media page, and then tried making one. It turned out so well, that I made another ten of them.”
Meanwhile, Deepak Sondhiya whitewashed his whole house along with his brother this Diwali. He says, “Usually, we are so busy with our studies and job, that we don’t get time to participate in the Diwali festivities. This year, we decided to do these tasks ourselves. We got the paint and brushes, and painted the wall on our own, without calling professionals in.”
Young entrepreneur Anuj Rathod too got his parents' house renovated. “This is the one time of the year which calls for a grand celebration, and since the past few years my parents were the ones who did all the shopping and decorations. This year, I told them that I would get the entire thing done by myself and that they should just sit back and enjoy. Although juggling between work and home was a bit tiring, the smile on my parents' face when they saw the entire house shining was priceless.”
Another student Jahanvi Khare came home for her Diwali break and helped her mother and grandmother prepare snacks and sweets at home. “Every year, my mother and grandmother prepare different types of sweets like laddoo, rasgulla, and gulab jamun at home. Along with this, they also prepare dry snacks like besan sev, namak pare, mathri and chakli. I like to sit with them and help them prepare all these snacks and sweets. Festivals are all about spending quality time with your family and this is one way in which we bond,” says Jahanvi.

Bringing light and joy to the needy
“While most of the people are busy shopping for what they will wear on this special day, others can't even afford a single pair. While one side will eat several boxes of sweets, others won't even be able to get a proper meal. We tend to forget the latter, but they are a part of our society too, and we are their caretakers,” says Satyam Mishra. Praveen Tyagi adds, “We distributed sweets and clothes to the people residing in the Nehru Nagar area of the city. It's important to light a diya which will illuminate a house besides just your own.”

Pics- Vishesh Sharma

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