The sky is pitch black, and the air is blowing a quiet wind. Suddenly, there is a
loud BOOM , and an explosion of colors lights up the sombre sky. Of course,
the atmosphere or माहौल is full of delight and festivity. Houses are illumined
by fairy lights and colorful diyas, with an orangish-zesty flame.
Gatherings of beautiful people, dressed in every color of the rainbow, have a
particular sheen on their faces that comes from something deeper than
cosmetics.
Pure joy inhibits the usual dreary air and fills hearts with happiness and
content. But something else contributes to that content, something hidden in
those special boxes in the kitchen. Ah, food, our good friend that has the
ability to not just satisfy a stomach, but also a mind. But this isn’t our regular
food, the stuff we eat everyday; no, this is the faral (फराळ).
Take a peek inside those special boxes. You’ll find chaklis, light brown, crispy
and spiraled; ladoos, like large and ‘appropriately’ sweetened marbles of
goodness, sometimes with dryfruits added and sometimes made entirely of
dryfruits; chiwda, the salty and lightly spiced sunny flakes of dried rice, with
specks of curry leaves and peanuts; shankar pali, sometimes sweet and
sometimes salty squares of delicious fried dough (to be eaten in tens, if not
hundreds). There are so many other पदार्थ (delicacies) in our beautiful
Maharashtrian culture; I can’t remember them all, but they are indispensable
parts of the त्यौहार का राजा (king of festivals), Diwali.
These delicacies that I’ve just described, they’re not so easy to come by. They
involve hours of hard work and love poured into making them. But fortunately
for us, Swaad kitchen is putting these hours of hard work and love into
making these amazing pieces of our vibrant culture. Just click this link to their
website, it’ll sure be worth it (I’ll guarantee). Have a wonderful Diwali, and
don’t forget to order some lovely delicacies from Swaad kitchen!
About the Blogger
My name is Mugdha Joshi, and I’m a teenager living in a cosmopolitan suburb of Maharashtra, India. I blog about completely random things, but prefer nature and describing things in detail. I’ve lived in the U.S.A for about a decade, and have witnessed the rich mixed culture that comes with the enthusiasm for learning about other countries. Diwali in the U.S. would always be fun, but it’s just as fun over here in India! All that matters is that you spend quality time with your family and have loads of fun.