Celebrating Diwali Away From Home
What comes to mind when you think of Diwali?
The tradition of Diwali that I followed through my childhood and my life living in India before I came to Brown. Obviously tradition has changed over the years, but I would say there’s a few things that come to mind. One is the day itself. It’s a day that’s filled with a lot of religious ceremonies or pujas, dressing up in new Indian clothes, and decorating the entire house. There are two ways of understanding the entire tradition. However, one way is in relation to this legend, which is basically our version of the Iliad or the Odyssey, called the Ramayana.
It was a story of how Rama, who was the hero of the entire saga, defeated the villain and saved his wife from a life in captivity. When he returned to his hometown, the entire town, including the houses, were lit up and decorated. And so Diwali is called the Festival of Lights.
On the day of, we light up diyas, which are traditional candles, and decorate the entire house with fairy lights. Aside from making the house look pretty, the other reason we decorate is for the gods and goddesses associated with the tradition to come and bless the home. The interesting thing about that is that Hindus and non-Hindu’s celebrate Diwali in India because it's cultural as well. So even if you're part of a different religion, you still take part.
Very much like Christmas in the US, Diwali is more like a month-long celebration. For that one month, people have parties, and bring sweets to other’s homes, and wish them a Happy Diwali. I would go to my cousin's house or my parents would drag me to their friends’ houses. Another big part of the tradition is actually gambling. There's a game that's very similar to poker that is played called teen patti, patti means card and teen means tree. That is played a lot because the festival is also associated with prosperity and wealth. Those traditions and the way that I followed them every year while I was growing up is probably what I remember the most.
How has being away at school affected how you celebrate this holiday?
It's definitely changed a lot. I remember feeling so homesick and upset my freshman year. Imagine not being home for Christmas, then you’ll know what I mean. Even when you try to do something, it's just not the same. It didn't feel the best, but it has changed in a way. I found Indian friends and an Indian community here, which has been nice because it was like a home away from home.
From freshman to junior year, I either went to an Indian restaurant with some friends or ordered some food and played teen patti. This year was the year that we went super hard, which was fun given COVID. There was more time. We cooked! To be very honest, cooking Indian food is still very new for me. I can make pasta and other stuff, but I don't really try Indian food, because I'm used to having high quality Indian food back home. But I was like, “Okay, I'm gonna try this.”
Usually, Diwali meals are extremely extravagant. It varies from house to house, depending on where in India you come from. My mothers side is Punjabi, and my fathers side is Rajasthani, so usually during Diwali I would eat dishes from both states, as well as more general north Indian dishes. This Diwali, my last one in Providence was the first time I attempted to cook a full Indian meal - with lots of help from my pod! We made bhindi (okra), which is my favorite vegetable and is always the first thing I eat when I go home. We also attempted a butter chicken, made using frozen masalas that my roommate and I brought from home. I tried to make this by remembering instructions my mother gave me on the phone half asleep, so it was definitely an experiment. But it ended up coming out pretty well! The matar paneer was a fun curry to make as well - it is peas and cottage cheese in a tomato based gravy. Overall, it wasn't the best Indian meal I've ever had, but I was happy with how it turned out given it was my first time. It was really fun to cook with everyone and have everyone help. We even dressed up our friends in some other Indian clothes we had with us! Our traditions have definitely changed a lot. There was no build up to it or feeling of celebration in the air. I feel like if COVID wasn't here, we would have tried to have more people, but it still was very wholesome and small. Which was nice as well. It’s similar to what I do on the day of Diwali, which is stay at home with my family.