31/10/24 – Happy Diwali

Diwali is the festival of lights symbolising victory of light over darkness

Diwali is another festival which I have never celebrated before. For the first time, I went to a Diwali event happening near me and it was filled with delicious Indian delicacies from various states, energetic dances ranging from hip-hop, classical dances, and more, vibrant songs, loud laughter, and a huge crowd of people. It was very fun singing and dancing along to the olden classics, the new popular music, and songs from the multitude of languages in India.

The first thing I bought from the Diwali event was Mango Lassi which is a deliciously creamy, yogurt-based drink. It was a fairly humid day, so the contrasting cool, sweet, fruity goodness was a blessing to my taste buds. Watching the amazing dances and performances while sipping on this Lassi was excellent to the point I bought another one after inhaling all the food.

There were a lot of firsts at the event. I had Pani Puri properly for the first time. It was a delight to crack a hole in the deep-fried spherical shell and fill the shell with a combination of potato, onions, chickpeas and pour in the “spicy water” as my friends called in. I didn’t find the spicy water spicy but rather sweet and sour which was a perfect combination. I absolutely loved it.

As we made our way through the crowds, we were stopped by many people handing out sweets which we of course willingly accepted. Initially I got a white coloured sweet and I assumed it was a sugary milky treat, but I was very wrong. It was a coconut-based treat with a very strong coconut flavour. My friends loved it, but I am honestly not a fan of coconut desserts. We use a lot of coconut cream, coconut milk, and shredded coconut in our main meals and curries, so I guess I prefer coconut in savoury dishes.  

Honestly my stomach had grown twice the size by the end.

Would I go again? DEFINITELY.

Written with sincerity,

Me.