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From Dr Jyoti |
The making of faral at home and sharing with friends, family and neighbours is an important practise among the Maharashtrian community during Diwali. Faral is a mix of traditional sweet and savoury snacks including karanji, chakli, pohe chiwda, shakarpara, laddoo and so on. The recipe for which could vary from home to home.
As a Bengali living in Mumbai, I have been fortunate to receive this over the past few Diwalis which led to my creating a Diwali ritual of my own. I take the faral which we receive, put it on a plate, click a picture my phone and then use apps (Instagram stories this year) to type out a digital Diwali card to be sent to people.
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Loafu and Nimku love Dr Jyoti |
There is a significance to the faral that you see in the plate. It was made by my physio, Dr Jyoti Jagtap and her mum. I had pulled my back the week before Diwali while getting up from a chair and was in a bad shape. The good doctor came over the next day itself though it was Sunday and managed to fix me after 3 days of physio sessions. She would plug her machines on to me and then as I lay down and the waves worked on me, she would tell me about how she was making the faral herself after years this year with the help of her mother and by downloading YouTube recipe videos.
One day she told me about how she was happy that she had not made the shakarpara too sweet. The other day about making the stuffing of the karanji. And so on. I would listen to her and the happy images from her kitchen would lull me to sleep and I would wake up at the end of the session feeling refreshed and increasingly better and that is the story of this year’s Diwali faral digital card. Dr J had most kindly dropped a box for us yesterday.
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Faral from the Ramnathkars |
Completing my Diwali faral story this year is the box of faral sent by our neighbour Nisha Ramnathkar. Her husband, Prashant, most kindly came over to give it to us but I could not open the door as Loaf was scared by the crackers being burst outside and was ready to run out.
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Not his favourite festival |
Diwali was not really big in Kolakata when I was growing up there in the 80s and 90s. Kali Pujo happens there during the same time and we used to celebrate it at my grandparents’ house. My brother called Didu today and learnt that she and her day attendant had lit some tarabati (sprinklers) which my cousin had left behind ten years back on the occasion. A piece of news that made all of us in the family whatsapp group happy!
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Prawn chilli fry |
Social media will tell you that the Bengali thing to do on Kali Pujo is to have niramish mangshor jhol. Mutton curry made without onion and garlic.
We had had an excess of meat recently and had just bought fish from Poonam which included some lovely river prawns. Which is why I decided to make prawn chilli fry instead. Something that K loves and as lord Shiva would tell you on Kali Pujo, it is a good idea to keep the wife pleased.
We do not say shubho Kali Pujo but here’s wishing you all a very happy Diwali.
19 Nov 20 Update:
Updated: Incidentally, there was a tradition similar to that of the Diwali faral of Maharashtra in Bengal too. Something which is less prevalent today I think, but my friend Shaswati remembers it from a time when she was a kid in the ’80s. She says that the joy of Bijoya Doshami (the period after Durga Puja) was about going to the house of friends, family and neighbours and being treated to home made snacks such as the nimki (which my didu would make and after whom our second kitten is named), largely maida based.
A story reiterated in the Instagram comment below by Tumpa:
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Timer mode with the new clothes K bought for the occasion |
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Selfie too |
Update:
PS: Can’t recommend Hundo Pizza in Bandra enough. Some of our favourites there are bacon carbonara, Goan choriz and nduja sausage. The pie stays supple even it goes cold and the meat and cheese are epiphanic!