SUDHAKAR AND SAANCHI SHETTY

The day of Diwali for Sudhakar Shetty begins with tailam abhyangam (coconut oil massage) followed by a bath. It is a ritual he has been practising since his childhood days in India and one that his children and grandchildren follow even today. ‘While growing up in my village, right after the bath we would go into the nearby woods to pluck fresh flowers. In Dubai now, we get them from the flower shop and decorate the house with various blooms,' explains Sudhakar.

The Shetty household gets busy for the evening pooja that begins usually at sunset. Apart from all the festivities for Sudhakar who celebrates with his four grandchildren based in Dubai, the priority has always been to spread the goodwill message of Diwali. ‘I tell them that Diwali is more about imparting knowledge of believing in the idiom 'live and let live' - about thinking of the greater good of the planet,' he says.

Twelve-year-old Saanchi, his eldest granddaughter, says she never gets tired of listening to her grandfather's wise words. While her grandfather is full of positive peptalk, it is her grandmother she turns to when it comes to learning Diwali recipes. ‘Diwali is when I get to see the traditional recipes being made by my grandma. Along with her, I make the chaklis and the boondi ladoos. A must have in our home on Diwali for breakfast, is the methi (fenugreek) dosa smeared with loads of ghee. It's very healthy and flavoursome,' she adds.