DIXIT ON DIWALI
Madhuri Dixit Nene loves the festival of lights. ‘Even when I was in the US, celebrations never took a back-seat. I would celebrate the festival at home,’ she says. While sharing fond memories of the festival the actress with a million-dollar smile says, ‘We light diyas and I never miss out on doing the prayers.’ She also never fails to draw rangoli in her house.
Someone who values family, tradition and culture, Madhuri says the festival brings family and friends together and that is something she looks forward to each year. ‘Diwali signifies celebration; it’s a time when families come together which is part of our Indian culture. You forget all negativity, infuse positivity, have fun and be happy. Bhai Dooj that falls around the same time as Diwali is also a big celebration in our house. All my relatives, cousins come down to meet up and that is really wonderful,’ she says.
However, there were times when she missed celebrating the festival - like when she was out of Mumbai on her film shoots. ‘If I happened to be shooting abroad I would spend some time on puja in my hotel room. But I would really miss my family and friends in Mumbai,’ she recalls.
The Bollywood star shudders when she remembers the time she injured herself and ended up burning part of her hair while trying to light a firecracker. But that has not left her averse to celebrations involving firecrackers. ‘I do not agree with people who say that you should not light crackers. Kids enjoy Diwali bursting crackers but you should be cautious. It’s about revelry with responsibility. My kids have grown up now. They are environmentally conscious, so they don’t burst crackers, but when we moved back here from the US, they were quite excited and enthusiastic about firecrackers.’ Her favourite foods for the festival? ‘I love the Diwali faraal and shankarpali is my favourite. They are delicious... sweet and salty. When we were growing up, my mom used to make everything at home — the typical Maharashtrian Diwali cuisine (faraal) — chatpata chaklis, karanji, kaju katli, besan and ravyache laadu, shankarpali and motichur ladoos. We used to help her prepare them. I used to enjoy making chakli with saacha and then fry them. This was also an opportunity for our parents to teach us kids how to be good hosts and welcome family and friends home and be good guests when you visit people in their homes,’ she says.