Millie Banerjee often wonders about the details of her father’s journey from Bangladesh to India. While the rest of her migrant family settled in Agartala, Tripura, in northeast India, her father chose to stay put in Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park.
Soon after his arrival, he got a job with the income tax department. “There was a committee then through which my father got land allotted to him because he was a refugee,” she says. “Our house in Delhi is now more than 40 years old.”
What does stand out in memory for Millie though is the Diwali celebration in her ancestral home in Agartala. “My dad made an effort to be there every year to celebrate with his family,” she says.
With her uncle as a priest, the puja was attended by over 100 people. “It was always a big day for my family because we did everything ourselves with not much outside help as such,” says Millie, who moved to Australia more than ten years ago.
For Bengalis, Diwali is dedicated to the celebration of the Hindu Goddess Kali. As to why Bengalis worship Kali, a quick Google search throws up the fact that “the noted 16th century Tantric scholar, Krishnananda Agamavagisha had once dreamt of Goddess Kali. The goddess, who was until then largely been associated with death and darkness, is believed to have instructed Agamavagisha to worship her in a form that incorporated in her forms of feminine domesticity. Agamavagisha is attributed with popularising the worship of a certain image of Kali in Bengal and is also believed to have started the oldest Kali puja in the region.”
Millie says it is because of this Tantric mythology that Kali puja is a tough one to perform. “You must meticulously follow all the steps and not everyone has the courage to do it unlike other pujas. It starts at midnight and continues till late noon the following day. It’s a detailed puja—something my uncle is well-versed in.”
Interestingly, when Millie got married, her husband’s family performed Lakshmi and Ganesh puja on this day.
In her Melbourne home, following the footsteps of her father-in-law, she performs Ganesh and Lakshmi pujas on Diwali. “And because Kali puja is difficult, I don’t want to make any mistakes, there is always that fear in your mind when you do it because everything must go according to the rituals. We go to the Kali puja organised by the Bengali Association of Victoria and enjoy there.”
This year again will be do different in terms of the tradition for the Banerjees. Millie says her two daughters will be decorating the house while she will be doing the pujas in the evening. Prior to that there will be what she calls “an annual project of thorough cleaning”.
She adds, “We believe that Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and good fortune) comes to visit the house that day and if you leave your house empty, it is not good.”
There will be cooking of vegetarian food and sweets, but it is subject to how much you can do, she says. “In Melbourne you don’t get help, you have to do everything yourself that’s why you do as much as you can. Nonetheless it is going to be full of non-stop fun.”
Haffsa Bilal was born in Pakistan but spent part of her child in Botswana, South Africa, where her father worked as a chartered accountant. Her first vivid memory of Diwali was being shown a video of different cultural festivals celebrated around the world at school.
“I already knew what Christmas or Eid was but when I saw that video, I got to know what Diwali was. I was enchanted by it. I thought this looks like a fun festival—all the colours, lights, not to mention the array of sweets,” she says.
Sadly, her father passed away when she was still at school and the family moved back to Pakistan. “Forget about any mention of Diwali, they celebrate a little bit of Holi there,” she says.
However, when Haffsa moved to Australia in 2002 it was “quite multicultural”. And what was thrilling for her was finding a sense of kinship with friends from India who invited her to Diwali parties.
“I was introduced to playing cards, among other things. It was something so different. And then I adopted the festival,” she says. “Now in my house we have a Christmas tree on Christmas, we celebrate Eid where I invite all my Indian friends as well.”
She also notices something very interesting. “Diwali is celebrated after Navratri and Eid is celebrated after Ramadan, so you go through a month of discipline and then celebrate. See how similar the concept is.”
Over the years, Haffsa has seen Diwali evolve in Melbourne. Being in the business of beauty, she receives a lot of clients coming in to get their hair and makeup done for Diwali. Having opened Karegar, a first multicultural store, she says, “It is getting busy as people are wanting to come and buy clothes. For me Diwali is like another Eid now, I am so much in the thick of it.”
Haffsa thinks everyone is so keen to celebrate Diwali and that the festival has taken over Australia. For instance, she reveals that multinational corporation Ernst & Young contacted her for Diwali clothes as the company is hosting a party with 500 in attendance. “It’s growing so much. I was blown away.”
Pretty invaluable that Haffsa and her two daughters get to celebrate Eid, Diwali and Christmas like their own. “I don’t have party in my house on Diwali, I get invited and I reciprocate by inviting people to my house for Eid. I love it.”
Sadhna Shammi Singh migrated to Australia from Fiji in 1998. Coming from an Indian background, celebration of festivals and rituals are part and parcel of her life. And despite a very busy life as host of her own radio show Dhadkan and also managing events, she has no intentions of shedding her culture.
“When I party, I party, when I am religious, I am religious,” she says, speaking about the elaborate puja plans this Diwali, a tradition that she and the rest of the Fijian Indian community in Australia keep up with.
In preparation of Diwali, most families begin by cleaning every nook and corner of the house as well as outside. That is followed by decorating the house and the puja space. Rangoli, a colourful floor decoration is created, synbolising wealth, joy, and prosperity, says Shammi.
“Two days before Diwali we start puja of Lakshmi and Vishnu. We can’t sweep the house after that,” she adds.
Fasting is also one of the key rituals. “I do three days of fasting, some people do it only on the main day. We can eat sweets but no salt during that time. In the evening after puja, we break the fast.”
Diwali is a festival that thrives on preparation and exchange of sweets among friends and families. Shammi she loves to make gulab jamuns (popular Indian dessert consisting of fried balls of a dough made from milk solids), gujiya (sweet dumplings made with suji or maida flour and stuffed with khoya or milk thickened by heating), and ladki mithai (a simple sweet made with dough which is fried, coated in sugar syrup and left to crystallise).
While the exchange of sweets is customary, “We don’t normally leave the house on the day of Diwali because we are lighting the diyas (lights). So one family member goes to distribute the sweets.”
Nothing can replace the experience of Diwali, believes Shammi. “For the Fijian Indian community, it is like our new year when Lord Ram came from banwas (exile).”
Harpreet Kandra’s vision of Diwali in Australia is sharing the festival with other multicultural groups. After all, what’s not to love about Diwali.
As one of the founding members of the Gurdwara Siri Guru Nanak Darbar Officer, the youngest Gurudwara in Victoria, Harpreet is going to have a very busy Diwali this year.
He is organising a multicultural food festival two days before Diwali on 22 October, Saturday. “We are encouraging people from different backgrounds to put up a stall for 400-500 people to provide a taste of their culture through food,” he says.
The multicultural food festival is the first one that the gurudwara is initiating. Harpreet hopes this will be a good test run for the years ahead.
The idea, he says, is to start building social cohesion through this festival of light and food. “The event is free for all to come and join. If people give donations, we will send those donations to the Fred Hollow Foundation, which works for restoring eyesight. You cannot enjoy the festival of lights if you have lost your vision. So the idea is, if we can contribute to the vision of these people, I think that’s an excellent way to celebrate Diwali.”
Like the previous years, save the COVID years, on the day of Diwali itself, the gurudwara expects about 3,000 from morning till evening.
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“We will have a lot of candle lighting, food, special prayers with a lot of singing of religious hymns. Not only Sikhs but a lot of Indians and others who live close by will come on that day. It is a festival for everyone,” he says.
Also going in line with other community organisations, Harpreet says there will be no firecrackers because of the environmental impact they have. “We are, however, arranging a bit of phool jharis (sparkling sticks).”
As a family, Diwali for Harpreet is essentially about putting lights in the house, praying and making some sweets to share with others. But he admits to ending up spending a lot of time time in the gurudwara along with other community volunteers to make arrangements for that big day.
Most people from his Punjabi community have prayers in their homes and go to a place of worship, exchange sweets, he says, adding with a laugh, “But obviously another occasion to wear some good costumes.”
The Indian population is growing massively in Australia and as a result people are understanding the significance of this celebration, says Harpreet.
That propels Harpreet’s constant involvement with community service. “I hope we will be able to fundraise for the Fred Hollows Foundation and raise some awareness in our local wider communities about Diwali and its significance in the Indian and Sikh faith,” he sums up.
Yashwant Jagtap is from Maharashtra. The Diwali story he recounts speaks of a fascinating and slight diversion of cultures in the way the festival of lights is celebrated in India.
“For us, Diwali is primarily for three days,” says the IT professional and a Maharashtrian who moved to Australia in 2008.
It starts with the Vasu Baras also known as Govatsa Dwadashi—dedicated to worshipping the cow. Leaving aside mythology, Wikipedia explains it is a thanksgiving festival to the cows for their help in sustaining human life and thus both cows and calves are worshiped and fed with wheat products.
“Then we move to three days of Diwali. First is Dhanteras, which is also known as Dhantrayodashi. The rituals connected to Dhanteras is essentially praying for the prosperity of the household. So the main puja is of Goddess Lakshmi to welcome the goddess of wealth,” says Yashwant.
Interestingly, along with the pujas of Ganesha and Lakshmi, Maharashtrians also worship the broom on this main day. There is a belief that the broom is the abode of Lakshmi and is said to remove negative forces, ward off poverty and infuse positivity.
The second day of the festival is called Narakachaturdashi, explains Yashwant. “On this day, people have the abhyang snan (bath), a particular type of aromatic bath using a custom made fragrant herbal paste called utna or ubtan. It has therapeutic value too.”
Part of the ritual is that after the abhyang snan, people crush the chirate fruit with their feet. The chirate fruit (bitter fruit) represents the demon king Narkasura, who was killed by Lord Krishna. “We celebrate the victory of good over evil. When we take the bath and crush the fruit, it is akin to crushing the devil.”
Yashwant adds that while the rest of India celebrate Diwali for three days, Maharashtrians have these two days of celebration prior—Dhanteras and Dhantrayodashi and Narakachaturdashi. “Sometimes they come on the same day depending on the Hindu calendar.”
Then comes Bhau Bheej on the last day, which celebrates the strong bonding between brothers and sisters. “Brothers are regarded as the protectors of the sisters in Hindu religion. Sisters invite their brothers for a meal and pray for their health and long life,” says Yashwant.
The celebration of Diwali wraps up with the Tulsi Vivah on the 15th day in which homes and temples ceremonially wed the tulsi plant or holy basil to Vishnu. “It is taken as a good sign when the darkness is gone and marks the beginning of the marriage season,” says Yashwant.
In Melbourne, Maharashtrians follow this tradition, says Yashwant, who is also president of the Maharashtra Mandal Victoria. People place the kandil (oil lamp), which is a symbol of purity and goodness outside the house on the day of Vasu Baras itself. That apart, there is also the exchange of the Diwali faral, an assortment of snacks and sweets.
Yashwant and his family are looking forward to celebrating this Diwali. But there is also a tinge of nostalgia. “During this time, if you go to Maharashtra and visit the towns and villages, every house will have the kandil. The night lights up.”
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#Diwali through a multicultural prism in #Victoria. 🎇 Millie Banerjee, Haffsa Bilal, Sadhna Shammi Singh, Harpreet Kandra & Yashwant Jagtap share their experiences. 🪔🪔🪔 #TheIndianSun #DiwaliCelebration https://t.co/O1VSYBiIpw
— The Indian Sun (@The_Indian_Sun) October 22, 2022
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