The Tossed Salad

With the spirit of Diwali permeating slowly into society, traditional households prepare themselves to celebrate the festival of light with much gusto and zest.  As the camphor diyas adorn the peripheries of each household, the ornate silver trays are further decorated with delectable sweets of myriad shapes and colors. The statue of Goddess Laxmi sits majestically in crimson and gold while the children scurry around the house in vibrant apparels.

‘Diwali is also synonymous with mouth watering sweets or ‘mithais’. They form a significant part of Diwali. In fact till a few years back, Diwali was incomplete without them. The gods and goddesses are offered and adorned with Mithais which are later distributed amongst family and friends as ‘Prashaad.’

Delectable sweets such as Moti Choor Ladoo, Jalebi , Kajukatli , Kaju-Pista Rolls, Peda , Barfi, Gulab Jamun, Badam Barfi, Ras Malai and Rasgulla are favorites amongst people in all regions.

Despite this traditional inheritance, the scenario is quickly changing with sweets making way for innovative gift ideas like chocolate packages, plants, and decoration pieces. A big reason for this paradigm shift is the growing need amongst people to imbue personal touches in the gifts and the escalating questionable quality of sweets available in the market.

“Traditional sweets are unhealthy and are usually adulterated. This season I am going to shift my loyalties and give people packaged sweets or chocolates. They are so attractive and safe,” said Vineeta Ghosh, a housewife.

Echoing the same feelings, the youth find the concept of sweets very passé and sterile. “Gifts should have a personal touch to them. Exchanging sweets was the only option our older generations had but now we really do have a plethora of choices. If I know that a particular friend is fond of books then I might as well gift him one,” said Amreen Khurana, a student from the University of Delhi.

Even the sweets shop vendors have the same story to tell. “The demand for traditional sweets is decreasing. Even though we feel that the essence of Diwali is being challenged by these new products, we have to survive in the market,” said Chabban Pande, a sweet shop owner.

Many traditionalists, in their anguish, have a different story to tell. As has been put aptly by Anshul Mitra, an IT Professional based in Pune, “You cannot please the gods with chocolates and books. A tradition must be respected. Sweets have their own significance in our society. It represents various emotions and is always a bearer of good news. Sweets are synonymous with all our festivals.”

The fight between tradition and its constant evolution will always stir society into reviewing its beliefs and making changes if necessary. This happens to be one such example.

Amrah Ashraf

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Author: Amrah Ashraf
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