From Cleaning Up to Celebrations
Can our “Festival of Lights” be equated as the almost the Indian version of The Thanks Giving week celebrated in USA or the Chinese New Year, where there is almost a week of holidays. Diwali, Deepavali, or call it by any other name this is a festival that no Indian would miss – be it in any part of the world, heralding Celebrations in style.
It is the only festival where Cleaning (Safaai) culminates into Celebration. Time to celebrate with your Family and Friends! Cherish the new dress, soak in to the festivities, visit friends and relatives. Festival of Lights is almost like a New Year. Is it another Festival, where you would lose count of the myriad of the mithai and namkeen (`sweets & savories’); the delicacies, the traditional lunches, dinners, and the digestives that you will consume.
Kaju Katlis, Jalebis, Laddu, Shankarpala, chakli, Chiwda, Farsan, Burfis, kheer, etc., etc., are the typical deep friend items that one consumes. If one tries to analyze the typical ingredients, then one would come up with a list like – milk, refined flour (maida), Besan , Mawa, rice flour, wheat flour, flour of pulses, puffed rice, til, ghee, refine oil, dry fruits, and so on. Imagine the calories, for does one stop at just one or two.
Apart from these are the boxes that come from relatives and friends that may comprise dry fruits, chocolates, and so on. What a serial attack on your system over a span of a week, and then the diwali hangover to finish off the balance stuff. As the realization of binging dawns upon you, you shockingly discover that even the new clothes that you brought for Diwali now seems to be a little tight.
You now want to reduce or undo the misadventure of the festivities. So what does one resort to? Crash dieting, some detoxification?. Some think of starting to walk or jog, but with the onset of winter, early morning is a great challenge, so that too will be something that will fall apart after pursuing this activity for a couple of days.
Year after year we feel same. We feel that nothing can help us and we are ready with this darkness year after year! What is the solution? Solution is now and here. Our tradition believes in Prasad and distinguishes it from mithai. We must invest in tradition of Healthiness and Happiness by stopping wasting in junk food and activity. Let this thought and mindful action illuminate Diwali and New Year.
There is a simple solutions! We are not asking you not to celebrate, but celebrate with Moderation. A portion of single sweet can be shared between three people, for you have respected the tradition, yet kept in mind the resultant calories you may gain. Eating a handful of dry fruits (all put together) is good for health, but you shouldn’t be eating a handful of each and that too day in and day out.
Happy Cleaning Up, Happy Dhanteras, Happy Diwali, Happy Dhanteras, Happy Lakshmi Pujan, Happy New Year, Happy Celebrations
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