Gone are the days of quiet Diwali celebration marked by a devotional Lakshmi-Ganesh pooja with the faint noise of bursting crackers in the background. Cosmopolitan Bangalore has taken the north Indian route to celebrate the festival of lights.

Week-long flamboyant parties, taash-parties, gambling, new-age expensive crackers and unusual gift exchanges have replaced the simple mithai and dry-fruit custom. According to several north Indians residing in Bangalore, people here are investing moolah for unrestrained merrymaking, bringing the City on par with Delhi and Mumbai.

The owners of Kartik’s Mithai Shoppe have been in the trade for six decades now in Bangalore. Sunil Agarwal, the proprietor for the last 16 years, says, “Five years ago, Ayudha pooja, which comes a little before, did better business than Diwali. But with top MNCs coming into the City, they are celebrating Diwali in a big way.

Corporate bookings are done a month in advance. Our business has not only gone up dramatically, it’s almost two times higher than the sale during Ayudha pooja. The sale during Diwali has gone up by three times. This year we hope to double our earnings.”

It’s interesting to note how a primarily north Indian festival has percolated down to a southern City like Bangalore. How the ‘westernised’ IT City still celebrates tradition with much aplomb. Metrolife spoke to a few north Indians living in cosmopolitan Bangalore, about Diwali celebration style, then and now.

Sheetal Sharma,
fashion choreographer:

“North Indians are flamboyant and celebrate Diwali with great pomp and show. In the south, people would celebrate in a quiet manner. But such has been the influx of north Indians, the revelry in Bangalore has become loud. They are participating in Diwali celebration with equal enthusiasm. Today theme parties, Bollywood nights, taash parties are being organised three weeks in advance. Invitations are being sent for such dos. Earlier, Diwali meant only the pooja and visiting relatives’ houses. Only mithai, dry fruits and diyaas were exchanged. Today artefacts have become gifting options. This year I got an evil eye showpiece as a Diwali gift. Last year, I got a stone Buddha. It’s better because how much sweet can one eat!”

Manoviraj Khosla, designer

“Most of the north Indian customs have trickled down, not only to Bangalore, but to every part of India - be it Holi, Diwali, the wedding sangeet or even the salwaar kameez. All I can say is that anything that is fun seeps into other cultures. None of the boring customs make it. Diwali was always a part of the Hindu Bangalore tradition. But today it’s caught on with card parties and lavish celebration.”

Gouri Kapur, make-up artist

“Diwali is celebrated by all religions because of the allure of crackers. Earlier it was all about sweets and new clothes. Today it’s about cars, designer clothes and jewellery. But the festival still holds the charm of gifts and cards, which is a great festive way of people getting together.”

Rakhi Lalvani, director PR at a five-star hotel

“Bangalore is on the same level as Mumbai or Delhi when it comes to Diwali celebrations. Today Diwali parties here involve large gambling tables, complete with Black Jack and Roulette. People spend money just like in Mumbai and Delhi. Food at these dos are top-of-the-line. The youth in the south Indian communities are very global and participate in gambling. But the older generation stick to their crackers and poojas. In terms of fashion, Bangalore is no where close to the metros but money-wise, our City equals Mumbai and Delhi.”