November 2, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): When it comes to celebrate the various festivals of our culture, our TV stars are never behind. If anyone is well-versed with rituals and traditions of Indian culture, it has to be the television community, given the innumerable episodes they shoot about such festivals. Today marks the beginning of the Diwali week. A festival of lights and entertainment when no one leaves any stone unturned to celebrate it. Sampurn Wire caught up with some such stars of the Colors channel. Here are the excerpts of the ways they will be celebrating Diwali. Check it out..
Meghna Malik Ammaji of Na Aana Is Des Laado
Will call my friends over and decorate my house with flowers
Diwali for me is a taste of life. Its a visual treat to see the city beautifully lit up. The festival season brings the new energy in all of us and its a good excuse to be together with family. This year I have not made any plans though I would love to go home if I get time off from shoots. I will miss lights on the boundary wall and the decorated diyas. I will call up friends at my flat and will decorate it with flowers. I am an enthusiastic person where decoration is concerned. For me, God is one so its his spirit that I celebrate.
Natasha Sharma Sia of Na Aana Is Des Laado
Heading home to Delhi to surprise Ma and Papa
Diwali is the time for a family re-union, sweets, pooja, new outfits, traditional food I wait for this time the whole year and considering that I am from North, we celebrate Diwali in a grand way. This Diwali, I will be heading home in Delhi and surprising Ma and Papa as they still dont have a clue of my visit. I will be putting Rangoli as usual and will be splurging all my money on shopping for my family.
Aditya Raghav of Na Anna Is Des Laado
I would like to visit my home in Kolhapur
Diwali for me is not just a festival and neither do I restrict myself to Pooja and crackers. I believe that its a day to get closer with each other and forget all the grudges. I remember when I was in 6th standard, I had worn a silk kurta on Diwali and there were diyas lit around the entrance gate of my home. My kurta caught fire and there was chaos. My dad had to put a blanket on the fire to put it off. I am from Kolhapur and would like to visit home this year for Diwali, but I really dont know how the shooting schedules would be then. Who doesnt want to be with the family during Diwali!!
Shashank Vyas Jagdish of Balika Vadhu
This Diwali I hope to spend time with my family in Ujjain
This Diwali, I hope I get some time off to be my family in Ujjain As a school kid; I used to wait for diwali vacations to be with my cousins and grandpa. All those years were special to me. But now being an actor, things have changed- no holidays and only shoots, but work comes first and I think I will be shooting on this Diwali too, and will ensure I celebrate it with all my co-stars and the production unit.
Pratyusha Banerjee Anandi of Balika Vadhu
My Parents are coming down to Mumbai to be with me on Diwali
Every year during Diwali I make a small God house which is called as a Diwali Ghar where I keep the idols of Kaali Maata, Lakshmiji and Ganeshji and this year I plan do the same. This time it is going to be all the more special as my parents will be visiting me from Jamshedpur and am also going to be celebrating it with my friends on the sets of Balika Vadhu. I also plan to shop for all my relatives and family. I want all my well wishers to be careful with crackers. When I was a child I had unknowingly stepped on a sparkler and my foot was badly burnt and the scar always reminds me to be careful with crackers.
Mahhi Vij Nakusha of Laagi Tujhse Laagan
Planning to surprise my mom by gifting her car
Diwali is my favourite festival as you get a chance to visit relatives house with Mithai boxes, giggling and gossiping together, having loads of sweets and savories. This Diwali is going to be a bumper as I have planned to gift a car to my momshhh its a secret (grinning). While I do enjoy bursting crackers, but I prefer and advise all the buy ones that do not make any sound.
Mishal Dutta Bhau of Laagi Tujhse Lagan
I plan to gift a car to my parents
Diwali for me is certainly a festival to rejoice. It gives me lot of energy, positivity when I see the lights everywhere. This time of course I am planning to buy a car and gift mom and dad. I will also be buying gold on Dhanteras and will be accompanying my mom to the temple to give food to the needy people.
Nandish Veer of Uttaran
I will visit an orphanage as usual to celebrate
Diwali for me has always meant fun. Fire crackers were an interest when I was a kid, but now its more of Pooja. Its a festival of positivity. The others too are, but Diwali for some reason has always been a personal favourite since the time I remember. I see the people carry a huge smile on their face and wish each other. I make a point to clean my Pooja Ghar and put diyas around it. I have to do this all alone as I stay alone. This year I am planning to visit an orphanage like always. I do it for all the important days; be it birthday, Diwali or holi. I go to the orphanage in Vikroli. I feel nice spending Diwali with these children. I am eagerly waiting to go home.
Tina Dutta Ichcha of Uttaran
I will be heading to US to spend time with my family
The only Hindu festival I look forward to, it personifies unity, fun, and happiness all together. Every Diwali has been special till now. I remember once when I was a kid, I had to attend tuitions on the day of Diwali. I bunked it and went straight to my friends house. When I reached home after spending some hours at her place, I got beatings from my dad. This Diwali is going to be an international one, as I will be heading to US to spend time with my family, but this would be mostly after I wrap up my shoot here in Mumbai. When I was in Kolkata, Diwali used to be so much fun with the whole family coming together in our house and doing Kaali Pooja.
Richa Soni Bindiya of Bhagyavidhata
I will be buying Gold as it is considered to be auspicious
I am born and bought up in Bihar and there its celebrated in a different manner. Theres more enthusiasm and more life to this festival. Diwali for me is as exciting as my Birthday. Fireworks, Lights and sweets excite me a lot. I have heard a lot of stories regarding Diwali from my Mom. Fortunately all my Diwalis have been healthy and safe till now and I cherish them a lot. Theres one incident which I would like to cite. One Diwali I was wearing traditional lehenga and making rangoli and a fire cracker busted which was stuck to my lehenga. I fell down and everybody got scared thinking what happened to me. Though nothing happened but it was a lesson to be careful. This Diwali am all excited to go home. Have already started purchasing gifts for my family and more importantly I will be buying Gold as it is considered to be auspicious.
Smitha Singh Punpunwali of Bhagyavidhta
Will binge on sweets and forget diet plans
For me Diwali in todays scenario is very practical of course there is a traditional meaning of it too, but nowadays its mostly Holiday oriented. People wait for Diwali just to find time to relax for couple of days. Its basically a time for me to binge on sweets, forget dieting plans, have fun with family members wearing new clothes and more importantly praying together. When I was a kid, we used to have a competition on burning highest number of firecrackers; and I used to specially buy 1000 ladi wali bomb which used to be a regular affair.
Vishal Vinay of Bhagyavidhaata
Burn crackers at Carter road and go clubbing
Diwali for me means time to go home, eat a lot of mithais have fun with cousins and friends and shop unlimitedly. The best reminisce of Diwali is till I was 10 years old and used to spend Diwali at home in Palampur post where I was sent off to a boarding school. So, those 10 years of my childhood are memorable and precious. We used to live in a joint family and with around 8-10 kids in the house, we used to create a havoc, do Pooja together, fight for crackers and I miss all that. This year I havent made any plans for Diwali so far. I would not be going home because of the shoots but will definitely head to Carter Road and burn crackers with friends.
-- Neha Agrawal / Sampurn Wire