Sharvari loves Diwali and all the traditions which come with it – right from lighting diya’s, to making rangoli’s, to dressing up in Indian wear to meeting friends and family she thoroughly enjoys all aspects of the festival.
However, the one Diwali ritual she looks forward to is the ‘pahili pahat’ which is a Maharashtrian ritual where the whole family sits together to have the first meal of the day before sunrise.
Talking about the same Sharvari says “I love Diwali and the ritual of pahili pahat in which as a family we all wake-up before sunrise, use Utna (which is actually Multani mitti) as a scrub for one’s skin, get ready in new Indian clothes, listen to some happy marathi songs about Diwali and have breakfast together.”
She further shares “This breakfast is called faral which includes dishes like chiwda, chakli, shankarpale, karanji and many more savories like that which are all cooked at home. I really look forward to this meal as we come together on a table as a family and the mood is very festive and celebratory. It feels like a new beginning. I also relish the wide spread of food and my favorite thing is chakli and shankarpale.”
She sums it up while saying “As a kid I have always enjoyed faral and I appreciate it more so now, because everyone is busy in their own hectic schedules but on Diwali, we all come together and after faral take blessings from our elders.”