Hi 27 10 2016

VOL 10 ISSUE 42 / OCTOBER 27, 2016

OMAN’S LARGEST CIRCULATED WEEKLY — 46,760 COPIES

OMAN’S LARGEST CIRCULATED WEEKLY — 46,760 COPIES

DIWALI SPECIAL STARTS PAGE 8

THIS WEEK IN OMAN

LEARN THE LEGEND The dramatic stories and legends surrounding Diwali are just as exciting as the rangoli, lanterns, sweets, and gold that are now associated with the festival.

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GET IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT Hindu children born and raised here in Muscat explain what Diwali means to them.

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EAT AROUND INDIA Diwali is celebrated with sweets everywhere in India, but the treats prepared in the kitchens of the north, south, east, and west, couldn’t be more different.

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Give us a shout with questions, comments, compliments, complaints, or just to say “Hi” Founder Essa bin Mohamed Al Zedjali Chairman Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali CEO Ahmed Essa Al Zedjali scottarmstrong@timesofoman.com Chief Executive Editor Scott Armstrong felicia@timesofoman.com

Executive Features Editor Felicia Campbell Features Production Editor Swati Dasgupta swati@timesofoman.com Research/Copy Editor Ashish Dubash shruthi@timesofoman.com

ashishdubash@timesofoman.com

Associate Editors Salim Hamood Al Afifi Shruthi Nair

salim@timesofoman.com

Associate Features Production Editor Mobin Mathew Blesson gautam@timesofoman.com mobinmathew@timesofoman.com Digital Editor Gautam Bhargav Viswanathan Chief Creative Officer Adonis Durado Associate Art Director Waleed Rabin Graphics Editor Antonio Farach Design Editor Sahir K.M. Lead Designer Ali Jani Designers Antonio Ismael Sandiego Geri Batara Sonny Gregory Fernandez Director of Digital Television Joe Morrison Photography MMG Photographers

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THE WEEKEND LINEUP

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Tell us what you’re doing this weekend: Tweet us @HiWeekly_Oman; tag us in your weekend instagram photos @hiweekly_oman; or share with us on FB/hiweekly

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THURSDAY 5:30pm Spook Party Take your kids for one of the best Halloween parties in town. With games, songs, puppets and more, this is a party they’ll enjoy a lot. Also, there are amazing awards for the best costumes, so don’t miss it.

My Gym, Panorama Mall +968 9320 3322 mygym.com/muscat

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FRIDAY 8:00pm Southern Celebrations The Simply South night is back with the most up-beat Southern Indian tracks to keep you dancing all night in the spirit of the Dravidians.

On The Rocks Golden Tulip Hotel, Seeb +968 9798 3333

3:00pm Step Up

It’s the family shopping season again. Buy everything from clothes to furniture, accessories, games, and decorations at special rates at the Family Shopping Expo, 25 to 31 October.

A pool-side dance battle awaits at Route 66 this weekend. If you’d like to participate in the bboy or all-style battle, then register your crew by sending your name, nickname, and crew name via whatsapp prior to the event. If you’d just like to witness the epic battles then simply showup. Doors open at 3pm.

Oman International Exhibition Centre +968 9446 7554 instagram.com/ villagedm_om

Route 66 Qurum Resort, Qurum +968 9926 8133 +968 9120 2926 +968 9206 1883

4:30pm Buy Buy Weekend

Your calendar of the hottest events happening in Muscat this weekend

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SATURDAY 7:00am Enhance your Culinary Skills If you are a cooking enthusiast, then you won’t want to miss the chance to exploring the culinary world with likeminded foodies in the Culinary of Filipino Chefs Society Oman. Contact the society for more details.

Adobo Authentic Filipino Cuisines +968 9343 5226 Habhab10@ omantel.net.om

PHOTOGRAPHY: SUPPLIED

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WEEKEND DOWNLOAD

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Have you tried any of these five? What do you think of them? Did we miss any of your favourites? Tag us on Instagram @hiweekly_oman and tell us about it on facebook.com/hiweekly

OUTSOURCED WITH GAUTAM BHARGAV VISWANATHAN

FIVE TO TRY BEST DIWALI SWEETS

MOTICHOOR LADOO An exotic Indian dessert made of small balls (boondi) made out of gram flour or besan and fried in oil. It’s later soaked in sugar syrup and garnished with slivers of pistachios or almonds. Try at: Bombay Sweets, Rex Road +968 2483 3827

GULAB JAMUN This milk and flour-based dessert is traditionally made from fresh curdled milk that is kneaded into dough, shaped into round balls, and deep-fried. Later these fried dumplings are soaked in sugar syrup. Try at: The Bollywood, Qurum +968 2456 5653/ +968 9984 9265

KESAR PEDA This homemade saffron-flavoured fudge is made of khoya, milk, ghee, and saffron. It is generally yellow in colour owing to the saffron strands and is garnished with chopped nuts, often pistachios.

Try at: Kamat Restaurant, Ruwi +968 2478 3300

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cultural gaffes, being totally unaware of Indian culture. His employees, though, always have his back. NBC have found an excellent star cast of Indian origin actors for the show, and their contrasting personalities are the source of much of the humour in this story.

Rizwan Manjit (NCIS, Glee, and How I Met Your Mother) plays Todd’s second in command, Rajiv Gidwani, who embodies corporate work culture from carefully coiffed hair to immaculately polished shoes. His ultimate aim is to run the call centre by himself, and to that end, he is rooting for Todd to either scale immense success or fail miserably, because either way, he will eventually become the call centre’s manager. As he tells his boss, “Your success is my success, your failures are also my success.”

The rest of the gang are very decidedly in the pro-Todd camp. Sacha Dhawan plays the aforementioned Manmeet, who’s easy-going, very friendly, and girl crazy. His character is a brilliant contrast to Parvesh Cheena’s character, Gupta, a talkative, very lovable employee who constantly yearns to be the centre of attention. Anisha Nagarajan is Madhuri, who’s seldom heard, and noticed just as rarely.

Her confidence grows throughout the show, though and she soon becomes one of the gang once they all notice her beautiful singing voice. Asha, played

DATES BARFI With seedless dates, cashews, almonds, pistachios, condensed milk, and clarified butter, these are truly delicious northern Indian treats. For those who are health conscious there’s a sugar free option. Try at: Kesar, MBD +968 2470 7172/ +968 2470 6969

by Rebecca Hazlewood, is the voice of reason in the group, representing the quintessential Indian working girl caught in the crossroads between tradition and modernity, torn between making it on her own and acquiescing to her parents’ pressures to agree to an arranged marriage. She’s always willing to put a positive spin on things, though, once telling Todd that “an arranged marriage is like a bowl of soup that becomes warm over time”.

With some fantastic chemistry and hilarious antics from its actors, Outsourced is a show that liberally pokes fun at Western stereotypes of Indian culture and will have your sides aching. An oldy, but a goody that makes the perfect watch for Diwali.

—gautam@timesofoman.com

The Short and Skinny Name: Outsourced Genre: Comedy What’s it about: An American call centre manager has to travel to India because his job has been outsourced halfway across the world. Hilarious consequences ensue Duration: 30 minutes Who’s in it: Ben Rappaport, Diedrich Bader, Pippa Black, Sacha Dhawan, Rizwan Manjit, Parvesh Cheena, Anisha Nagarajan, Rebecca Hazlewood IMDB Rating: 7.5/10

KAJU CASSATA These luscious fudges are a Diwali favourite, made out of almonds, ghee, sugar, cashew nuts, cocoa powder, saffron, and water. Try at: Ghasitaram, Al Khuwair +968 2448 2100

PHOTOGRAPHY: SUPPLIED

“Y

ou don’t know what Diwali is, do you?” Manmeet asks his American boss Todd Dempsy.

“I know what it is. I just think it’s become a little commercialised, you know?” replies Todd.

“It shouldn’t be about buying stuff. It should be about celebrating the birth of the Baby Diwali.”

Welcome to Outsourced, NBC Studios’ quirky look at modern-day outsourcing.

Ben Rappaport, from Elementary and The Good Wife, is Todd Dempsy, the manager for Mid-American Novelties, whose entire call centre is outsourced to Mumbai, India. Being catapulted into a job halfway across the world, Dempsy needs to acclimatise quickly to local cultures and customs. Helping him to adjust to his new environs is fellow Yankee Charlie Davies, who runs a call centre for All American Hunter, and is obsessed with all things stereotypically American, including guns, hunting, and football (played by Diedrich Bader of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Cheers,and The Drew Carey Show). Also showing him the ropes are Tonya, the manager for the Koala Air call centre, her effervescent character excellently portrayed

by Aussie actress Pippa Black of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

Todd’s cossetted childhood in the heartland of America is only further emphasised when he commits a series of

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I STORY SHRUTHI NAIR

n Oman we live in a mixed culture where people from different ethnicities and nationalities co-exist with love and peace. In fact, I even see inter-community mingling, which I find super cute, wherein people of one community celebrate the festivals of another community and get involved in it completely without even knowing what they’re rejoicing about. Sometimes, I also notice how western expats find it weird when the majority (and loud) Indian community in Oman celebrate their festivals openly as they don’t understand what on earth is happening and what all the bling, hustle, and bustle are about.

With Diwali quickly approaching I’m expecting to see the same puzzled looks on the faces of non-South Asian expatriates in Oman very soon. But, in anticipation of the holiday, we decided it was the perfect time to lay out the story behind Diwali for anyone, Western, Arab, or even Indian, who might not know. It should be said that India is a vast country with a huge population and tons of cultural diversity and, as such, there isn’t a single story that governs the legend of Diwali. Instead we have many stories from all kinds of ancient religious scripts to explain the celebration. In every Diwali legend, one thing remains the same, the festival of lights is a remembrance of goodness, heroics, love, and homecoming. In short, it is a celebration of light over darkness. —shruthi@timesofoman.com

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The festival, which is also known as Deepavali derives its name from “deep” meaning lamp and “avali” meaning rows. Every year for decades now people have been commemorating Diwali with rows of lanterns meant to celebrate King Rama’s return

LEGEND 1: RAMA RETURNS Ramayana, the legendary book written by Valmiki, explains why Diwali is celebrated by a good number of people across India, thanks to the story of Rama.

Dasharatha, the king of Ayodhya, had three wives and four sons, of whom Rama was the eldest. The boy was considered by the entire kingdom to be the most ideal man alive and he was married to the beautiful Sita, who was the neighbouring ruler’s daughter.

When it was time for King Dasharatha to choose his successor for the throne, he unwillingly had to choose his son Bharat, from his second wife Queen Kaikeyi, because of an oath he had made to the queen years before. He also had to send Rama into exile in the forest for 14 years.

Rama’s brother Lakshman and wife Sita joined him in the forest.

One day, a demon forest princess tried to

seduce Rama, but he and his brother ended up wounding the evil princess, who turned out to be the sister of the ten-headed ruler of Lanka, Ravana. The angry ruler formulated a plan to abduct Sita in revenge, and also because he had heard tales of her mesmerising beauty.

What followed was a quest for Rama and Lakshmana to find Sita and bring her back home safely. Hanuman, an ardent devotee of Rama, along with his monkey army, helped Rama win his battle with Ravana and rescue Sita.

The entire kingdom was ecstatic when the two brothers and Sita returned back to Ayodhya. To celebrate his homecoming the people lit their houses with earthen lamps, burst crackers, and decorated the entire kingdom.

Diwali is also known as “deepavali” or “rows of lamps” and each year Indians celebrate the hero Rama’s return to his kingdom, and the triumph of good over evil, during this festival of lights.

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LEGEND 2: THE BATTLE OF LORD VISHNU AND THE DEMON NARAKASURA In this story of the triumph of good over evil, Narakasura, a demon king who had terrorised his entire kingdom and was infamous among his subjects for his bad deeds, was destroyed by Lord Vishnu. Upon his defeat, Lord Vishnu released thousands of women who had been kept under his captivity. Everyone in the kingdom rejoiced and celebrated his victory, a practice that continues to this day.

LEGEND 3: THE MARRIAGE OF LAKSHMI According to Hindu mythology, centuries ago all deities and demons were mortals, but obviously, they all wanted to live forever. When they got to know that amrita, the nectar of immortality, lay in the ocean, they decided to churn the entire sea in search of it, with the demons on one side and deities on the other. This event, considered iconic in the Hindu scriptures, was called Samudra Manthan and among the various divine things that came out of it was the beautiful deity Lakshmi, daughter of the Ocean King.

Lord Vishnu decided to marry her on the very same day and to celebrate the incarnation of Lakshmi and her marriage to Vishnu, lamps were illuminated and used to decorate entire cities.

In remembrance of this, Hindus offer prayers to Lakshmi, the deity of wealth, during the Diwali festival.

LEGEND 4: WELCOME HOME PANDAVAS There are two very important scriptures that narrate various stories that make up an important part of Hindu mythology. While Ramayana has stories about Rama, Mahabharata has stories about the Pandavas, Kauravas, and others. In the epic tale of Mahabharat, the Pandavas loose in a game of dice and are sent to the forest in exile for 13 years by the Kauravas. They returned to their kingdom on the day of Kartik Amavasya of the Hindu calendar. The people of the kingdom, in order to celebrate their return, lit lamps and decorated houses all over the city. Since that day people across India are seen doing the same in order to celebrate the return of their beloved Pandava brothers.

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iwali is actually the third day of a five-day-long celebration full of tradition and ceremony and it is one of the few Hindu festivals that is celebrated in almost all parts of India with equal vigour and enthusiasm. While I firmly believe that India is a country where people will use just about any excuse to celebrate, Diwali is more than a party, it is a meaningful holiday to Indians from all corners of the country, for all kinds of reasons. While for me Diwali is about wearing my best new Indian dress, for my parents the highlight of Diwali is the food (cooking for mum and eating for dad), for many others it is an important time of prayer and reflection, and for nearly everyone, the decorations and lights of the most splendid spectacle anywhere in the world are forever illuminated in our memories.

STORY SHRUTHI NAIR

FIVE DAYS OF DIWALI

DAY 1 • DHANTERAS This is the first day of Diwali and the 13th lunar day of the Hindu Calendar, Krishna Paksha. This is the day when most of the purchases take place, especially valuables such as gold and silver, jewellery, and precious stones.

It is also at this time that all the renovations of homes and offices takes place to ensure the areas are clean, decorated, and ready for Diwali.

DAY 2 • CHOTI DIWALI The second day of Diwali is when people usually relax at home, have a nice oil massage to relieve stress and tiredness and also to ward off anything that is unpleasant. This is followed by a long, refreshing bath. Diyas (oil lamps) are usually not lit on this day, although some people light a few. Choti Diwali is also the time when pundits (priests) would advise you to sit at home and not go out. But again, traditions vary from house to house.

DAY 3 • DIWALI The third day is the main day of Diwali. People usually wake up early in the morning on this day and the women in the house get busy preparing delicacies, sweets, and savouries and distributing them to neighbours, relatives, and friends. In the evening, most households conduct a Lakshmi Puja, wherein they worship deity Lakshmi and seek her blessings for wealth, prosperity and growth to enter their homes. Diyas or oil lamps are lit and placed in every nook and corner of the house. The women and kids of the house prepare a huge rangoli design inside or in front of the house. Other decorations include flowers used as garlands to decorate rooms and doors. Later in the evening, the celebrations are concluded with splendid firework displays and the lighting of firecrackers with friends, relatives, and family members.

DAY 4 • ANNAKOOT The fourth day is the GovardhanPuja or Annakoot. According to mythology, this day is a celebration of Lord Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan with his little finger in order to protect and shelter people from rain. So, on this day, the Govardhan Puja is performed by some and an array of 56 dishes, known collectively as “bhog”, are offered to Krishna.

In temples, deities are bathed in milk and offered sweets. Others worship the deity’s instruments, arms, and machines for prosperity. People offer their prayers to show their gratitude for all the benevolence.

DAY 5 • BHAI DUJ This is the final day of Diwali. If you are born in a Hindu household with siblings, then this will certainly be your favourite Diwali day. On this day, sisters invite their brother for lunch and prepare all of their favourite dishes. Sisters perform an aarti prayer with oil lamps for their brothers, making a tikka mark on his forehead as they pray for a long and happy life. Brothers vow to protect their sisters forever and gifts are exchanged.

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STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY SALIM AL AFIFI ST

There’s nothing more exciting than celebrating traditions from around the globe, Th be it Halloween, Christmas, or The Chinese New Year. But I get extra-pumped whenever the daz dazzling, week-long Hindu festival of Diwali approaches. As I became more and more acquainted wit with this celebration, I truly fell in love with the art of rangoli, a colourful religious ritual that is creative c by nature, and fascinating in form.

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angoli is an Indian form of art, practised mostly by women, which involves adorning house entrances by making patterns on floors by using coloured powder among other dry material to create a visually striking design functions as both an offering to the that fu deities, and a warm welcome for guests deitie during the holy celebration.

What I really love about this artform is the magic-like process of creating an elaborate design out of nothing but powder, and the temporary nature of the beautiful creations.

I learned that rangoli is mostly drawn using coloured powders, chalk, or rice paste for the main design, and is then embellished with a variety of things including glitter powder, flower petals, sands, and grains like beans and dry pumpkin seeds. Eager to delve deeper into the subject, I went to the Sri Krishna Temple in Ruwi to meet one of the best and most passionate rangoli artists in town.

Paru Negandhi is a creative spirit

who’s been practising this artsy profession for more than 20 years, and she was able to explain the evolution of the artform to me. Turns out that back in the day, artists used to burn rice husks and use the white ash to make the rangoli, dying it with natural colour sources like turmeric for yellow and vermilion for red. For lighter shades, they’d mix the plain powder with more vibrant hues to tone it down. The designs were made using hands or sometimes a simple cone.

As times changed, the creative process of rangoli evolved and became more artistic and expressive. Artists now bejewel their powdery art with precious stones, glass materials, laces, and sometimes even jewellery. To this day, these creations still require no brushes, rulers, or canvases, just a steady hand and an empty space on the ground. That said, rangoli is very technique-driven and requires excruciating levels of attention-to-detail.

According to Paru, the whole process begins with a 20-day preparation, which involves selecting designs and importing materials from India (if they’re not available here), before the actual drawing can

begin. Her drawings typically take two to four days, depending on the size of the rangoli she is making. The coloured powders or sands are then carefully poured over the drawing — a process which takes a lot of process, and a very steady hand, to master.

I was especially curious about the designs themselves, whose themes range from religious symbolism, to flowers and geometrical shapes, to elaborate portraits that are made into carpet-sized decorations. Depictions of the deities Ganesha and Krishna are popular, as are scenes from ancient stories, which many artists take modern interpretations of. Others go for a more secular aesthetic, drawing inspiration from their favourite personalities, like Steve Jobs. The bottom line is, rangoli art is a totally personal labour of love.

Diwali is incomplete without rangoli, that decorative tradition passed from generation to generation, in which something stunningly beautiful is created with the simplest of materials. As I see it, rangoli is the purest offering of the heart.

—salim@timesofoman.com

Rangoli artist, Paru Negandhi

MAKE YOUR OWN RANGOLI Rangoli DesignTemplates | theholidayspot.com

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WHAT DOES DIWALI MEAN TO TODAY’S GENERATION?

STORY GAUTAM BHARGAV VISWANATHAN

MODERN DAY YOUTH seem to feel increasingly isolated, despite the global connectivity of the digital age, something I think is doubly true for many expatriate children. So, with Diwali fast approaching, I decided to have a chat with a group of Indian expats between the ages of eight and 16 in Ruwi to ask them what they knew about the significance of the festival. As an expat born and raised in Oman myself, I remembered how important celebrations like Diwali were for me, providing a point of connection to the homeland of my parents, which somehow made me feel more rooted.

I wondered if children today still felt the same way. So, I set out to see, and was pleasantly surprised to find that there was still a common thread of connection. Both to community and to the past, running through the Diwali musings of Muscat’s Indian children.

—gautam@timesofoman.com

Diwali to me is a celebration of happiness. It’s a festival that I love celebrating with my family and friends when we get together. I love the ceremonies and the traditions. And I love helping my mum in the kitchen.

Last year, my entire building celebrated Diwali together, so all the adults and the children celebrated together and I had so much fun.” —Ravisha, aged 16

All your family and friends come together; it’s like a reunion. Just looking at the lights everywhere brings light to your soul. The whole area is lit up and it’s beautiful to look at. Not a single house is dull.”

—Ishnika, aged 13

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My mother makes rangoli and delicious sweets and she lights lamps all across the house.”

—Prithvi, aged 10 It’s really colourful and we get to dress up in traditional clothes in school as well.”

—Jerome, aged 18

It’s the clearing out the bad and replacing it with good, it represents God’s triumph over evil. At home, though, mom uses it as an excuse to make me clean my room. But the food is always a plus point.”

—Esha, aged 15

A lot of people come over, and we celebrate a lot during Diwali. Everyone’s house is very well decorated and they greet us very warmly. When I was nine, I remember going to my cousin’s house and all of us played with a lot of crackers and ate plenty of sweets.” —Sairishi, aged 14

A few years ago, I’d gone to my friend’s house and we stayed up till about 4am. It was really fun and we sang together and we ate really good food and played with these really big firecrackers. I really remember that celebration because I’d never done anything like it before and that was my last real good Diwali celebration.”

—Christine, aged 13

When I think Diwali, I think lights, I think festivities, I think of crackers and colours and brightness. I love the positive vibes that are created by people and the feeling of happiness everywhere. Because I’d never really celebrated Diwali properly before, my relatives made it really special when they came here some time ago. My grandma was here and she told me all the stories about why we celebrate Diwali.”

—Shalmali, aged 14

It’s a festival of joy, everything is fully lit, and the streets are filled with light and people.”

—Santosh, aged 15

I just love the sweets.”

—Ipsha, aged 13

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A Festiv of Flavo

val ours

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STORY SWATI DASGUPTA PHOTOGRAPHY SHABIN E.

W

ith thousands of flickering clay lamps illuminating every nook and corner of the homes in India, there’s no missing the fact that Diwali, the festival of lights, has begun. Thousands of kilometres away, here in Oman, and around the world, the Indian community continue to celebrate this beloved festival, keeping their heritage alive with lamps burning, families gathering, and sweets on the table.

Perhaps one of the world’s brightest festivals, Diwali is a family affair where everything from the religious rituals to the preparation of culinary delicacies takes place at home. No celebration is complete without homemade sweets and savouries, with many of the recipes passed down through generations. From the ever popular sweets like barfi, rasmalai, gulab jamun, ladoo, kesar peda, balushahi, and anjeer, to savouries like vadas, murukku, and pakoras, Diwali is as much a festival of food as a festival of lights, with tasty specialities varying from region to region.

Sumathi Pandian, a resident of Muscat who hails from South India, learned traditional South Indian Diwali menus from her mother-in-law. “My mother-in-law would make these treats and store them in huge boxes. Murukku used to be a side dish with our meals. Other than murukku and rava ladoos, gulab jamuns, and adhirasam (a sweet made of rice flour and jaggery) was also made in our homes during Diwali,” Sumathi said.

Beena George, who is also from South India, grew up in Ahmedabad in the Western part of India where the Diwali celebrations were a community affair. “We did not celebrate Diwali in our house, but I would eagerly await this festival every year because we would be bombarded with sweets and snacks from all our neighbours and friends.

Even today, come Diwali and my house gets filled with yummy goodies. A huge variety of them are traditional sweets from Western India to Northern India to the south,” Beena explained.

For Aarti Bhola being from Punjab, festivals have always been about fun and food. “Every festival was an occasion for us to celebrate, be it Lori, Holi, or Diwali and what better way of celebrating it than with homemade sweets made by my mother. I loved kaju katli and mung dal halwa as they were my favourite. I learned to make these sweets from my mother who inherited the recipes from her mother who passed on the traditional ways of making it,” Aarti said.

Some of the prominent sweets and savouries from the north are besan ladoo, gujiya, gulab jamun, badam halwa, poori aaloo, kachori, aaloo samosa, tikki, and namak para.

For Rupali Vaidya whose roots are in Maharashtra, Diwali in Oman will never be the same, but she still celebrates Diwali with much love and revelry. “I have seen my mother and grandmother spend hours preparing sweets like ladoo, anarsa, shakarpara, karanji, and some spicy dishes like chiwada, chakali, and sev. As a child, I remember my sister and I sitting beside these two beautiful ladies awaiting a chance to showcase our talent to seal and decorate edges of the karanjis.

It was so much of fun,” Rupali reminisced.

Her house is decorated with diyas, and she explained that celebrating the festival in Muscat is a way of showing pride in her identity. It’s also a great time to reconnect with friends and others in the Indian community.

“We invite our friends for our rituals. Since fireworks are not allowed here the festival revolves more around food than anything else. And the lights,” Rupali explained.

For Oneza Tabish, who grew up in the cosmopolitan city of Mumbai, she has always seen Diwali being celebrated by one and all, regardless of status or religion. “Oman is similar to Mumbai, where all nationalities co-exist in peace and harmony. I live in a multicultural complex here in Oman and for Diwali I visit my friends and neighbours with sweets and gifts. I help my neighbours in making rangoli outside their homes and also in cooking a few Diwali delicacies,” Oneza said.

Oneza’s mom was from Burma and settled in Kolkata before moving to Gujarat, and it was from her that Oneza learned to make traditional sweets and savouries from West Bengal in the Eastern part of India. Festive sweets from this region include sandesh, chom chom, mishti doi, and pithe. Oneza also learned to make traditional kucho nimki, diamond shaped savouries that are eaten as snacks for tea and also served on various festive occasions, to balance the overpowering presence of sweets.

“Sweets, or mishti as it is popularly known there, dominate the Bengali cuisine and the rasgulla has global presence. My mother would make these often and store them in an earthen jar and I could gulp them all within seconds,” she reminisced. Soft poached cottage cheese dumplings in sweet rose scented water inspire fond memories of Oneza’s mom humming Bengali songs while carefully dishing them out.

For these women, from the four corners of India, the sweetest memories are inextricably linked to the sugary, savoury, splendid Diwali recipes of their childhoods. Their flavours and sentiments are their offering this Diwali, an invitation into homes and kitchens, filled with the warmth and light of this blessed time of year. —swati@timesofoman.com

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RECIPES BY AARTI BHOLA KAJU KATLI This is one sweet that is relished by everyone.

It is very easy to make and you can gift it to your friends and relatives or just eat it on any occasion. During Diwali you will find it in almost every house.

Ingredients • 1 1/4 cup or 200g cashew • 1/2 cup or 100g sugar • 2 teaspoons ghee • 3 teaspoons water Preparation • Grind the cashew to a fine powder.

• Prepare sugar syrup. Add water and sugar in a pan, simmer it until it reduces to one thread consistency.

• Add cashew powder and cook on a slow flame. Keep stirring constantly till the mixture attains a binding consistency.

• Transfer the mixture on a greased plate with ghee and let it cool. Once it cools roll it into a big ball with greased hands.

• Roll this ball into a square shape with help of a rolling pin.

• Set for half an hour and cut into desired shape.

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North

PUNJABI CHOLE Punjabi chole is a lip-smacking and easy chana recipe prepared with white chickpeas, spiced up with North Indian masala.

Ingredients 1 cup or 200g soaked kabuli chana • 4 or 300g tomatoes • A bunch of coriander leaves • 2 green chillies • 1 inch ginger • 1 potato • Salt to taste • Less than 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 2 tea bags • 2 to 3 tablespoons oil • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds • 1 teaspoon dry pomegranate seeds • 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves • 1/2 teaspoon ginger paste • 1/2 teaspoon green chilli paste • 1 teaspoon coriander powder • 2 green chillies, slit vertically • 1 piece of ginger, thinly sliced • 1/4 teaspoon garam masala; red chilli powder Preparation • Wash the chick peas thoroughly and soak for 8 to 10 hours in water. Drain excess water and wash them again with water.

• Chop the tomatoes and make a paste. Also

chop coriander leaves, green chillies and ginger. Peel the potato.

• Pressure cook the soaked chana with 11/2 cups of water, make sure that the level of water should be bit more than the chana. Add salt followed by baking soda. This will help the chana to cook quickly and also enhance its flavour. Add tea bag as this gives the dark colour to the chana along with taste. Lastly add the peeled potatoes. Pressure cook the chana on high flame until it whistles once.

After that reduce the flame and let it simmer for 6 to 7 minutes. Let the steam escape on its own.

• Making the masala: • Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, dry pomegranate seeds, and fenugreek leaves.

Keep the flame low. Add ginger paste and green chilli paste and sauté the masala for some time. Add coriander powder, green chilli slit vertically, add thinly sliced ginger followed by tomato paste. Sauté the masala until oil starts leaving its edges. Add red chilli powder and little salt and keep sautéing.

• Remove the tea bag and potatoes from the chana. Add the boiled chana to the masala.

Also add garam masala. Cut the potato into cubes (you can fry them or add them as it is to the chana). Cover and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on low flame. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

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RECIPES BY ONEZA TABISH

East

KUCHO NIMKI Kucho nimki is a diamond shaped savoury that is eaten as a tea time snack and served on various festive occasions to balance the mishtis (sweets).

Ingredients • 11/2 cups all purpose flour or maida • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon ajwain/carom seeds or kalonji (onion seeds) • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder • 1/2 cup of water to be added gradually • 4 tablespoons oil and oil for frying Preparation • Combine all the ingredients in a wide mouthed bowl and add about 4 tablespoons of oil. Knead the dough lightly, to form a crumbly mixture.

• Add water gradually and work the flour to make a tight dough. Knead the dough well for about 5 minutes till it is smooth.

Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes or so.

• Divide the dough into 4-5 large round balls. Roll out each ball into a thin circle.

With a fork or sharp tip of the knife prick the rolled out dough to avoid the nimki from fluffing up.

• Cut the circle in small diamond shapes.

• Heat enough oil for deep frying the diamond shaped pieces of dough (about 1 cup). Fry the pieces until they are uniformly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon for the oil to drain and drop the nimkis on absorbent kitchen paper.

Once it cools down, store in an air tight container.

RASGULLA Rasgullas are a soft and squeezy delight from West Bengal. These poached cottage cheese dumplings in sugar water are a must on all occasions in Bengal, especially during Diwali. One of the few Indian sweets that are also low in calories, they are an excellent dessert for the weightwatchers club.

Ingredients For Chenna (cheese balls) • 1 litre low fat milk • 1 -2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar Preparation • Bring milk to boil, add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice gradually so that the milk mass and whey separate completely.

Add 10 to 15 ice cubes. Rest for a minute.

Strain in a muslin cloth. Wash well under running water and hang for 15 to 20 minutes to get rid of any excess liquid.

• Make sure the chenna is crumbly in texture. Rub the chenna with your fingers and your palm till chenna releases some fat. By this time it forms a dough that comes together easily. Take pinches of dough and make balls.

Sugar Syrup • 5 cups of water, divided 4 1/2 cups, 1/2 cup • 1 cup sugar, divided 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup • 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder Preparation • Boil 4 1/2 cups of water and 3/4 cup sugar; add cardamom powder.

• Just as the syrup comes to a boil add the rasgulla balls. Boil covered for 12 to 15 minutes on medium flame.

• Transfer the balls in a bowl full of drinking water. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water to the same syrup and boil till the sugar melts.

• Let the sugar syrup cool to room temperature. Remove the rasgulla from the plain water and drop it in the sugar syrup.

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RECIPES BY SUMATHI PANDIAN & BEENA GEORGE MURUKKU Makes 15-20 pieces.

Ingredients • 2 cups rice powder • 3/4 cup powdered fried gram dal • 1/2 cup urad dal, dry roasted on low flame and powdered • 1 tablespoon ajwain • 1 tablespoon cumin • 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida • 2 teaspoons melted butter • 2 teaspoons salt or as per taste • Oil for frying Preparation • Sieve rice powder, gram dal powder, and urad dal powder for a lump free flour mix.

• Add ajwain, cumin and asfoetida powder.

• Add melted butter to flour; mix thoroughly.

• Add salt and enough water to make soft dough. Roll out a portion of the dough and fill the murukku press; press out murukkus in desired shape.

• Deep fry in hot oil until crisp and golden.

• Once cooled store in airtight jars.

South

RAVA LADOO Ingredients • 2 tablespoons ghee • 2 tablespoons chopped cashew nuts • 3/4 cup fresh grated coconut • 1 cup roasted and coarsely ground rava or semolina • 3/4 cup powdered sugar • 2 cardamom pods • 1 cup milk or enough to bind the ladoos • Raisins for garnish Preparation • Heat ghee and roast the cashews and the grated coconut and keep it aside.

• Dry roast the semolina in a low flame and if needed grind it coarsely.

• Powder the sugar and the cardamom.

• Mix all the above.

• Heat milk and thicken it slightly.

• Slowly add the hot milk to small portions of the dry ingredients, roll out ladoos, and garnish with raisins.

• Leave the ladoos to set in the fridge for a day or so, and bring it to room temperature before serving.

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RECIPES BY RUPALI VAIDYA KARANJI Karanji is a traditional Maharashtrian sweet usually made during Diwali festival. In Maharashtra, karanji filling is made up of fresh coconut and sugar or jaggery, flavoured with cardamom powder.

Ingredients • 250g fresh coconut • 400g sugar or jaggery • 1 teaspoon cardamom powder • 2 cups refined flour • 1/2 cup semolina • 2 teaspoon clarified butter • 1 cup milk • 3 cups vegetable oil Preparation • In one pan take coconut and sugar or jaggery. Cook on low heat till all melts.

Add cardamom powder and cook the mixture. While cooking stir it properly. As it cooks the mixture starts thickening. Once it is done turn off the heat and set aside.

• In another bowl mix refined flour and semolina. Pour hot ghee over top.

• When cool, mix the flour and ghee.

• Take milk (little warm) and start kneading the dough (It should be little hard).

• Cover dough with wet cloth; set aside for 15 minutes.

• Knead the dough and make small balls.

• Take one small ball and use a rolling pin to roll it flat to the size of poori.

• Top half with coconut filling and flip the other edge over top. Edges should be tightly sealed. Press the edges using fork.

• Heat oil in a pan; slowly fry the karanjis on low heat till golden brown.

• Remove from oil and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.

CHAKALI Chakali is a deep fried snack made for Diwali in Maharashtra. There are many versions, but this is the easiest one.

Ingredients • 1 cup rice flour • 1/2 cup gram flour • 3 teaspoons oil • 2/3 cup water • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric • 1/2 teaspoon ajwain • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds • Salt as per taste • Oil to fry Preparation • First take rice flour and gram flour in a bowl. Add all ingredients and mix it properly.

• Heat 2 teaspoon of oil in a small pan and add to flour mixture.

• Add boiled water in the mixture.

Knead and form the dough.

• Apply some oil in the chakali maker and place portion of the dough inside it.

• Tighten the lid and press the chakali maker to prepare the chakali. Move in rounds to get spiral shape. Make chakalis on butter paper.

• Heat oil for deep frying in a pan. Lift the chakali gently and slid in to the hot oil.

• Fry the chakalis till golden brown.

• Drain them on paper to remove excess oil.

West

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Aster Al Raffah Hospital celebrated World Heart Day at The Walk, Almouj, Muscat.

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Global World Food Day was celebrated by six of Muscat’s leading hotels, which organised a hotel charity event in Muscat. Volunteers from each hotel took part in a fun challenge race at LuLu Hypermarket in Darsait.

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Shifa Al Jazeera Polyclinic was inaugurated by Mohammed Al Hosni, undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, in the presence of group chairman Dr KT Rabeeullah. Photos by Purushothaman K.

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A book launch was held at the multipurpose hall in CBD area, Ruwi for a biography on Kodikkaal Sheik Abdullah, a renowned Tamil scholar and social activist for the people of South India.

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Muscat Gujarati Samaj, the Gujarati Wing of Indian Social Club Oman, organised a rangoli and aarti competition at the Al Bahja Hall in Qurum that witnessed an overwhelming participation of 109 entries in both the categories.

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V-KOOL Oman opens the Middle East’s largest store in Al Khuwair.

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The Gift of Blood is The Gift Of Life campaign was organised by Community Service committee of Waljat College of Applied Sciences (WCAS) to encourage students and staff to participate in a Blood Donation Drive organised by a team from the Central Blood Bank, at Blood Services Department of the General Directorate of Health Affairs, to collect blood units from staff and students at WCAS canteen premises.

Dar Al Atta’a empowers Fenjan Hospitality employees at the cost of OMR1,000 Empowerment programme is one of the core programmes that the Dar Al Atta’a association relies on to make a quantum leap in the life of underprivileged families. Rehabilitation and training have a long-term effect on individuals and the society as they motivate them to make a difference in their lives and in their communities.

Dar Al Atta’a Association recently organised a training course “Etiquette and International Protocol Programmes” in cooperation with the Omani Women’s Association in Mussanah from 17 to 19 October 2016. 25 employees of Fenjan Hospitality have been nominated for the course at a cost of OMR1,000 funded by Petroleum Development Oman (PDO).

This course was held in Arab Institute for Financial and Administrative Studies and presented by the National Institute of Pioneers. The course included several subjects: The definition of the etiquette, values of etiquette and protocol, the relationship between etiquette and protocol in the Arab culture, the contrast between etiquette and protocol, guidance in how to be an ambassador for your organisation, the first impression (how do you win the first sight), (how to protect your reputation and the reputation of your organisation), international courtesies, serving and welcoming.

In this context, Suad Saleh Khalifa

Fairouz, supervisor of staff Fenjan Hospitality project said: The level of the course was excellent and we benefited from the skills and methods of etiquette and protocol. I see that the course will serve the department of welcoming and serving. The hospitality is great and we hope to receive more courses like these in the future. We would like to thank the Omani Women’s Association and the Association of Dar Al Atta’a on this useful initiative. Aisha Al Mushefri was one of the beneficiaries of the course: “The course was more than wonderful ...the advantages from information were significant and the methods of etiquette and protocol will play an important role in the progress of our work.

“I would like to thank Dr Ahmed Al Toorah for his method in explaining and introducing the etiquette and protocol programme. Our sincere thanks to the Dar Al Atta’a Association for their support of this initiative, regardless of the short notice and we hope for more in the future. “ Fareed Al Saadi was one of the beneficiaries of the course which also added: “I did not expect the session to be this informative, the advantage was outstanding and Dr Ahmed was very patient with us. In the past three days, we enjoyed as we improved on our working skills. Thanks to all those who contributed to the success of this course.”

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