Happy Diwali - Independent Media

Happy DiwaliHappy Diwali

2

In any spiritual journey, there are lessons to be learnt, writes Dr Devi Rajab

4 AND 5 Diwali messages for peace and togetherness

10 Deepavali of my childhood, by Selvan Naidoo

11 Diwali through the years, in pictures

HAPPY

Wishing you success and bliss with every light that is lit.

Lessons to be learnt

THIS year, the celebration of Diwali is a special one. As we emerge from the darkness of a global pandemic, the long isola tion under Covid-19 restrictions has symbolically mimicked the very essence of the spiritual jour ney itself. In any spiritual journey there are lessons to be learnt since life is a dynamic and ever-chang ing phenomenon.

Learning, says Professor Mahmoud Mamdani, the hus band of Mira Nair, is both an individual and collective expe rience that comes with self-re flection.

What lessons have we learnt as Hindus in Africa for more than 160 years?

What have we contributed to the cultural landscape of South Africa? How are we viewed as a people?

These questions are pertinent for us as Indian minorities, par ticularly in the light of the 50th anniversary of the expulsion of Asians from Uganda.

What emerges for me as a par ticipant observer of my group is that we are often viewed as being separate and unassimilable in the larger African context.

Annually, South Africans dis play narrowness in their cultural acceptance and understanding of each other.

We live like 2 year olds play

ing in the same sand pit but oblivious of each other. Now and then we gaze at each other in blurred ignorance.

During the festive seasons of Eid, Rosh Hashana and Diwali, our senses are vaguely alerted to some meaningless festival.

Diwali will be celebrated next week and many non-Hindus fear this festival on account of its pyretic bursts of loud bangs.

Is it fair to traumatise animals and disturb our fellow human beings with dangerous fireworks made in China?

Is it sensitive to burn money on firecrackers when people are starving and looking in garbage for their next meal?

But my elderly mother pre sents a more benign view, one that will be more acceptable and considerate to others when she shakily sings its joyous songs in Tamil, the language of the major ity of Indian South Africans.

Loosely translated, she sings: let everyone come together and joy ously sing and dance for it’s a good day this Diwali, our festival of lights

My grandson paints Diwali lamps on Jewish candelabras and brings meaning to the saying that plurality is strength, bigotry is death.

If there is any celebration that should display some semblance of unity among Hindus in South

DR DEVI RAJAB

Africa along ethnic and sectarian lines, it ought to be the cele bration of Diwali or Deepavali, which brings together Gujaratis, Tamilians and Hindustanis under one banner.

And yet this is not always so because we tend to create differences through ritual practices which can cause unneces sary divisions among the believers and diminish the meaning of the message.

Do we make rhot with coconut nut oil or ghee? Who is allowed to eat it and who is allowed to make it? Does a Christian Indian cook sully the sanc tity of the preparation? Do we eat meat on Diwali or not? Is Diwali a religious or celebratory occasion? Is fireworks an integral part of the celebration or not?

There is no organisa tional authority provid ing any leadership in this regard. Nevertheless, it is a cultural festival of com mon purpose, philosophy and religious practice. They all believe in the story of Rama and Sita as

the epitome of the perfect man and the perfect woman.

The story of Rama is enshrined in the poem the Ramayana, which describes a legend of bravery, suffering and devotion of Rama and the beauty and grace of his wife Sita.

Few South African Indian children today have read the Ramayana, but I do recall as a child being told the story, which went on for a whole year, by my grandfather. Every evening after bath time we would nestle around his feet to hear the great, epic story.

As I grew older I began to seri ously question the subservient role that Sita was cast into. From a male perspective, however, she would have been a heav enly depiction of unquestioning purity.

The original version was writ ten by Valmiki in Sanskrit and later by Tulsidas in Hindustani in the 15th century and followed by other versions in Tamil, Telugu, Kashmiri, Farsi and English.

There are various alleged ori gins attributed to this festival. In Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Goddess Kali. But most commemorate that blessed day on which the triumphant Lord Rama returned to Ajodhya after defeating Ravana.

On this day, Sri Krishna was believed to have killed the demon Narakasura. South Indians take an oil bath in the morning and wear new clothes.

Homes are cleaned and dec orated by day and illuminated by night with earthen oil-lamps. They light fireworks, which are regarded as the effigies of Nar akasura who was killed on this day.

Every home will carry the aroma of freshly made ghee and milk sweetmeats. On this day, Hindu merchants in North India open their new account books and pray for success and prosper ity during the coming year.

But though Diwali is a festival celebrated over 160 years of our history in this country, we have tended to keep our celebrations to ourselves.

Little is known about Hindu culture by other South Africans outside of a stereotype. So Diwali for many non-South Africans is about unwelcome displays of fireworks.

Annually there is open hostil ity against the festival and those celebrating it with loud pyretic displays from mainly white South Africans.

Animals are as traumatised as their masters. There have been several postings on Twitter and Facebook where white South Africans have expressed their annoyance at this festival.

In defence, Hindus claimed that it was their right to celebrate Diwali as they traditionally have done for centuries. In all of this I am of the opinion that protesting South African Hindus are miss ing the point. The festival is not about fireworks at all.

Metaphorically speaking, the message is more powerful than the story.

It is about the battle for light over darkness. Deepavali means “the array of lights”.

Thamasomaa Jyotirgamaya (Lead me from darkness to light) is a Upanishadic prayer: This means that where there is darkness, light is needed. “What is this darkness?” asks a highly respected guru. Sorrow is one form of darkness. Peacelessness is another. Loss is another. Dis appointment is one form of dark ness. Misery is yet another. Lack of enthusiasm is another.

All these are different forms of darkness.

As South Africans we experi enced the victory of more than 40 years of darkness of racial hatred when Mandela, like Rama, walked out of prison.

On the international stage a darkness still prevails in the Ukrainian war and Putin may be cast as the demon God against whom the Western liberal world is in battle.

Within our country dark forces are still at play in the very structures of government where nepotism, racism, xenophobia and other forms of deep-rooted racism abound.

The challenge of our times is for us to fight the malaise of social degradation which is essen tially about the eradication of morality.

If we do not, then sadly, we will be travelling back into darkness, and no amount of clay lamps can light our way forward. Rajab is an award-winning writer and psychologist.

Serve the needy selflessly

Om Asato Ma Sat Gamaya Tamaso Ma Jyothis Gamaya – O Lord lead us from untruth to truth, from darkness to light. | Braha daranyaka Upanishad,1:3:27

This is the universal message of Diwali and is associated with eternal struggle for justice and righteousness. Darkness repre sents ignorance, arrogance and all that is evil.

As succinctly expressed by The Hindu newspaper: “The Fes tival of Lights has all the charm, grandeur and splendour that can even illuminate our minds and hearts while also promoting the

PRAYER

Wishes for peace, tranquillity

much-needed peace, harmony and brotherhood in society.”

As global icon for peace and justice, Nelson Mandela said, lighting the sacred Diwali lamp symbolised the triumph of: “Enlightenment over blind faith, prosperity over poverty, knowledge of ignorance, good health and well-be ing over disease and ill health, free dom over bondage.”

The message of Diwali has greater contemporary rel evance as the world grapples to recover from the ravages of Covid-19.

In South Africa, this has been compounded by the looting and

RAYMOND PERRIER

THE Denis Hurley Centre is delighted to extend Diwali greet ings to all who are celebrating this wonderful festival.

The image of shining light in the darkness of our world is one that is central to Diwali.

I am pleased to note that it also appears in other faith tradi tions. We believe that the Denis

ASHWIN TRIKAMJEE

riots of July 2021 and the April/ May floods in KwaZulu this year.

Furthermore, crime, violence and corruption threaten to erode hard-won democratic gains for which so many paid the ultimate price, and the poor and the dis

advantaged will be the ultimate losers.

Against the doom and gloom, the festival of Diwali provides a catalyst for a spiritual revival and renewal of self-help, sacrifice, sharing, caring and community upliftment at personal, family and community levels.

This is the essence of Vasud haiv Kutumbakam (the whole world is our family), the Hindu equivalent of ubuntu.

As we celebrate the triumph of radiance and righteousness over darkness and evil, it is appropriate to reflect on how we can illuminate the lives of those

BLESSINGS

around us who are less fortunate, regardless of race or religion.

Spare a thought for those who are disadvantaged, destitute, unemployed, marginalised and socially excluded.

The Maha Sabha’s Initiative 108, Serving Humanity with com passion and respect, provides one such opportunity to serve the needy selflessly.

On behalf of all of us at the SA Hindu Maha Sabha, we wish all a Happy Diwali and New Year filled with joy and success.

Trikamjee is the president of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha.

Expressions of solidarity

Hurley Centre is an example of light in the darkness – and we are grateful for the support that we get for our work from individuals and organisations in the Hindu community.

Situated in the heart of the city – but sadly in an area which has become quite dirty and neglected – our building looks a bit like a lighthouse. That is not a coincidence since Archbishop Denis Hurley grew up in light houses, and Alan Paton called

him “The Guardian of the Light”.

We hope to be a light that welcomes all men and women, however dark and difficult their lives are: homeless people, refu gees, drug users, the unemployed.

We work with them to help re-ignite the divine light in their lives: a light which sadly for many has been extinguished by circumstances and poor deci sions. Light also helps us to see clearly. It enables us to see how we can work with each other

to build a better society for all. And it also helps us to see – and speak out against – those forces of destruction, corruption, racism and xenophobia that make life darker for everyone.

We offer our blessings and expressions of solidarity at this time and pray that the light of service will shine forth ceaselessly from our hands.

Perrier is the director of the Denis Hurley Centre.

AV MOHAMMED

IT IS WELCOMING to celebrate the Festival of Lights two years after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now, families and communi ties will gather to observe their rituals and prayers for Diwali.

My message over the festival is for peace, good health and tranquillity.

Owing to the financial bur dens experienced by people who may have lost their jobs during the pandemic, the unrest and the subsequent floods, I hope the festival will illuminate the hearts and minds of those who are able to help mankind.

Humanity prospers at the end.

Mohammed is the trustee of the Juma Musjid (Grey Street Mosque).

JOYS AND SORROWS

Message of togetherness

LIFE is a loan and a lease given to celebrate the joys and commem orate the sorrows.

The world is made up of diverse religions and cultures, yet humanity is a breed of its own. Now amid the world facing conflict and strife, each religion has a message that it wants heard.

Monday is the date set to celebrate the festival of Diwali. I am told that the celebration of Diwali includes lighting the house with lights and lamps as a symbol of hope and blessing.

REVEREND DR CYRIL PILLAY

There is a tradition to leave the windows as well as the doors of every house open to seek that blessings and the benedictions of

the deities. This act allows them the privilege to enter that space to bless their lives and homes with happiness and prosperity.

Diwali illuminates both houses and hearts and the pri mary function of the festival is to spread the message of friendship and togetherness. This is the fes tival of hope, success, knowledge and fortune.

Now as a Diaspora, we Indi ans have lived side by side despite religious and cultural divides. The Hindu fraternity is where

a large part of our family and friends reside. I wish them well as they celebrate this auspicious religious function.

On behalf of the church community and my local church (People’s Church of God), I wish you a great day and despite load shedding that you will have your lights on and your lamps lit to commemorate this day and cel ebration.

Pillay is from the People’s Church of God, Chatsworth.

We need hope, action

DELIVERING a powerful address to world leaders gathered for the opening day of the United Nations general assembly’s highlevel debate, Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the UN, lamented that: “Our world is in big trouble. Divides are growing deeper; inequalities are growing wider; chal lenges are spreading further … we need hope … we need action across the board.”

People across the world have lost faith in democratic institu tions and the many forms of governance, from cultural to religious bodies.

Closer to home, the Covid -19 pandemic and flooding in KwaZulu-Natal, coupled with the July 2021 insurrec tion and looting, rampant inequality, cor ruption, unem ployment, poverty, load shedding and a contracting economy, have created an air of disillusion that grips all our people.

Rooted to this period of dis illusionment and despair, the belief in the ultimate Hindu goal of seeking liberation teaches us that this cycle of hopelessness will eventually be destroyed. Like the great story of Deepavali, light always prevails over darkness, good always triumphs over evil.

We have experienced two tortuous years since 2020, being kept away from friends and fam ily to celebrate and observe the rituals and festivities associated with Deepavali.

This year will be entirely dif ferent as we are finally able to come together as families and communities to celebrate the glo rious traditions of Deepavali in a

way that celebrates our human ness, simply in the company of family and loved ones.

We do so, knowing how pre cious the joy of living is to every human being, having lost so many precious souls during the Covid-19 pandemic.

This Deepavali, there are frag ile shoots of hope that point in the direction of an end to the despair and hopelessness we have long endured. For this to happen, it demands that we work together.

Working together as a (family) grounded in goodwill and trust, we must demand better from all our leaders and be prepared to give more of ourselves to ensure we honour the sacrifice of our ancestors and by daring never to fail our future generations.

The message of hope and tri umph that is intrin sically embedded in the symbolism of Deepavali must signal our call to action in the hope of arresting the despair and disillusionment that besets the world we live in and for light to triumph over darkness.

Let light and goodwill be our constant reminder of the hope we cherish.

Wishing you and your family a blessed and joyous Deepavali.

Best wishes from The Natal Tamil Vedic Society, the Merebank Tamil School Society, the KwaZuluNatal Tamil Federation, South African Tamil Federation, the Saiva Sithantha Sungum and the Devasthanam Foundation of South Africa.

UBUNTU

Let’s build a united nation

THE leadership of the eThek wini Municipality joins millions across the city in wishing all Hindu residents a Happy Diwali.

As we move forward on the path to recovery from the devastating April floods, it is our hope that this year’s Festival of Lights will bring us closer together as a nation and remind us of those pillars that make us human.

Our well-being – whether physical, spiritual, intellectual, or emotional – is also influenced by how well we, as communi ties, work together to achieve a common goal of building a better life for all.

Throughout the celebration of Diwali, we are encouraged to help those among us who have less and provide some relief to those in need.

The celebration of victory over defeat, light over darkness and awareness over ignorance

MXOLISI KAUNDA

gives us an opportunity to reset and refocus our energies on the different tasks we have set our selves to improve our current situation.

The challenges that have befallen the city and its citizen have affected all of us in differ ent ways, and as the leadership of eThekwini we continue to send our heartfelt condolences to all the families who lost their loved ones during this period.

Therefore, when we come together as families, let us pause and reflect on how we can con

RECONCILIATION

tribute towards nation-building to ensure we leave the world a better place for the next gener ation.

Also, as parents, we have a responsibility to teach our chil dren respect and kindness.

Inspired by the spirit of Ubuntu, understanding that, “I am because you are,” we must never give up on the dream of building a united nation as envisioned by those who sacrificed their lives for us to be free.

The work of building bridges and establishing bonds that bring us closer can only be ful filled if we form stronger coali tions as citizens.

We wish you and your fam ilies happiness and prosperity during this time of celebration.

Happy Diwali.

Kaunda is the mayor of the eThekwini Municipality.

Pray for light and unity

I OFFER you my greetings and my warm wishes as we celebrate the holy festival of Diwali.

Times like these are dedi cated to reflect on what has gone before and reconnect with the light which lies within us.

During this Diwali season we need to pray for the transfor mation of our society into one nation united in diversity.

We need to increase our consciousness of the ways in which light can triumph over darkness.

My hope is that in this spirit of looking to the light, we should

SIBONISO DUMA

find reconciliation where there has been division and hurt.

Bound together as we are in the new South Africa, we need to recognise one of the most powerful potentially constructive

elements – nation building.

This government is deter mined to promote unity because we believe that this is the only way of creating a compassionate society.

May the light that Deepavali brings shine in all of us and may we use this light to bring hap piness and contentment to the lives of all the people of KwaZu lu-Natal.

Duma is the KZN MEC for economic development, tourism and environmental affairs; and provincial ANC chairperson.

DIWALI / DEEPAVALI GREETINGS TO ALL

MF: A POLITICAL HOME FOR ALL MINORITIES

LEADER’S MESSAGE:

Much can be learned from the Ramayan about crisis management and diplomacy which were handled expertly by Shree Raama and Lord Hanumanji, respectively. Because of their actions, victory was achieved and homecoming (Diwali / Deepavali) was celebrated. Today we understand that crisis needs to be treated as a way of life which is sprinkled with struggles, therefore worth living. The Indian way of life is: “ Kurvanneveh Karmani jijiviset stam samah” — Yajurved (40-2)

One may live for one hundred years and may indulge in good deeds in the spirit of yajnya - Hon. Shameen Thakur– Rajbansi

We wish you a Happy Diwali from our family at

Banana Puri

1 tin Nestle condensed milk (385g) 45ml water

45ml butter, melted 30ml semolina

30ml Klim, optional 10ml baking powder

2.5ml bicarbonate of soda 500ml-625ml cake flour

2.5ml ground cardamom sunflower oil, to deep fry desiccated coconut, for sprinkling crumbled burfee, to fill tinted almonds, to decorate gold leaf, to decorate

SYRUP:

750ml sugar

500ml cold water

1 large cinnamon stick

Place the sugar, water and cinnamon stick in a thickbottomed pot. Stir well and bring to the boil until thin, sticky syrup forms. Remove the syrup from the heat and keep warm.

Pour the condensed milk into a large mixing bowl.

Supplied

500ml cake flour, sifted 2.5ml ground cardamom

75ml butter pinch of salt

2.5ml baking powder

5ml lemon juice

200ml iced water

30ml cake flour cold water to make a paste 125ml melted butter ghee 125ml sunflower oil cornflour for sprinkling sunflower oil to fry tinted roasted almonds, optional

SYRUP: 250ml sugar 200ml cold water

1 cinnamon stick

Mix the sifted cake flour, ground cardamom, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Slice the butter into little cubes. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Add the lemon juice to the iced water. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add enough iced water to make a stiff dough.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and leave to rest for an hour. Divide the dough into eight portions and roll into smooth balls.

Use a rolling pin to work each portion into a paper thin round.

Dust the work surface with flour to prevent the dough from sticking.

Combine the melted butter ghee and oil. Place a large piece of baking paper on the work surface and dust with flour. Place the first round on it. Brush the dough with melted butter ghee and oil, then sift over a little cornflour.

Gulab Jamun

of one another,

Pour the water into the empty condensed milk tin and swirl to get as much condensed milk out of the tin.

Pour the water into the mixing bowl. Add the melted butter, ground cardamom, semolina and Klim.

Mix well to combine the ingredients.

Sift the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cake flour into the mixing bowl.

Work the ingredients into soft dough forms but leave a few sticky patches in the mixture as this will prevent the dough from becoming too dry.

Grease a large baking sheet with non-stick spray.

dough from opening during frying.

Brush the top of the dough with melted butter ghee and oil. Then dust again with cornflour. Roll up the dough tightly to form a Swiss roll. Slice the dough into 12 portions.

Place the sliced dough with the layers facing up. Flatten the dough at a 45-degree angle. Roll the dough into an oval or round disc and fold the open edge over and press firmly to ensure it does not open when being fried.

Heat oil in a small pot on medium heat. Fry the puri one at a time and turn it over only once the bottom is firm. The puri should still be pale in colour. Drain on a wire rack overnight.

SYRUP:

Combine the sugar, cold water and cinnamon stick in a pot.

Cook on a medium heat stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves. Simmer until a thick syrup forms.

Drizzle a little syrup over the puri and garnish with flaked almonds.

YUDHIKA’S TIP:

Dust with icing sugar instead of sugar syrup.

Wash your hands and grease palms with a little oil.

Mould small amounts of dough into balls and into fingers.

Place the gulab jamun on a baking tray.

Deep-fry the fingers in pre-heated sunflower oil on a medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly when they start to swell to prevent burning.

Turn the fingers to ensure they brown evenly.

Remove from the oil and drain for a few seconds before soaking the fingers in the warm syrup.

Naan Khatay

Remove from the syrup once the fingers start to sink.

Place the gulab jamun on a wire rack and sprinkle with desiccated coconut or slice the gulab jamuns with a small serrated knife. Fill with burfee and decorate with tinted almonds and gold leaf.

YUDHIKA’S TIPS:

It is best to add 2 cups of flour and then a little at a time until the dough reaches a manageable consistency.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth to prevent it from drying out.

125g butter

125ml caster sugar

125ml sunflower oil 65ml semolina pinch of salt

2.5ml cardamom essence

5ml ground cardamom

5ml bicarbonate of soda

500ml-625ml cake flour, sifted whole blanched almonds, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Lightly grease a baking tray with butter. Place the butter in a mixing bowl and use a hand-held beater to cream until light in colour.

Gradually add the castor sugar and beat well.

Pour the sunflower oil into the creamed butter and continue beating. Add the semolina, salt, cardamom essence, ground cardamom and bicarbonate of soda.

500ml of cake flour into the mixing bowl. A soft dough should form. If the dough is too sticky, add the remaining flour a little at a time until the dough is easy to mould.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth to stop it from drying out. Grease your palm with a drop of oil

Place a whole blanched almond on the ball of dough and flatten

Place the biscuits on a baking tray. Bake for minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a

YUDHIKA SUJANANI

50g butter ghee

50g chickpea flour

225g Klim milk powder

140g finely chopped almonds

50g desiccated coconut

7.5ml cardamom

225ml sugar

140g Nestle condensed milk

Full cream milk, to bind

GHARI PASTRY:

500ml cake flour

50g butter

200-225ml cold water sunflower oil, to fry

GLAZE:

500g butter ghee

500ml icing sugar

Tinted almonds, to garnish

Melt the butter in a thick bottomed pot and stir in the chickpea flour.

Continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture is deep caramel in colour.

Leave to cool before adding the milk powder, cardamom, almonds, coconut and sugar.

Ghari

Add the condensed milk and mix well to combine.

If the mixture is too crumbly, add a little full cream milk to bind.

Divide into portions, roll into balls and flatten slightly to make “patties”.

PASTRY:

Place the flour in a mixing bowl and rub in the butter till it resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the cold water a little at a time and knead until soft dough forms.

Cover with a damp cloth for an hour and divide into portions.

Roll the dough into thin rounds without using flour – if flour is used, the ghari will not seal properly and could open when frying.

Dip the “patties” into flour and dust off the excess and place in the centre of the dough.

Gather up the edges and pinch them together tightly to seal.

Place on baking paper dusted

with flour to prevent sticking.

Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan on medium heat.

Place the ghari into the hot oil with the sealed side down and fry until pale golden in colour.

Remove from the oil and leave on a wire rack to drain.

Once the ghari has cooled down and drained, prepare the butter glaze.

Combine the butter ghee and icing sugar in a saucepan.

Heat over a low heat and whisk until the sugar melts and forms a thick emulsion.

Dip the ghari in the glaze and leave on a wire rack to drain.

Garnish with tinted almonds.

Leave uncovered until the glaze sets and hardens.

YUDHIKA’S TIPS:

I divide the filling into 25g portions and the dough into 30g portions. It is always best to weigh the filling and dough to achieve uniform results.

Rangoli Burfee Cake

250g soft butter

250g sugar

200g Klim milk powder

200ml dessert cream

400ml full cream milk

5ml vanilla essence 420g cake flour

15ml baking powder

10ml bicarbonate of soda pinch of salt 7.5ml ground cardamom

Pre-heat the oven to 160°C.

In a free-standing mixer or with a hand-held beater, cream the butter until light in colour.

Add the sugar gradually and continue creaming until fluffy.

Stir the milk powder into the mixture and continue creaming.

Gradually add the dessert cream.

Combine the full cream milk and vanilla essence.

Sift the dry ingredients.

Add half the sifted flour to the mixing bowl and beat until smooth.

Add half the milk and mix well, followed by the remaining flour.

Pour in the remaining milk and beat until smooth.

Divide the mixture into a 3 x 20cm greased and lined cake tins.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes

or until a skewer comes out clean when the cakes are tested.

BUTTERCREAM ICING: 375g butter

750g icing sugar

5ml vanilla extract

45ml fresh cream food colouring, to tint icing gold leaf, to decorate roses, to decorate

Cream the butter and gradually add the icing sugar until light in colour. Add the vanilla essence. Continue beating until smooth.

Add the fresh cream and tint the icing in colours of your choice.

Once the cakes have cooled, sandwich and ice the sides and top.

Chana Magaj

500g chickpea flour

100ml full cream milk, boiled

500g unsalted butter or ghee

5ml ground cardamom

375g icing sugar, sifted

100g Klim milk powder

Tinted almonds, to decorate

Place the chickpea flour in a large mixing bowl and pour in the hot milk.

Rub the milk into the chickpea flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Leave aside to dry for an hour, and rub the mixture between your fingertips to break into fine crumbs.

Melt the butter or ghee in a thick bottomed pot on a low heat and add the chickpea flour. Stir continuous for about an hour until the chickpea flour turns gold then deep caramel in colour.

Leave aside to cool. While the mixture is

cooling, grease a baking tray with non-stick spray.

Line with a layer of plastic wrap and grease the wrap with non stick spray. Once the chickpea mixture has cooled, add the cardamom, icing sugar and milk powder.

Mix well to combine and ensure the ingredients are well combined.

Press the mixture into the prepared baking tray. If the mixture appears too dry, add a little melted butter. Gently press the tinted nuts on to the magaj and leave to set.

Cut into blocks and lift the plastic wrap to remove from the tray.

YUDHIKA’S TIPS:

You can use a silicone mould to shape the magaj. The mould would need to be placed into the refrigerator so the magaj firms and is easy to remove.

Refrigerate until the icing is set and ice again to ensure the cake is well covered, using a spatula to smooth it.

Using a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle, pipe the rangoli design on to the cake.

Finish with gold leaf and roses.

Makes one 3-layer 20cm cake

YUDHIKA’S TIPS:

The Diwali cake in the picture is made by doubling this recipe.

A 25cm cake tin was used for the bottom layer, 2 x 20cm cake tins used for the second layer and one 15cm tin for the top tier.

Use a toothpick to lightly draw the design on the cake before piping.

Modak

a few strands of saffron

185ml full-cream milk

5ml cardamom

30ml butter ghee

125ml icing sugar

675ml Klim milk powder

FILLING:

90ml flaked almonds

90ml green pistachio slivers

100ml desiccated coconut

2ml ground cardamom condensed milk, to bind

Heat the saffron for a few seconds in a large nonstick pan.

Remove the saffron from the pan and allow to cool. Crush the saffron strands using your fingertips. Heat the milk in the pan and add the crushed saffron, cardamom and butter.

Once the butter ghee melts and the mixture starts to bubble, add the icing sugar and stir until dissolved.

Then add the milk powder and use a spatula to stir the mixture over a low heat for about two minutes.

The milk powder mixture should resemble soft dough. Remove from the pan, cover with plastic wrap and leave to cool.

FILLING:

Finely chop the almonds and pistachios.

In a non-stick pan, toast the coconut, almonds and pistachio nuts until fragrant. Leave to cool, add the cardamom.

Bind the nut mixture with a little condensed milk. Grease a modak mould with a little butter.

Press the Klim mixture around the sides of the mould, leaving the centre hollow.

the centre and press down, adding a little more if necessary.

the milk powder mixture.

from the mould and garnish with gold leaf.

Pistachio Mawa Burfee

600g Klim

10ml ground cardamom

155g Nestle Dessert Cream

500ml milk

125g butter

375ml sugar melted white chocolate, to decorate pistachio slivers, to sprinkle

Place the Klim and ground cardamom into a large mixing bowl.

Rub the dessert cream into the milk powder until it resembles breadcrumbs. Leave aside for 2 hours.

Using a food processor with a blade attachment, process the milk powder mixture until fine.

Heat the milk in a nonstick pan and bring to the boil.

Add the butter and

sugar to the hot milk and simmer for 2 minutes, using a spatula to stir continuously to prevent the milk from scorching.

Add the milk powder and reduce the heat. Break down the lumps and continue stirring, taking care to scrape the bottom of the pan.

The burfee mixture should resemble thick batter – do not overcook. Remove from the heat and place in a mixing bowl. Leave to cool and refrigerate for a few hours.

Place the mixture in a mixing bowl and beat using a paddle attachment until creamy and smooth.

Use an ice-cream scoop to mould the burfee and drizzle with melted chocolate.

Sprinkle with pistachios and place in paper cups.

Deepavali of my childhood

THE joys of observing and cel ebrating Deepavali cannot be taken for granted.

Growing up in my ancestral village of Chatsworth, Deepav ali was always a joyous occasion not just for our family but for the entire neighbourhood, irre spective of which religion you practised. The Deepavali of my childhood saw us enjoying two days off from school with most working adults not given the day off in those dark apartheid years.

With Lord Rama making his way from the south, we got to celebrate before the Maharajs up the road from us.

The day itself, always signalled an early start. My exhausted Amma almost always baked through the night and got us up early for the morning ritual of the oil bath, signifying a cleansing of the mind and body. The oil rub, by no means a gentle one, resulted in a fragrant smell of heated oil removing any sleepy cobwebs.

The morning bath was fol lowed by the excitement of wearing new clothes. On one occasion my waiter father was tipped generously the month before Deepavali. This resulted in me wearing new white (don’t ask) Martino shoes with powder blue pants and a paisley shirt.

I then swanked through Woodhurst, Unit 10, delivering Deepavali parcels for neighbours, friends and family.

The parcels were not as fancy

as the Woolies strawberry and Ferrero Rocher substituted lad doo ladened, designer laser-cut boxes you see today. We deliv ered our paper-plated parcels, protected with only a serviette, to all our people.

In return, we received parcels in almost the same paper plate with different coloured, ghee-

SELVAN NAIDOO

set on the parcel sent by the next-door aunty, who always sent

After the family dinner, the ered on the roads as we lit stolen inet strapped to old broomstick handles, whirling them around

Many moons later, close on

racy, Deepavali has the same significance for many

ing the corporate veniently decided to choose one day in South Africa to

rituals and traditions in the com pany of friends and family.

Historically, Deepavali was not part of the religious obser vance of our indentured ancestry living in South Africa.

In the years from 1860 to the 1890s, the worship of Village Guardians or Goddesses known as Gramadevata and Kula Deivam traditions, identified with specific villages, flourished in the planta tions. This form of worship was originally seen in the South Coast and North Coast sugar planta tions in Natal. More than 80% of the indentured workers who arrived in Port Natal were Hin dus. The first official recognition of Deepavali in South Africa was in 1910, 50 years after the first ship, the Truro, landed on African soil on November 16, 1860.

According to Professor Ash win Desai and Goolam Vahed’s seminal, Inside Indenture, it was only in 1908 that “divine inter vention arrived in the struggle for some official recognition of Diwali.

Festival. Participants met at the Umgeni Road Temple and after the speeches, a crowd of approximately 4 000, accompanied by chariots, marched through the streets of Dur ban chanting ‘Shree Ramchandraji’.

“When the procession returned to the temple, a feast was laid on and three wrestling bouts between North and South Indians, at which the African Chronicle newspaper reported ‘indentured Indian (South) was the best’. It was an impressive display and the white authorities took note, with the Durban Munic ipality granting employees a day off to celebrate Diwali.”

quished Ravanna was extolled.

A sumptuous vegetarian din ner followed with our eyes firmly

The celebrations have now been royally pimped up – that sees us fighting with our Sandton, idents over the firework displays, almost annually contested with Sadly, during the last three years, Covid-19 denied us the opportunity to celebrate these

Swami Shankeranand arrived on these shores and immediately took up the struggle for Diwali (Deepav ali) to be officially recognised. Ini tially, the colonial authorities fobbed him off, mockingly inquiring, ‘how many coolie Christmases do you want to have?’ But he persisted, sending letter after letter

“In January 1910, the educa tion department declared Diwali a school holiday. Encouraged by this, in April 1910, Shankeranand organised a massive Ram Navami

And so it came to be that in 1910, Deepavali took to the streets of Durban. Colonial and apartheid-era denials since then has ensured that the commu nity has grown stronger together, in ensuring the observance of Deepavali, here in our African homes. Against the backdrop our troubled democracy, Covid-19, coupled with all the natural and self-inflicted disasters and a con tracting economy, the observance of Deepavali cannot be taken for granted, for this year has special significance.

Amidst all this uncertainty and darkness that engulfs the world we live in, the light we seek to guide us through the forest of discontent must be our beacon of hope, for hope is all we have to cling on to.

Naidoo is the curator of the 1860 Heritage Centre.

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THE Hindu Young Men’s Society Diwali commemoration at Sydenham, Durban, in 1909. | 1860 Heritage Centre