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"I take my children to T Nagar for shopping, which is an experience in itself. We don't mind walking in the crowd because that is also an integral part of the Diwali experience. I choose grand dresses for Diwali."
Four or five days before Diwali, Rani starts preparing sweets -- Rava Ladoo, Athirasam, Mysore Pakku -- and savouries (mainly Murukku) at home. "I have seen my mother making everything at home and I am following that," she says.
"We love what our mother prepares. It's very, very special," say daughters Shweta and Anusha.
If it is new clothes and firecrckers crackers that Anusha looks forward to, her elder sister Shweta likes lighting lamps the most. "Though I don’t count the days like my sister, I do enjoy Diwali to the fullest."
Anusha is always disappointed when Diwali gets over. "I wait and wait for Diwali to come but it gets over so fast. It's very disappointing!"
No special occasion is complete for the Natarajans without a huge kolam or rangoli in front of their house. “These days, more than any other custom, I enjoy drawing kolam the most," says Rani. She also likes to light lamps all around her house "though this, strictly speaking, is a northern tradition. But I want to make my Diwali truly a festival of lights -- Deepavali."
Text: Shobha Warrier
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