After the mandatory dusting and cleaning, it is all about offering prayers to Guru Granth Sahib at a Gurudwara for the Sikh community in the city.
The festival of lights marked the release of the sixth Guru Hargobind Singh who was arrested during Jahangir’s regime.
The Sixth Guru rescued all the 52 followers and kings who were captured in Gwalior along with him. After their release, they visited Amritsar to offer prayers at the Golden Temple. To commemorate the release of the Sixth Guru and his followers, Diwali is celebrated by the Sikhs.
There are around 250 Sikh families residing in the city and everyone will visit one of the three shrines in the city, said secretary of Gurudwara Balvinder Singh. “The festival is celebrated for one day and that is on Diwali. At times we celebrate the festival with ‘gana-bajana’ at one of the city hotels. We wear new clothes, offer prayers and burst crackers first at Gurudwara and later at home,” he explained.
‘Kada prasad’ is prepared on the occasion and distributed to friends and family members. Everyone will deck their house with a lot of flowers and diyas on Diwali.
“As far as possible we try to give fresh look to the rooms and living halls by adding new bedspreads, cushion covers and furniture linen. We usually do deep fried dishes and sweets at home during Diwali. After offering prayers to Guru Granth Sahib, I take generous quantities of sweets to share with everyone at Gurudwara,” said Manjinder Kaur.
Some of the Punjabis in the city perform Lakshmi puja and arrange a plate heaped with coins in the puja room.
A few businessmen perform puja on the office premises to welcome Goddess Lakshmi. The celebrations include catching up with friends, exchanging gifts and feasting for the Punjabis.
Recipe
‘Kada Prasad’ Ingredients: Whole wheat flour-1cup; sugar-1 cup; desi ghee-1 cup; water-2 cups.
Method: Place a thick pan and add wheat flour. Keep stirring the flour adding desi ghee gradually to it. Once the atta turns golden brown, add sugar to the flour. Mix well until the sugar blends well with the flour. Now add water and sauté it until it becomes to a thick consistency.
Once done remove from the heat and arrange in a serving dish.
