As the festival Diwali comes closer, the one thing, which is a regular feature in North Indian homes is cleaning. It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, who is worshipped on Diwali only visits those houses which are the cleanest and the most beautifully decorated. Thus, the significance of cleaning and decorating the house. In my childhood, I remember that my house was painted around Diwali time pretty regularly. My mom would start preparing the sweets and other savories much in advance.
So, I decided to begin my cleaning operations before Dassehra this year. The past week has been very hectic with the kitchen cleaning finally done today. I managed to rearrange my wardrobe, and the kiddos dressers are next in line. I am happy that in between juggling so many things, I managed to get this work completed.
I like this yearly ritual because it gives a regularity to the entire house being overhauled once every year. I know that I may not be one of the most dedicated housekeepers around. I actually suck at it :). Obviously, I take up other appealing activities instead of always doing something around the house and do what is the bare minimum required; my heart is just not there. Yet, I am proud of the way my house looks and feels — just like a comfy home :).
Down here in Kerala I dont think ppl attach any relegious signifcance to Diwali…
We burst firecrackers-irrespective of relegion-
and queue up for new releases!!!
Happy Diwali Rachna 🙂
The other day we were discussing cleaning.I told my wife,that I could pack a truckload of items from our home and discard somewhere,and still enough and more would be left.The worst thing is clutter. I would say,get rid of things which you haven’t used for five years!very unlikely you will need them ever. Isn’t it reasonable time?
Happy cleaning!
The other day we were discussing cleaning.I told my wife,that I could pack a truckload of items from our home and discard somewhere,and still enough and more would be left.The worst thing is clutter. I would say,get rid of things which you haven’t used for five years!very unlikely you will need them ever. Isn’t it reasonable time?
Happy cleaning!
@Jon yeah, new releases have become synonymous with Diwali. I am not very religious myself. I do the pooja and the decorations along with crackers because it is so much fun, more than anything else.
@Agnes Thank you, but diwali is a good month away 🙂
@dr. antony It is true of every home. Clutter is the biggest problem to manage around the house. The more storage you have, the more junk you accumulate. That is the whole point of this cleaning routine, it makes you rethink what to keep and what to discard. And, yes, 5 years is a reasonable time span to know whether something is useful or not.
Diwali cleaning so soon…If I did it so soon, my house would be again dirty by the time its Diwali, LOL
Jokes apart, this ritual is the best, atleast we throw out unwabted things and rearrange so everythings bright and shining, Atleast each house needs such a cleaning up once in a while
Hmm, happy cleaning!
lol 🙂
@Bhagyareema hahaha. Hopefully, the house will not go dirty so soon. But, you are right. The whole point of the cleaning is to dispose of the junk, we tend to accumulate throughout the year.
@Girish Well, thank you.
Absolutely,in our house too, we start the process much before Diwlai
Happy cleaning Rachna…my house is also getting painted …so all set for cleaning the mess after it…
I’ve been wanting to clean up my wardrobe for long now. There are so many clothes and other things we don’t use any more. Got to get rid of them ASAP! Thanks for reminding 🙂
@BKChowla Given the amount of work which is there, it makes more sense to begin in advance.
@rohini Good luck to you. Painting, in my opinion, is even worse than cleaning :).
@RGB So, you’d better begin now 🙂
ya…happpy cleaning:) and best wishes buddy
yesssss i love diwali as I am crazy about crackers
and this year two of my cousins are in london they are coming and two of my friends are coming
so its gonna be a full house I cant wait for it to come early.. jaldi jaldi jaldi
Bikram’s Blog
@Ramesh Thanks!
@Bikramjit Yes, Diwali is great fun, and hope you have fun with friends and family.
Diwali is one festival I miss here in Kerala. I am glad I spent my early childhood in UP and got an opportunity to experience the festival of lights. And of course, sweets 🙂
@Destiny’s Child Yes, it is celebrated beautifully in UP. I spent my early childhood in UP as I originally belong to UP, but later moved to Mumbai. So, even I miss the traditional rituals.