HELLO JI!
MAKE IT A MEANINGFUL DIWALI
There’s more to Diwali than feasting and fireworks. Image credit: RDNE STOCK PROJECT on Pexels.
The gifts we exchange every Diwali tend to be predominantly food-related. Except, perhaps, gifts for the little ones in our families, we buy or make things we consume.
Trays of dry fruits, mithai in fancy dabbas from our favourite store or home-made offerings, boxes of chocolates or baked treats. The feasting is followed by vows to go easy next year, but by the time the next festival rolls around, I’ve forgotten the excesses of the last and am making lists of ingredients I need to trek to the nearest desi store for.
As a family, we have moved away from “stuff” as gifts on birthdays and anniversaries, focusing instead on time spent with loved ones. Now I’m wondering if it’s time to reset the gifts we give and receive on festivals.
I enjoy making mithai and baking. Sharing with family and friends is a pleasure and I also love trying the treats I receive in return. So I’m not about to suggest we drop the happy tradition. But is there a way to expand the circle and include those who don’t have a full meal to look forward to, let alone boxes of sweets?
I remember my mother making what I would now call gift hampers on festivals for our househelp. These included sweets, of course, but also new clothes for them and their families, and a “bonus” or extra month’s remuneration. We don’t have househelp like that here and so I make do with gift vouchers for the cleaning ladies or the newspaper delivery gentleman. A feature from News Canada also reminds me that many Canadians turn to not-for-profit organizations for meaningful gifts such as the ones offered by Plan International Canada’s Gifts of Hope program that provides goods and essential services to children and families in need.
If you are looking for something unique, with a high impact and a low price tag, check out these ideas:
School meals: Supply school kitchens with cookware, nutritious ingredients like rice and beans, and clean water for cooking and washing. A $10 donation is matched five times, for a $60 value.
Mosquito net: Malaria kills more than 400,000 people around the world every year. Mosquito nets treated with insecticide help protect children in regions where malaria infections threaten lives year-round. Your $10 donation is matched eight times for a $90 value.
School essentials: This $18 donation will be matched two times for a $54 value, and it provides school essentials like textbooks and pencils, in addition to funding school meal programs and teacher training.
Sports supplies: Children experiencing poverty and conflict need safe spaces to enjoy their childhoods. This gift provides equipment and uniforms and helps organize inclusive sports clubs where girls can participate equally. A $24 donation is matched two times for a $72 value.
You can make these meaningful donations at plancanada.ca.
Bring on the laddoos as I explore these ideas! What better way to celebrate Diwali than with one-of-a-kind gift options that have the added bonus of making the giver feel really good?
Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Dussehra! Happy Diwali! Happy Halloween!
Shagorika Easwar