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HT Brunch Cover Story: Family is where the heart is
The Celebrations Issue: A festive showcase of how five sets of people follow the same traditions, differently!
Sibling goals
Designer Ashish Soni and his sister, Smita, on how the festive season brings them closer together
Siblings Ashish Soni and Smita Soni grew up outside India, so festivals gave them their only chance to hold on to their culture and bond with the entire family.
“When we celebrate festivals, we are essentially celebrating all that is good and valuable in life, such as family, friends, bonds, love, life, togetherness,” says 47-year-old Smita, director of business development at the Ashish N Soni label.
“We only had a few friends, so celebrating with family almost became the unwritten law. We have passed on the same values to our children,” says Ashish, who is now 51.
Their favourite festival is Bhai Dooj. “Since we spend so much time together at work, Bhai Dooj gives us the excuse to be together as siblings,” says Smita. “We have a family lunch, and I look forward to a thoughtful gift from him. Then we relax or step out for a movie.”
Bhai Dooj is celebrated with a special menu at their home: homemade sewiyan with a chana dal khichdi, a tradition from their nani’s side of the family.
Coming together
Entrepreneur Ankit Malhotra, his sister chef Akriti and her partner, lawyer Shruti Dutt, on how they celebrate together
Festivals have always symbolised bonds for brother and sister Akriti and Ankit Malhotra, and even for Akriti’s partner Shruti, who has been Ankit’s rakhi sister since their school days!
“Festivals mean happiness, togetherness and bonding over a good hearty meal. In the hustle and bustle of life, it’s important for us to take that time and be thankful,” says 32-year-old Akriti who, with her 31-year-old brother Ankit, form the team behind Aku’s— The Burger Company.
For Shruti Dutt, 31, a lawyer, festivities mean parties and melas, but also celebrating the festival day at home with family.
For the trio’s favourite festival, Bhai Dooj, they’ve made their own traditions.
“We meet at home and do the ritual early in the morning,” says Akriti. “There’s a lot of masti (fun) with Ankit and me negotiating money and gifts, while Shruti jumps in, demanding her own dues. After that, we grab our other friends with their siblings and go out for a cup of coffee.”
First of many
Fashion designer Samant Chauhan and producer Shweta Singh on their first festival as a family
Fashion designer Samant Chauhan, 42, is looking forward to going back to his native village, Dharhara, in Bihar and enjoying the festivities with his family and the village elders. The fact that this is the first time he will be going there for Chhath Puja with his wife Shweta adds to his excitement.
“I have grown up seeing my elders celebrating all festivals with love and I’m looking forward to doing the rituals,” he says. “It’s important to take a break and be there for the people you love during auspicious times. It keeps the bonds alive.”
Shweta, a 38-year-old ad film producer, also feels strongly about enjoying festivities with family. “Festivals are related to family, but family is not limited to blood relations,” she says. “We make friends and family wherever we go, so there is always a family around us.”
For Chhath Puja, Samant and Shweta will participate in all the rituals associated with the festival.
“We will do the puja, cook the local cuisine, make mithais and be with our family and friends,” says Samant.
Keeping traditions alive
For artists Mithu Sen and Samit Das, festivals aren’t as much about religion as they are about family
“I grew up celebrating festivals in Bengal, including Durga Puja, Eid and Christmas, which were all very much part of our life. As a kid, it was not about a religion; we understood the joy and happiness around all festive celebrations. But then in 1992, the Babri Masjid was demolished and that had a strong emotional effect on my young psyche. I don’t think I have consciously celebrated any religious festival since then. I just visit my parents. Spending time with them was the best part,” says Mithu Sen, 50, a conceptual artist.
Her husband, Samit Das, a visual artist, remembers the Durga Puja celebrations in his hometown, Jamshedpur, before he moved to Delhi in 1996. “We don’t do much pandal hopping here, but we love to go to the Kashmere Gate puja, one of the oldest in Delhi,” he says.
For Mithu and Samit, festivals mean being with family. “Family is most important and until last year, I mostly went to my parent’s place to be with them. That’s pure joy,” says Mithu.
Family first
Restaurateurs Hanisha Singh & Jamsheed Bhote make sure they celebrate every festival, equally
Married for nine years now, Hanisha Singh and Jamsheed Bhote, both 34, feel fortunate that their daughter Zoraya is exposed to two such distinct cultures—Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.
Since they are in the hospitality industry, the festive season is their busiest period, so they aim for as much family time as possible.
“For us, the real essence of festivals is family time, which we missed while working away from our hometowns,” says Hanisha, who runs the popular New Delhi restaurant Plats with Jamsheed.
Their favourite festival is Gurpurab, the birth anniversary of the Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak, the founder of the faith.
At their home, Gurpurab starts with an Ardaas (Sikh prayer), after which the family spends time together while the children decorate the house with flowers and diyas.
“The day is incomplete without my grandmother’s white kadha parshad, made with maida and sooji. Though she is no longer with us, my mom makes it just the same way,” says Hanisha.
From HT Brunch, October 22, 2022
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