Festival

President Pratibha Patil, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday greeted the nation on the joyous occasion of Christmas saying the festival signifies the ideals of brotherhood, love and compassion.

Diwali, Diwali celebrations

Festivals prove to be a breather from the hustle bustle of our daily routines. The long awaited Diwali is right here, with an excuse to gorge on sweets without being concerned of the calorie intake and spending on clothes and appliances in the raining offers and discounts all over. The five day festival is set be an action packed gala with Dhanteras marking the beginning of the festival of wealth and prosperity. Diwali is a combined festival of the two avatars of Vishnu: Rama and Krishna.

Diwali is the biggest festival in India and the most anticipated phenomenon of this luminous festival is exchanging of gifts. The basic idea behind presenting Diwali gifts is to accelerate the feeling of love, affection, bonding and appreciation. With Diwali celebrations changing with each passing year, the gifting trend has also witnessed a sea change.

When it comes to surprising your family by preparing delicious vegetarian dishes on the auspicious occasion of Diwali, you may face difficulties planning out a complete dinner thali. To help you out here’s Sakhi with recipes of some mouthwatering Indian dishes.

Makhana raita is a yogurt or 'dahi' dish made of makhana that makes an important part of a North Indian, everyday meal.

“In religion, India is the only millionaire...the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined”, is a famous saying by American author Mark Twain which reflects the characteristics of unity in diversity of India.

Like diya, candles, firecrackers and sweets are inseparable part of Diwali, none can imagine the auspicious festive occasion without ‘Rangolis’. Colourful rangolis are not only a visual treat but also hold a great traditional value to it.

Gambling on cards has been an important tradition associated with Diwali for centuries. This celebration is all in fun, in a spirit of light-hearted revelry and merrymaking.

Ulte Tawe Ka Paratha, thin and tasty bread made in an inverted tawa. This is a perfect recipe to make Diwali all the more special.