Stars in the Zee Theatre constellation share their most-cherished, sparkling Diwali memories

Smita Bansal, Himani Shivpuri, Ratan Rajput and Rajeev Siddhartha go back in time to relive joyful, festive nostalgia

Diwali is a time to celebrate the new and honour the old. It is a time for spreading the circle of joy and looking back at the years gone by with wonder and nostalgia. Here is how some of the brightest stars in the Zee Theatre constellation revisited their most cherished, sparkling Diwali memories.

Smita Bansal who stars in the play, ‘Chanda Hai Tu’ says, “ For me, Diwali is all about family. I am always very excited about the festive season and Diwali is one of our family’s favourite festivals. We always do a traditional puja at home, visit relatives and have a family dinner. This is the first year when our elder daughter is not with us as she has gone abroad to study and we are missing her. As far as fondest childhood memories go, the excitement was all about exchanging gifts, cleaning the house during holidays, buying new clothes and decorating the temple with my brother. My festive wish now would be to request everyone to share happiness and spread smiles in whatever little way they can.”

Veteran actor Himani Shivpuri who plays the protagonist in the play ‘Rishton ka Live Telecast’ says, “The festival of lights begins for me with cleaning, changing all the curtains, bedsheets and bedcovers and of course, putting up lights. I love to decorate my house with festive lamps and with an ‘alpana’. We also do pooja at home in a subtle manner. My fondest memories of Diwali hail back to our ancestral bungalow in Dehradun where we would make lanterns and enjoy a gloriously happy, family celebration. The only message I can give to my fans at this time is to not indulge in bursting crackers. We should have learnt a lesson from the pandemic that we must value this earth as this is our only home. I also want to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous Diwali.”

Ratan Rajput, the star of ‘Panchi Aise Aate Hain,’ adds, “This year, I am going to celebrate Diwali in a very different way as I have an eye infection and cannot bear light. I will wear my dark glasses at night and will light only one diya but since I love Diwali, I’ll definitely visit my two sisters who live in Mumbai. My childhood memories of Diwali are of making ‘Gharondas’, or little huts with my sister. My elder sister would be in charge of the process and to watch it come to life was like actually building a home.We would also go and buy tiny utensils and even cook rice in them! To do things with your own hands is such a joy and till date I make a rangoli every year on Diwali to welcome goddess Lakshmi. Distributing clay toys and ‘batashas’, buying a silver coin , making ‘ kadhi chawal’ are the things we traditionally do at home. I also want to tell my fans to light as many diyas as they can and not just in their homes but in their hearts. Also please celebrate a cracker-free Diwali as it’ll be beneficial for both us and the environment.”

Rajeev Siddhartha who stars in the play,’ LOVE,’ says, “This year I am doing what I love best, which is working. I will be celebrating Diwali with the cast and crew and will pray that the festival of lights brings abundance and happiness to me and my fraternity especially after what we have been through in the last two years. As for my childhood memories of Diwali, they are all about a full house lit up with the happiness of my family and loved ones. As far as personal traditions go, I spring clean to make room for the new, in the physical and the spiritual sense. My message to everyone would be to be kind to one another and spread as much joy and happiness as possible.”