Four Bengaluru creatives and athletes on the Diwali rituals they keep

Tanmay Gururaj’s mother lights hundreds of diyas around their home, then switches off the electric lights. For the Bengaluru singer and composer, that glow is a defining Diwali memory — one he values without joining in with crackers. “My ears are important to me as a musician. I don’t want to risk them,” he says.

For Gururaj, work has also shortened a childhood festival break that once stretched longer. He has been occupied with music releases, but enjoys seeing his songs turn up in Diwali transition reels. The format may be new; the impulse to share a festive moment is not.

Model and go-karting racer Aanya Kholay similarly sees the festival as a meeting point between familiar rituals and newer forms of expression. Dressing up and posting online are part of the occasion, she says, but the company matters as much. “Diwali is one time when we are reminded of our roots,” she says, describing her generation as carrying traditions forward in its own way.

Actor, model and theatreperson Jerusha Christopher’s Diwali centres on an annual visit to her aunt’s home. The family performs a puja, sings, sets up karaoke and dances for hours. Her own preparation ritual includes filter coffee, snacks and music before she gets dressed.

Cue-sports player Natasha Chetan knows the other side of the calendar: Diwali away from home. Her competition travel can take her overseas during the festival, and she says she tries to mark some aspect of being Indian wherever she is.

Chetan says younger people can choose which traditions they want to continue, and that staying connected to culture can sit alongside questioning practices they do not agree with. At home, she remembers the anticipation of preparations and family gathering together.