Celebrate This Diwali the Ayurvedic Way – Here's How

Looking at the rows of flickering flames in tiny clay lamps on a dark night makes you happy and hopeful.

Diwali illuminates the moonless night of Kartik Amavasya (Hindu calendar) in the last month of the Sharad Ritu (Autumn). The festival is celebrated for six days – Vasubares, Dhanteras, Narak Chaturdashi, Deepawali, Govardhan Puja and Yama Dwitiya (Bhaidooj).

Each day is associated with a story and puja with special offerings to gods, reflecting the bounty of the harvest and the change of season. Traditionally, festivals were celebrated mindfully without compromising health. Ayurveda, the ancient way of life, emphasises wellness in all seasons.

Today, with consumerism, we look more for convenience than wellness.

The Ayurvedic Way

Dr Reji Raj, senior Ayurveda consultant at Amal Tamara, says "In Ayurveda, Agni mahabhoota, one among panchamahabhootas (five elements) has a great significance during Diwali."

Agni tatva, the life-giving energy, cleanses the impurities. Sustaining the fire in our system is a significant concept of Ayurveda. “The metabolism and thermos-regulation are maintained by the Agni in our body, in the same way, Manipur chakra, the chakra for emotions is rooted with Agni mahabhoota,” he explains.

Shad-rasa, the six tastes like madhur (sweet), amla (sour), lavana (salt), katu (pungent), thikta (bitter), and kashaya (astringent) make our ahara (food) ttasty and the medicines potent, he shares.

He recommends the preparation of ghee-based sweets to nourish the body and sense organs, and improve body fluids and strength. “This will be the primary supplement for the Ojus, the core essence of the body”, he adds.

How To Incorporate Ayurveda Into Your Festive Season

Prerna Kumar, the founder of ChaiVeda, notes that as festivals are all about happiness and family gatherings, staying away from eating traditional and modern sweets and fried snacks is difficult.

Most families prepare traditional sweets for Diwali using ingredients like jaggery, ghee, dry fruits, and seeds, Kumar says.

"According to Ayurveda, sweet should be the first taste on your tongue when you are eating a meal, thus as a practice, we must include sweets as a starter rather than a dessert."

Prerna Kumar

People who are habituated to tea drinking should add fennel, dry ginger, star anise, and a pinch of ajwain (carom seeds) to their tea to aid in digestion.

You can also try cumin, coriander, and fennel tea (CCF tea). Boil an equal quantity of all three ingredients in two cups of water. Reduce it to one cup. Consume this tea for maximum of 5 days from Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj. However, regular and excess consumption of any Ayurvedic beverage without the prescription of the doctor is not advisable, cautions Prerna.

Shyama Gupta, who is in her eighties, remembers a ginger and amla fudge prepared by her grandmother, especially for Diwali. “We were supposed to have it every morning for 10 days during Diwali.”

Gupta shares never liked its taste. “However, when I introspect, I feel it was a rasayana (formula) based on Ayurveda for the season. It surely kept us healthy.”

Chandrika R Krishnan shares that in Tamil households, Diwali would not be complete without the Diwali Lehyam. This preparation is consumed as the first thing during Diwali. “As a child, I never liked the taste, but today I relish it," she adds. Every household has a special recipe for it.

Chandrika prepares it with black pepper, cumin seeds, chittarathai (kulanjan), dry ginger, long pepper, tail pepper, coriander seeds, and liquorice. All ingredients are roasted and blended into a fine powder and mixed with jaggery and ghee. A tablespoon of honey is added at the end, mixed well, and then the preparation rolled into balls.

Dhantryodashi or Dhanteras

Dhanteras day is devoted to Lord Dhanvantari (physician of gods). Coriander seeds with a piece of jaggery is offered to the deity with prayers for health, wealth, and happiness.

Coriander seeds contain potassium, manganese, choline, and beta-carotene. It also contains dietary fibre, vitamins A, C, and K, minerals iron, folate, potassium, and manganese. Jaggery is rich in iron. Coriander seed oil is good for digestion, aches, fatigue, and arthritis.

Lakshmi Puja

Diwali is also marked by the Kharif harvest season, (October-November) that brings rice and sugar. Kheel prepared from paddy, together with batashe (small, flattened bites of sugar) is an integral part of the Lakshmi Puja.

Another reason cited for their consumption is that the Navratri fasting regime influences our digestion, and hence easily digestible foods like kheel and batasha are included in the celebrations.

Govardhan Puja

Annakoot ki Sabzi, a vegetable dish, is prepared for the Govardhan Puja.

It celebrates the arrival of seasonal vegetables in the market that are offered to gods with gratitude for the ample harvest.

Traditionally, Annakoot ki Sabzi consists of 56 ingredients. A little of each vegetable is used to make this dish. It is not necessary to have all 56 ingredients; the dish can be prepared with whatever you prefer. In spite of the long list of ingredients, the dish is quite simple to make.

Annakoot ki Sabzi

Ingredients

• 2 potatoes cut in small pieces

• 2 brinjals cut in small pieces

• 1 cauliflower (florets)

• 1 cup carrot pieces

• ½ cup peas

• ½ cup sem (broad beans)

• ½ cup sangri (radish beans)

• ½ cup radish pieces

• 1 colocasia (arbi) peeled and cut

• 6 lady finger cut in small pieces

• 1 cup bottle gourd pieces

• ½ capsicum (cut)

• ¾ cup raw banana pieces

• ¾ cup pumpkin pieces

• 1 cup each fresh fenugreek and spinach (cleaned and chopped)

• 3 tomatoes (pureed)

• 1 cup fresh coriander chopped

Spices

• 1.5 tsp Cumin seeds

• 1 pinch Asafoetida

• 1 tsp Turmeric powder

• 1 tsp Coriander powder

• ½ tsp Red chilly powder

• 1tsp Anardana

• 1 tsp Garam masala

• 1 tbsp grated Ginger

• 2 Green chillies chopped

• 2 tbsp Oil

• Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add Asafoetida and cumin seeds. Add turmeric powder, and coriander powder. Then add grated ginger and green chillies. Stir for 2 minutes. Add all the vegetables except spinach, fenugreek, and tomato puree. Mix well. Add chilli powder and salt. Add 1.5 cups of water. Mix and cook on high flame until it starts boiling. Add spinach and fenugreek. Reduce the flame and cook further until the vegetables are completely cooked.

Add the tomato puree and let it simmer. Add garam masala, anardana, and chopped coriander. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. The Annakoot Sabzi is ready.

Tips for Healthy Diwali

• Burn clay diyas with mustard oil as it has high a smoking point. Refrain from lighting candles producing artificial aromas.

• The ritual of Abhyanga Snan is recommended. This includes sesame oil massage followed with a warm water bath using homemade scrub of coarsely pounded sesame seeds mixed with sandalwood oil and a pinch of turmeric.

• Use natural sweeteners in your cooking

• Include high fibre ingredients like besan and wheat flour. Avoid maida.

• Eat paneer and dal for proteins and reduce the consumption of carbohydrates.

• Drink buttermilk after lunch to digest and help your body both absorb nutrients and discard toxins.

• Don’t indulge in high-calorie sweets but judiciously practice moderation.

A few other traditional Diwali offerings include a variety of laddoos, rice kheer, lapsi, atta halwa, and fried sweet and savoury snacks.

These were prepared with fresh ingredients and eaten only on special occasions in the past. Today, this stuff is consumed throughout the year, thanks to the easy availability.

Choose health and happiness this Diwali, adopt the ayurvedic approach to the festival season.