Taste of Life: Children waited all year for Diwali and ‘faraal’

In November 1937, Gopinath Talwalkar, editor, author and translator, organized “Anand Balsammelan” in Pune. The event was a two-day gathering of children aged eight years and above and was held at a wedding hall in the city during the Diwali holidays. “Anand”, the famous children’s magazine, was published by Talwalkar and the “Balsammelan” was a conference of young readers. Teachers from different schools were invited to entertain the children with songs, stories and skits. Authors who had contributed to the Diwali issue of the magazine attended the event to interact with the young readers. Talwalkar knew his readers well. He ensured that their interest in the events remained alive by ensuring adequate supplies of Diwali “faraal”.

Food was an integral part of Diwali celebrations and ‘faraal’, the sweet and savory fried snacks, were enjoyed throughout the holiday. They include crispy, crunchy chaklis, chivda, shev, kadboli, karanji, anarase, chirote and laddoos. The “faraal” was shared with visiting friends and family. In the early twentieth century, when most families earned just enough to make ends meet, ‘faraal’ was a novelty and children waited all year for Diwali to enjoy delicious snacks and fireworks.

Like food, Diwali in Maharashtra was also associated with special literary magazines in Marathi. The Diwali editions of the early twentieth century were considered a special treat and authors kept their best writings for them. But of the dozens of magazines that appeared in honor of the Festival of Lights, virtually none had a special section for children. Some magazines for children and young people tried to fill this gap.

Vinayak Kondadev Oak was a pioneer who published ‘Balbodh’, the first children’s magazine in Marathi, in 1881. ‘Pathashalapatrak’ and ‘Shalapatrak’, edited by Krishnashastri Chiplunkar, had preceded ‘Balbodh’, but they were not intended to ‘entertain’ children. . “Balbodh” was also the first children’s magazine to publish special Diwali issues.

Vasudev Govind Apte, a friend of Oak, started “Anand”, a magazine for children, in 1906. Apte was dissatisfied with Oak’s vision when he published “Balbodh”. He found it archaic and moralizing and decided to make ‘Anand’ entertaining for children by including stories, songs, biographical sketches, skits and puzzles. “Anand” was a big hit among the children and several magazines such as “Balodyan”, “Khelgadi”, “Mulanche Masik” and “Balbodhmeva” followed suit.

Apte died in 1930 after which Talwalkar took over the responsibility as editor of “Anand”. He was himself a writer of great reputation and did his best to keep the magazine contemporary. He regarded literature for children as an important matter that needed to be handled with care. No wonder “Anand” contained some beautiful stories and poems and children waited for its release every month. By then, Pralhad Keshav Atre’s “Navayug Vachanmala” and Pandurang Sadashiv Sane’s novels had gained immense popularity.

But despite efforts by Apte, Talwalkar, Atre and Sane, among others, children’s literature in Marathi was scarce. The educated middle class was unaware of the role books played in developing a child’s intellectual and emotional capabilities. Talwalkar’s “Balsammelan” during Diwali in 1937 was an attempt to interest more young people and their parents in children’s literature. According to Marathi newspaper “Dnyanaprakash”, Talwalkar’s initiative was aimed at creating a base of young customers for his Diwali releases, while “Kesari” noted that the “Balsammelan” was the right step to teach religious values ​​to children . In colonial times, Diwali holidays lasted less than a week. But the popularity of “Anand” was so great that young readers enthusiastically participated in the “Balsammelan” for two days.

“Khelgadi”, a children’s magazine edited by Kashinath Palwankar and revived in 1927 after being closed in 1920, was another popular children’s magazine. It was published in Mumbai and had a wide readership across Maharashtra. Palwankar, impressed by Talwalkar’s first “Balsammelan”, organized a children’s meeting in Pune in 1938. To attract readers, he placed an advertisement in the Marathi newspapers and announced that the participants would enjoy a meal of “puranpoli” on the second day of the ‘sammelan’. Both “Anand” and “Khelgadi” continued the tradition of two-day conventions during the Diwali holidays for at least four years and ensured that their dates did not clash. In 1939, a certain Sahasrabudhe from Narayan Peth served “faraal” to children during the events organized by both the magazines. The “Balsammelans” offered children a rare opportunity to meet their favorite authors and teachers during Diwali “faraal”.

Newspapers remained silent about these conventions after 1942. The Second World War had impacted the paper supply, causing several publications to reduce the number of pages or stop printing magazines altogether, and rationing prevented meetings where food was served.

Early nineteenth-century Maharashtra was preoccupied with an emphasis on a new pan-Hindu religious identity, while at the same time exegesis of ‘Western’ materiality and consumption. The “upper caste” Maharashtrian middle class was busy navigating the newfound power of organized religion, wearing a badge of faith that it saw as a symbol of patriotism. It continually sought to define and create social norms that it deemed appropriate for its class and culture.

Kamshet, a picturesque village in Maval Taluka near Pune, became a hub of activities for children during Diwali holidays in the early 1930s. The families of Kanetkar, Sardesai, Karmarkar and Dalvi from Pune and Mumbai had made the village their home. In addition to campaigning for small dams and better irrigation facilities, the families tried to teach the villagers cultural norms and rituals that were in vogue in the cities.

In 1932, these families started organizing week-long residential camps for children from Pune and Mumbai during Diwali holidays. Physical fitness, mental relaxation and the acquisition of knowledge were considered important aspects of the project undertaken by the ‘upper caste’ middle class to popularize ‘progressive’ values. Accordingly, boys played badminton, deck tennis and cricket, while girls took part in races in the camp. A swimming competition was held for boys. Prominent educationists and thinkers addressed the children and emphasized the importance of patriotism, sports and academic excellence for ‘nation building’.

Mrs. Savitribai Kanetkar was in charge of the food. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served to the participants and the dishes followed the ‘traditional knowledge’ of dietetics. Cereals, vegetables and fruits considered suitable for consumption in the month of “Kartik” were used and each child was given a limited amount of fried snacks. Sweets were served only during lunch and dinner and consisted of “bhakari”, leafy vegetables and rice. Mr. Patil and Mr. Shrirambhau, residents of Kamshet, donated vegetables and grains for the camp until 1939. Their generosity was praised by “Dnyanaprakash” in 1938.

Voluntary social work was considered an important aspect of ‘nation building’ and the middle class ensured that such efforts were praised and noticed. A Mr. Gondhalekar had established a school for the deaf in Shukrawar Peth in the 1920s. The school housed about fifty boys and girls from Pune and other towns and villages, and there was a boarding house for students from outside Pune.

The school had two weeks of vacation during the summer and one week during Diwali. Some students had no family or guardians and stayed in the boarding house all year round. However, most students did not enjoy vacations because they felt more comfortable at school among teachers and friends who were sympathetic to them. They returned to the school within a few days of the Diwali holidays.

Gondhalekar wanted the children to enjoy Diwali and the experience naturally included the “faraal”. However, he found it difficult to keep costs under control as the school did not charge fees. Students enjoyed the boarding facilities for free.

Gondhalekar made an appeal for donations for the Diwali “faraal” in 1932 in ‘Dnyanaprakash’. The next day, several families sent boxes full of snacks such as chivda, chakali and ladoo to the school for the children. This became an annual tradition where deaf children were visited by families with “faraal”.

The belief that expansion of personal religious practices was necessary to build a more ethical social being had taken root in the Maharashtrian psyche by the early twentieth century. The massification of celebrations was considered important for maintaining the purity of religious identity. Although some social gatherings, such as the ‘Balsammelan’, were inherently secular, they used certain rituals and foods associated with festivals to attract audiences. This ritual renaissance constructed a new identity that suited an urban, middle-class way of life and that suited the demands of various new contexts, such as caste tensions.

Chinmay Damle is a researcher and food enthusiast. He writes here about the food culture of Pune. You can contact him at [email protected]