Inside our kids’ pack: how we sort 21 items by age
A look at packing week in Saligramam, and why every little ones’ pack is checked by two people before it is sealed.
Deepavali morning in Chennai: planning the early hours
Oil bath, new clothes and the first crackers before breakfast: how families plan the most important morning of the year.
In many Chennai homes, Deepavali begins long before sunrise. There is the oil bath, the new clothes laid out the night before, the first sweets, and then the first crackers in the street while it is still dark. Planning this morning a little helps it run without rushing.
The Tamil Nadu government usually announces permitted hours for bursting crackers on Deepavali, often one hour in the early morning and one in the evening. Check the announcement in the local news the week before, and plan your morning crackers to fit that window. We print the hours on our delivery slip once they are announced.
The morning is a good time for sparklers, flower pots and small chakkars, because it is dark enough to see them and the streets are quiet. Keep the colour smoke for later in the day; it is made for daylight, when the colours actually show. Our colour smoke packs give about 60 seconds each in five colours, and children enjoy them after lunch.
Put the morning’s crackers in a separate bag the night before, with a candle, a lighter, a bucket of water and a bucket of sand near the front door. Keep the rest of the boxes indoors in a dry cupboard. Then nobody has to search for anything in the dark, and the box meant for the evening is still unopened when the evening comes. Last-minute buyers can visit us until 10 pm on Deepavali eve. Expect a short queue after 7 pm.
