Festival Essay Contest
Group A (5 to 8 years)
First Place:
Mithran Thakkar (“Celebrating Diwali in a Pandemic”), Marietta, GA
Second Place:
Saanvi Kunal Chigare (“Diwali of a Different Kind”), Alpharetta, GA
Honorable Mention:
Soren Singhal (“A Pandemic Thanksgiving”), San Francisco, CA
Group B (9 to 14 years)
First Place:
Nehaa Rajagopa (“Navarathri with a Twist”), Suwanee, GA
Second Place:
Sanvi Rao (“A Diwali to Remember”), Cumming, GA
Honorable Mention:
Ayati Yadav (“A Different Kind of Holi”), Cumming, GA
Festival Essay Contest Group A (5 to 8 years)
Celebrating Diwali in a Pandemic
By MITHRAN THAKKAR
Diwali is the Festival of Lights. Diwali celebrations are five days long. This festival means the end of darkness and the beginning of brightness. When the Covid pandemic began, we had a dark gloom around us. Diwali in Covid times was very difficult.
So last Diwali, we decided that we would have fun. We talked with our grandparents and cousins on Zoom and WhatsApp. We cleaned and rearranged the home temple and the house. We went to the temple and had prasad. We lit the house up with candles. We did puja and went to the store to buy sparklers. We went to a friend’s home as they were also following Covid safety guidelines.
I also played with my friend. For the first time, my dad was around me during all five days of Diwali. So I was very excited. My mom made delicious sweets and we offered them in the temple. I hope this Diwali we can meet our friends and family. My prayers are that the world is lit up and that the people could end this pandemic.
Have a Happy Diwali.
Mithran Thakkar, aged 7, goes to East Valley Elementary School in Marietta, GA.
Diwali of a Different Kind
By SAANVI KUNAL CHIGARE
In 2020, we celebrated Diwali a bit differently. Normally, we light fireworks, our relatives in India come to the U.S., we exchange sweets, and we visit our friends’ houses. But Covid-19 pandemic was not letting us do many things, especially in-person. For preparation, we had to do many things. I helped my mom cook food and treats like Shrikand, Sheera, Kheer, Puri, Paneer Curry and Gulab Jamun. I also helped her create rangoli and decorate the house. After that, I helped her pick good saris and kurtas online.
The next day, we woke up early and completed the remaining chores. First, we finished folding the laundry, washing the dishes, and cleaning rooms. Then, we did some henna. By the end of the day, I was super tired. My mom said I should sleep so I wasn’t tired on Diwali. So that’s exactly what I did. However, my eyes just weren’t shutting because I was so excited! Then, I woke up and it was Diwali! I was so excited that I raced into my parent’s bedroom. Surprisingly, I found them awake and wishing my relatives in India a happy Diwali. I wished them as well.
We had poha for breakfast. After we finished breakfast, we jumped on a WhatsApp call with our family in India. Then, we did a virtual pooja celebration. After that, we showed each other our henna, how we decorated the house, how we decorated the diyas, and the lights we had put up. At the end of the day, we showed the sweets and food that we made. We had an awesome time. Then, we wished each other good night.
The next day, for New Year, we pretty much did the same things except on this day we wore new clothes, we all received gifts from family and friends, and we did a quick visit to the temple. But because of Covid restrictions, we just prayed from outside instead of celebrating inside. Then, when we came home, we had lunch and we made another video call to our relatives. However, it was a school night so at about 5 pm we said bye, cleaned up, had dinner and slept. I was feeling awesome. It wasn’t the best year ever, but, overall, I think it
wasn’t so bad either.
Saanvi Kunal Chigare, aged 8, goes to Brandywine Elementary School in Alpharetta, GA.
Honorable Mention - Group A
Thanksgiving in the Pandemic
By SOREN SINGHAL
This Thanksgiving, we celebrated with no guests. It was just our family. Usually, we have a lot of people come to our house for Thanksgiving but this year, it was just my siblings, my parents, my Nana-Nani and me.
We still made all of the food we make on Thanksgiving. It was super hard to finish all the food! At the end of the meal, I felt so stuffed! We ateturkey, stuffing, green beans, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, cornbread, samosas, homemade rolls with maple butter, crab cakes and butternut squash soup. It was fun but it’s better when more people come.
For the month of November, my family makes a Thanksgiving tree out of construction paper. We write what we’re grateful for every night and we put it on a leaf. We then stick the leaf on the tree. We had a lot to be grateful for: our house, our pet fish, my new baby brother, a healthy family, our toys, yummy healthy food, movies, playing tennis with my dad, books, my siblings, music and Thanksgiving.Yet our Thanksgiving tree looked less full since fewer people came to our house.
I joined a new school last year. From August to November, I attended school via Zoom because of the pandemic. After that, I started to have outdoor school. It was fun. There were only nine kids in my class. Then we had Thanksgiving break. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we bought a Christmas tree. This year we had to make an appointment and wait in a long line to get into the tree farm.
Thanksgiving was super fun even though there was a pandemic.
Soren Singhal, aged 8, lives in San Francisco, CA.
Festival Essay Contest Group B (9 to 14 years)
Navarathri with a Twist
By NEHAA RAJAGOPA
The Covid-19 pandemic had hit all of us unexpectedly. The worst part was that festivals and holidays couldn’t be spent with loved ones.
Navarathri is a family favorite. My Amma goes all out for it. My love for this festival comes from the story behind it. We celebrate Navarathri to worship Goddess Sakthi and her forms like Goddess Durga who defeated Mahisasura and Goddess Saraswathi who destroyed the demons, Sumbha and Nisumbha; and kept us in a peaceful world.
Even though these demons thought that women were weak and not worthy of battle, they were proven wrong. I read this story to my four year- old sister as I believe that once she grows up, she would benefit from it and she can be brave and strong just like our Amma.
Navarathri during the pandemic has its own significance since, more than ever, we must enjoy the festival while overcoming obstacles.
In Navarathri, the word “nava'' means nine and “rathri” means nights. The tenth day is the day of success, and we chant slokas in Goddess’s praise for she had defeated the demons.
Navarathri gives us a great time to pray. It thrills me to bring back the Golu dolls from the boxes, cleaning and admiring their beauty. It is fun to fix the stand with nine steps and arrange the dolls in a pattern. The first three steps are graced by the gods and goddesses. The sages and saints occupy the fourth step. People such as sets of dancers, wedding players and market people cover the fifth, sixth and seventh steps. The eighth step is for birds and animals; and the last one is for plants and trees.
Is Covid a demon too?
Maybe. It destroyed our normal life and threatened us.
We miss school and it’s fun, playing, teachers, friends and much more. Most of us were home with virtual school, masks and hygienic cleansers.
We will overcome the pandemic thanks to sacrifices from our frontline workers, medical research, respecting protocols, support of the loved ones, and prayer.
In 2020, because of Covid-19, we were careful not to get a large gathering. Navarathri is amazing, yet there is no fun without spending it with close friends, so we pushed through safely.
On our patio, we set up individual food boxes and chairs. We also prepared thamboolam gifts and prasadam which had sweet and spicy items.
As my friends came, we headed out to the backyard where we celebrated while wearing masks and kept the social distance. My friends and I caught up while my parents guided everyone to the basement door where we could see the Golu from outside.
Each doll was standing on one of the platforms which were covered with beautiful green silk. There were lights placed and roses decorated around the stand. Amma lit the lantern, and we sang slokams. After aarthi, we ran back to get more sweets.
It felt like this celebration lasted just a second, and soon they had to go. As I helped my family clean up, I was already planning my next Golu and hopefully without Covid.
Nehaa Rajagopa, aged 12, goes to Riverwatch Middle School in Suwanee, GA.
A Diwali to Remember
By SANVI RAO
As we all know, the world was attacked by a horrible pandemic called Covid-19 in December, 2019. It changed many things in our lives, including how we celebrated Diwali last year. Diwali is a festival of lights celebrated by Indians. I have always loved Diwali because I get to celebrate it with my friends, watch beautiful fireworks at the temple, and participate in a fun group dance. But last year everything was different.
The Diwali party was done in my friend's backyard. Since Diwali was in mid-November, it was very cold, so it was a lunch party instead of dinner. We thought it was best to do it during the afternoon when it is the warmest. Though we wore beautiful Indian clothes we had to cover them up with jackets and sweaters. Only a few close families were invited. We all brought homecooked food instead of buying it from a restaurant. I missed having it inside someone's house, but it was still fun. Because of the bad weather, many people went inside a tent to escape the drizzle. But the tent flew away in the wind! Everyone laughed until their stomachs hurt. Despite all these funny mishaps, we were still able to eat. The food was delicious, and we all had a great time.
Usually, we go to the temple to pray and watch fireworks during Diwali. Last year, we couldn't go to the temple as it is mostly crowded during festivals, and we wanted to avoid the crowds. But we did not miss the fireworks entirely. A few dads in our neighborhood decided to set them up in some empty space, and we watched them from our own backyards with our families.
Since the weather was chilly and unpredictable, we could not risk dancing in our long dresses while it was too rainy or windy. As we had an outdoor party, I could not dance in an auditorium like I usually do. To solve this problem, a dad recorded us dancing outside on a sunny day. This had its perks because we could each introduce ourselves before dancing. Also, we could always take the video again if something went wrong, so we weren’t very nervous. We had all the practice sessions in the backyards or in someone’s garage. On the day of the event, our dance was projected on the big screen. Everyone loved it and they praised our efforts.
Even though Diwali had changed in many ways, some things were still the same. My mom and I made a big and bright lantern to hang on our porch. We also made colorful rangoli outside the front door, decorated the house with lights, candles and diyas. We still cooked a lot of yummy foods. We still exchanged sweets and snacks with our neighbors. Most important of all, my family spent a lot of time together and made many happy memories. I also hope that soon we can go back to celebrating festivals like before.
Sanvi Rao, aged 10, goes to Daves Creek Elementary School in Cumming, GA.
Honorable Mention - Group B
Celebrating Holi During the Pandemic
By AYATI YADAV
Isn’t it funny how something so small that you can’t even see can transform the entire world? Something as small as tears can show an entire person’s emotions, and something as small as lice can give you such pain. Covid-19 is one of those things, and it has caused such terrible things such as black eye fungus, shut down schools, and caused countless people's deaths.
The festivals we have every year have changed because of Covid-19. Holi was different for me, and not exactly how I pictured it last year.
We bought all of the usual stuff for Holi like sweets and colored powder. Although though Holi was different, I still had my brother trying to play with me. Every morning since I can remember he wants to have a “battle” with me which is a game of self-defense. Holi is one of my favorite holidays of the year. Mainly because you have an excuse to take a whole bunch of Holi colors and throw it on everyone’s heads. I love how we run across the street with a bag of Holi colors and throw it on everyone. I also love sweets and I can almost taste my mama’s gulab jamun in my mouth.
But I soon realized that this Holi wasn’t going to be like the other Holi celebrations in my life. We wouldn’t be able to go out on the streets throwing color all over the place, and we wouldn’t be able to see all the different colors in the air. We wouldn’t have the delicious smell of a variety of sweets, and we couldn’t run with our friends with water guns spraying everyone. That morning our family did a pooja, and I was getting all the colors ready. My brother and I collected a few water guns and put all the colored powder in a pile. It seemed like we were ready for a mega battle, and we were going to win with Holi powder and water guns.
Our neighbors also celebrated Holi, so we met on the driveway. Our neighbors were the only people with who we weren’t socially distancing since anyway we spend every day together. The kids immediately started to throw colors at each other while the adults started to talk. Honestly, it was a blast, and I still remember dumping a lot of Holi color on my papa’s head, so he looked like a yellow duck. It was hilarious, and even he was laughing when he saw his reflection. I had color all over my hair and clothes, but that never mattered to me. Holi was still a good amount of fun whether Covid was there or not. I know my mom was a little angry since I had managed to ut Holi colors and water all over the house. It was a big mess, but we got that resolved.
Holi in the pandemic may have been different, but it had its own unique way of fun.
Ayati Yadav, aged 12, goes to South Forsyth Middle School in Cumming, GA.
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