Diwali at TARA: a serious marathon

Diwali, the greatest festival in India, which celebrates the prince Ram’s return to his kingdom, Ayodhya, after years of exile told in the Ramayana. Candles are lit at the footstep of each home and firecrackers burn all night long. Big and smalls get ready for Diwali’s night many days in advance. At TARA as well, Diwali is a marathon which requires a long preparation…

21st October : the preparation has started : origami workshop at TARA Boys where the children make spoon rests for the D-Day. Enjoy the sophisticated ornamentation: paper Ganeshas with movable eyes and their glitter glue on the forehead!

22nd October: the TARA Girls fold and fold napkins to give them the form of a flame and adorn them with a napkin ring representing a traditional Diwali candle.

28th October: preparation of the Mela at TARA Tots the children decorate plastic plates which will be full with candies and chocolates

29th October: it is the boys’ turn to fold napkins and prepare Hanuman ornaments for glasses.

31st october: DIWALI!

The TARA Tots invite the staff, teachers, volunteers and a few Boys et Girls (carefully selected!) to their Mela. All visitors were given false notes which allowed them to acquire a few masterpieces (bracelets, necklaces, cards, candles…) of the Tots’ crafts.

At TARA Girls, everyone is getting ready to welcome dozens of guests for the big party. After making spoon rests (who said details were not important?), it is time to install the decoration.

At 6pm, all the guests have arrived and the show can start: the TARA Girls perform Bharatnatyam (traditional indian dance) and the TARA Boys follow with Bollywood and Tollywood dances. Meenakshi, Noorjahan, Soni, Meena, Lokesh and Mohid even chant poems! All the performances raise a thunderous applause in the audience.

Finally, everybody enjoys a delicious buffet offered by L’Opéra (French bakery in Delhi).

To burn the calories of these exquisite sweets, all the children, staff, volunteers and sponsors present meet in an improvised and swinging Bollywood dance until it is time for the children to tidy up. At 9pm, lights are switched off at TARA Girls while the TARA Boys return home.

Outside, the candles continue to burn at the footstep of each door and the din of firecrackers will last all night long…