Diwali Snacks Are Yummy, But Are They Worth The Labour That Goes Into Making Them?

Diwali snacks: With Diwali around the corner, a lot of us are putting in extra effort at the gym in order to compensate for all the binge eating that is about to ensue. This is one holiday where everyone feels it is legit to let go of the diet and eating restrictions and gorge on homemade delicacies that only taste good in the festive season. The chakli feels extra-snappy, the mathri tastes more khasta, and the laddoos extra rich, when they are made especially for Diwali. But we also need to talk about all the effort that goes into making these snacks.

Most kids would know that it takes days of preparation to have a table brimming with snacks on the day of Diwali. Sadly though, it is usually moms and grandmas who are in charge of making Diwali snacks. Men rarely participate in kitchen duties in Indian households, be it on regular days or around festivities. Plus when you can get away by playing the gender card, why bother toiling away in the kitchen for hours to prepare goodies that will disappear in no time?

Having said that, it is equally true that most boys are encouraged to participate in kitchen duties by parents these days, who see cooking as a life skill and not a gendered duty. However, one can survive without the knowledge of making shakkar pare or besan ki sev. On the other hand, girls are encouraged to learn these dishes as a way to preserve culture, a burden that men, again, manage to escape due to their gender.

As a result, while children lounge on the freshly dusted sofas, glued to their smartphones, Indian mothers sweat it out for hours at stretch to produce Diwali delicacies. What's more, they do it while juggling other day-to-day chores and the festive cleaning.

You won't begin to value the effort that goes into making these snacks unless you participate in the cooking process yourself. Only then does one realise how difficult it is to get the consistency of chakli dough right, why it is important to fry the shakkar para as soon as you ready its dough, and what happens when you fry muthie on high heat for your laddoo batter, in order to cut corners.

The question here isn't whether or not Diwali snacks are worth all the labour, but why must this labour be solely shouldered by women in a household? Why can't the entire family participate in this process and treat it as a part of the festive experience? Women too, deserve to enjoy the festive season, they shouldn't have to spend it exhausting themselves beyond their limits just to create a memorable experience for the rest of the family.

So yes, Diwali snacks are worth all the effort, but that effort needs to come from joining forces as a family, instead of leaving it to grandmothers, mothers and wives.

Image Credit: Prachi Palwe/ Instagram

Views expressed are the author's own.

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