The month of October is always looked forward to by the people in India. It is the time of the festivals such as Navarathri ( nine nights), Durga Puja, and Diwali.
I remember my childhood days when our house would be decorated and the 'Bomma Kolu' - arranging of dolls on steps would be done on the day of the new moon and the celebrations would begin the morning of the next day. Ladies and girls would be invited and given prasad and gifts. Those who knew how to sing would be requested to sing devotional songs.
My mother and I would also go to other houses and we would be given gifts. Earlier, it was a simple set of one mirror, one comb, Kumkum, some prasad(sweet or savory), and perhaps a banana. Nowadays, even Amazon sells cute bags with all the above items plus dolls and the like.
I do wish to continue this but we live in a village and there are few members left who follow the custom. So, we visit the local temple and all of us meet there on Mahanavami day and participate in the worship. We also keep our books for worship on Durgashtami day.
It is said that the goddesses fought the demons and saved the world. As a mark of respect, we Hindus still worship them. We offer sweets and other delicacies and distribute the prasad. Durga puja is celebrated all over the country. It is very famous in Bengal and Karnataka.
The message that the festival intends to give is that the mind of man has become dark because of all the vices. We should pray that the goddess removes all the dark forces and makes us good again.
Watch all thoughts, words, and actions because when the mind is polluted, slowly, the thoughts, words, and actions too will follow and there won't be any good out of it.
Let us stop the spread of evil and prevent any more harm.
Coming back to the festival, this time I prepared Rava(Suji) Laddoo and I will share the recipe.
Ingredients
1 cup Suji Rava(semolina)
3/4 cup sugar
few cardamoms
Ghee - a few spoons
Milk - a few spoons
Method
I first dry-roasted the rava and kept it aside. Then I powdered the sugar along with the cardamoms. To it, I added the rava and powdered it once more. I then transferred it to a plate poured the melted ghee and mixed it well. Then I added a few drops of the milk and started mixing well. Then I prepared laddus by rolling into a ball.
It is a very simple recipe and can be prepared easily. It does not require elaborate cooking and it is mistake-free, unlike the sugar syrup recipes of the Barfi or the Mysore Pak. I do wish I could learn how to make the jalebi and the badusha but I am a diabetic and I better not try it even.
I am sharing a few photos that I took while preparing it.
I hope you all enter the contest held by India United and share your happiness.
All images - own