It will be a relaxed Diwali for us: Cheteshwar Pujara & Puja Pabari

For Cheteshwar Pujara, who announced his retirement in August, and his wife Puja Pabari, an author, Diwali celebrations “feel a little different this year.” They share, “It feels special because it will be a very relaxed Diwali for us. We are looking forward to spending the day with our families and close friends.”

Will try to help Aditi and Puja with decorating the house: Cheteshwar

This is the first time I won’t have to think about cricket during Diwali. In the last 15 years, I have been able to celebrate it at home only on two or three occasions. This time, I won’t have to think about waking up early the next day and going to the ground for training. I always enjoy being home on Diwali and Bestu Varas (Gujarati New Year). I look forward to little things like having meals together and seeking blessings from elders. Puja and Aditi (his daughter) love decorating the house together and this year, I will help them too. As a kid, I would eagerly wait for school holidays and loved helping my mom prepare for the festival. I also have a sweet tooth and love eating homemade sweets during the festive season, but in moderation. Diwali is one of our biggest festivals and I love how the entire country comes together to celebrate. Bestu Varas is about new beginnings and now, I want to spend more time with Aditi and do different activities together.


Aditi and I love making rangolis together: Puja Pabari

The essence of any festival is to celebrate it with your family because it doubles the joy, and you create everlasting memories. Since kids have holidays during the festival, there is always this temptation to go on trips. When Cheteshwar was playing, we didn’t always get to celebrate Diwali together at home. But now, we make it a point to be home during Diwali because we want to teach Aditi about the essence of the festival. Sometimes, Aditi and I visit the Sadar Bazar (in Rajkot) together and buy stuff for decorating the house. Be it cleaning the house, the puja, hosting people for dinner or the family get-togethers, we want her to understand and comprehend the magnitude of the festival. We also love making rangolis together. Sometimes, we enrol her in craft and rangoli-making workshops around Diwali, and she loves it. This year, we are making granola bars together at home, and these will be a part of the gift hampers that we will send to our loved ones. A personal touch always adds a lot to gifts. We distribute sweets to everyone who has some connection to us.



Get an chance to win ₹5000 Amazon Voucher by taking part in India's Biggest Habit Index! Take the survey here