I have fond memories of my mother slogging for a month to make an Akash Kandil as a part of Diwali decorations. I am talking about the time when there was no Google, and my mummy certainly didn’t know what the abbreviation ‘DIY’ meant (partly cos everyone did everything themselves back then).
Akash Kandil (sky lamp) is usually a paper (or gelatine plastic) lamp which has room for a bulb inside it and looks absolutely beautiful at night. During Diwali, the entire streets are lit up with led series and oil lamps. Each house usually puts up its own Akash Kandil and it is not hard to miss the underlying competition among neighbours to get the best one.
So this year was my first Diwali with my husband in our own house (well, a government quarter, but nevertheless our own). We were determined to make this the best Diwali ever and incorporate things that we remembered doing as kids during the festivals. And so our hunt for the perfect Akash Kandil began, but unfortunately, nothing caught my fancy.
Just one day before we absolutely HAD TO put it up, I decided to make one myself. I sat down, Googled a bit about how to work my way through it, and slaved all night (yes I was up till 4 am) to finish it.
I feel particularly proud because of three things:
1. I am not a crafty person, so I was pretty amazed at my own zeal.
2. I got the Akash Kandil to look exactly the way I wanted it to, maybe better. It was a toned down version of what my mom had made.
3. IT WAS ECO-FRIENDLY in every possible way. I just got some recycled coloured paper, some coloured polybags (which has a fabric-like texture) and hard paper of shopping bags to make this baby!
It looked very colourful during the day and it totally rocked at night too! You can go through the pics and see how incredibly easy it is. I have decided that I am going to make one each year. What do you think we did with it after Diwali got over? The paper was used to kindle a bonfire during one of our dinner parties in the garden!
Refreshingly Random 