The document summarizes how different individuals in Dubai celebrated Diwali. Sonam Mirchandani's celebrations included decorating her home and performing a puja with her European friend Evelyn. Amit Vardhan continues the traditions of Diwali celebrations from his hometown of Lucknow in Dubai, including hosting parties. Pujha Patankar reflects on banishing negativity and spending time with loved ones. Dheeraj Thakur wears traditional attire and attends many parties lasting 8-10 days. Priya Bhatia's family coordinates outfits in orange and does activities together. Usha Kaul Saraf manages a traditional meal despite Diwali being a work day and associates with a

1. 52 / Dec 2015-Jan 2016 / PROBIZ
FESTIVE STORIES
SONAM MIRCHANDANI
Director of Sales at Panache International FZ LLC
A family get-together is what makes my Diwali special every year.
We generally perform a puja and decorate our home with candles
and diyas, setting a festive mood. What made this year even more
special was the presence of my European friend, Evelyn, who
celebrated the festival with us. We also performed a puja in the
office for the first time after my new role with Panache International
FZ LLC. I believe celebrations go beyond boundaries and what
makes Diwali memorable is sharing and spreading joy.
AMIT VARDHAN
Group Sales and
Marketing Director,
Fakhruddin Holdings
Diwali is celebrated with
much fanfare in north
India; especially in my
home town of Lucknow.
This festival has been
my favourite since
childhood; memories
of diyas, delicious sweets, sumptuous savouries
and sparkling crackers are special. The tradition
continues with friends and family in Dubai, where
we have an open house and several parties that
often start two weeks before Diwali.
A new tradition added to the festivities is
shopping for gold jewellery for my better half as
the festival is supposed to be the most auspicious
occasion to do so. Overall, my Diwali celebrations
this year involved spending quality time with
friends and family.
As we bid goodbye to this year’s festival of lights, Dubaites tell Probiz what
made their festive celebrations special
By Hina Navin
A time for tradition
Pics:Supplied
PROBIZ / Dec 2015-Jan 2016 / 53
PUJHA PATANKAR
Brand and Consumer Marketing Lead,
AkzoNobel Middle East
For me, Diwali is a time for reflection; to revisit
and judge impartially one’s thoughts, actions
and words. It is also about banishing negativity
within. During this auspicious occasion, I
revel in the company of loved ones, dress up
in festive finery and gorge on delicious dishes
prepared for the event; and this year was no
different. I spent quality time with friends and
family, and rejoiced in the festivities with them.
DHEERAJ THAKUR
Account Director, Publilink Public
Relations
Diwali is the time to perform traditional rituals
and show our gratitude for all the gifts we have
been given. I wear traditional attire, which I rarely
do in Dubai, to add to the festive excitement.
This festival is a great opportunity to bond with
friends as well as clients. This year, we attended
many Diwali parties and our celebrations lasted
for almost 8-10 days with sweets, lights, gifts, and
of course, driving around Bur Dubai to soak in the
festive spirit the area is famous for.
PRIYA BHATIA
Sensory Panelist – Quality
Control, Mars International
With Diwali comes a sense of
warmth, love and unity. My
family abandons their other
commitments and devotes time
to make the festival of lights the
most memorable time of the year.
We do everything together; from
tidying up our house to making
rangolis to preparing homemade
sweets for our guests. This year,
we decided to go one step forward
to portray the true extent of our
unity—we colour coordinated
our outfits! We selected bright
orange as the common colour as
it represented everything that we
were: determined, enthusiastic and
happy. Our matching outfits further
kindled a sense of harmony. n
USHA KAUL SARAF
Entrepreneurship
Project Director,
Sharjah Business
Women Council
Diwali brings the much-
required respite to our
tiring work schedules.
It not only lights up our
homes, but also our minds.
This year, Diwali was on a
working day, so managing
everything was a little
difficult. However, I was
able to cook a traditional
Kashmiri vegetarian meal
that included ‘Satyadeev’,
a special sweetened
poori offered to Goddess
Laxmi. In the evening, we
performed the Laxmi puja
and had a fabulous time
with family and friends.
For me, Diwali has
always been a festival of
sharing and giving. This
year, I associated myself
with the Access Life Assistance Foundation, in Mumbai, which provides a
temporary home for children undergoing cancer treatment together with
their parents. I am glad I was able to make a small contribution to these
children, which I believe, defines the true essence of festivity.