FRESH & COOL

You cannot ditch the six yards of elegance on Diwali morning. Inspired by the gorgeous sari worn by Disha Patani for a fashion show, we paired a simple off-white, gold-border sari with a solid-coloured halter-neck. Dark red lips are a must! Wear golden heels to complete the look.

#INSPO: Disha Patani

Sari from Dashobhuja @ Rs 3,500 

Varun Dhawan gives the guys a cool option for the morning puja. The classic white kurta-pyjama gets a colourful twist with a bandhni dupatta. Trade the usual slip-ons for sneakers with black laces.

Kurta set from Myntra @ Rs 549
Bandhni dupatta from Amazon @ Rs 220 

Channel your inner Alia Bhatt in a cute Patiala salwar suit with an embroidered Nehru jacket and flip-flops. Let your hair loose for an easy-breezy vibe. 

Patiala salwar from Colaba Causeway, Mumbai @ Rs 300
Kurti from Linking Road, Mumbai  @ Rs 200
Waistcoat jacket from a store in Jodhpur, Rajasthan@ Rs 950

Stay safe when bursting crackers. Pick denim palazzos and a fun cotton crop top to rock this Shraddha Kapoor look from her Haseena Parkar promotions.

Crop top from Westside @ Rs 1,200 
Palazzo from Koovs @ Rs 900

For a slightly laid-back Diwali look, turn to Ayushmann Khurrana and pair a cotton waistcoat (printed preferably) with a white cotton shirt and beige chinos. Add formal shoes and watch heads turn when you get at the crackers!

White shirt from Turtle @ Rs 4,000 
Chinos from Buffalo @ Rs 2,000 
Waistcoat from a local store in Jodhpur, Rajasthan @ Rs 950 
Shoes from Bata @ Rs 1,800

CARD PARTY AND DINNER

Wear a high-low tunic dress like Parineeti Chopra, with or without leggings, and shine at the taash party. Add pink lips and big jhumkas to amp up your look. 

Asymmetrical kurti from Pantaloons @ Rs 1,250 
Jhumkas from Colaba Causeway, Mumbai @ Rs 150

Sizzle in a one-shoulder, black sequinned jumpsuit, inspired by Sridevi’s hot marsala number. Go for shoulder-dusters and black pencil heels to glam up for your taash party jam with friends. 

Jumpsuit from Kazo @ Rs 3,995 
Heels from Charles & Keith @ Rs 6,500
Shoulder-dusters from Kazo @ Rs 700

Hit it out of the park Captain Kohli style, with a Nehru jacket over a kurta. Wear mojris for that regal touch.

Pyjama from Flipkart @ Rs 742 
Nehru jacket from ShopClues @ Rs 2,499 
kurta from New Market @ Rs 2,000

Flowers are big this season too and we are crushing on Anushka Sharma’s beautiful floral-motif lehnga. We got a cute floral-print long dress that’s a relief from the overdose of bling that’s typical of Diwali dressing. Complete your look with dewy make-up.

Dress from Ritu Kumar @ Rs 7,800 
Highlighter from M.A.C @ Rs 2,400 

If you love quirky outfits, try this asymmetrical kurta ala Shahid Kapoor, paired with printed pants. For your feet, choose jootis.

Asymmetrical kurta from Abhishek Ray @ Rs 10,000 
Black ikat pants from The Bohobaalika @ Rs 1,200 
Jootis from Kolapuri Centre @ Rs 450 

FOR KALI PUJA 

Lehngas are perfect for the festive season and badminton champs P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal show us how to rock it. So, let your hair down and get the twirl on for all those Boomerangs! 

Lehnga (left) from Jabong @ Rs 1,300
Lehnga (right) from Priyo Gopal Bishoyi @ Rs 10,50

Look regal in a black bandhgala and harem pants; make a statement like Sidharth Malhotra did on the ramp.

Black bandhgala from SuitLtd @ Rs 3,376 
White harem pants from Flipkart @ Rs 890 
White and gold mojris from Amazon @ Rs 495 

Text: Tiash De & Sulogna Ghosh, Sehrish Hazarika
Pictures: Pabitra Das
Make-up and hair: Pritam Das and Priya Das 
Models: Sulogna Ghosh, Sehrish Hazarika, Rushabh Shah, Arunima Ghosh, Pushpak Sen, Rajanya Nandi, Shristi Dasgupta, Subhrojit Saha (all students of city colleges).
Location: Kenilworth Hotel, Calcutta

TIPS ON HOSTING A TAASH PARTY AT HOME

Choose a big, airy room for the taash party so that you can light up the room with diyas, fairy lights and lanterns. Add some colour to the room with rangolis and add torans so that the house looks as dressed up for the occasion as you are!
Form a WhatsApp or Facebook group with people on your guest list to send invites, directions, etc. It is also the easiest way to get RSVPs. 
Let your guests know what card games they’ll be expected to play and whether it will be a tournament format. A mix of classic card games, such as Bluff or Poker, and some new ones that people can learn, will keep things interesting.
The seating arrangement should be comfy since you and your friends will be sitting for a quite a few hours. Set up a makeshift sofa with a mattress and many fluffy pillows (don’t forget to include some pash balish!) in a corner. Add a few colourful bean bags if you need additional seating. 
Keep more than one deck of of cards, which will be necessary if some of those who don’t RSVP land up and takes the number of guests to 5-plus.
Investing in a proper poker set is a great idea.
Remember to have the rules of different card games printed and ready, to save time, and in case of disputes. 
Finger food like French fries, potato wedges, chicken wings, garlic bread, mini-pizzas, pakoras and even the classic chips and dip are perfect since your guests can enjoy the munchies without getting their hands dirty. 
Disposable spoons, forks, plates and glasses are your saviours in disguise as you won’t have to spend hours cleaning after the party. 
Flavoured hookah will ensure your guests never want to leave. 
Keep the music peppy. You could include recent Bollywood hits like Chalti hai kya 9 se 12, Suit suit, Cheez badi and Sweety tera drama. 
Purchase fun goodies to gift the winners. They can range from decorative items like candles, photo frames and napkin holders to edibles like chocolate or dry fruit hampers. You can also make King/Queen of Cards trophies or medals for the big winners.

Text: Sehrish Hazarika

WOES OF SOMEONE WHO DISLIKES FIRECRACKERS

You are stuck in a room all evening because of all the noise and pollution. You don’t even step out to the terrace because you are afraid of a rocket falling on your head. 
You flinch every time someone bursts a chocolate bomb (they are always there despite the ban) or a kalipatka.
If you have to go out on D-night, you clutch your friend’s or parent’s hand tight and often wonder if an umbrella can save you from firecrackers landing on your head.
Your worst nightmare is friends forcing you to burst a few crackers. You can only manage to hold phuljhari at an arm’s length.
You are always scared that a tubri or anar might burst, so you end up covering your ears through the entire time it’s burning.
It is not just you who is cringing every time there is a loud noise, your furry friend is right there with you. You try to encourage people not to burst crackers that make a noise but it never works.
When you go to the terrace the next day and see all the burnt shells, even when you haven’t burst any, you can’t but imagine how many might have landed on you had you been up there!

Text: Debolina Banerjee

MORNING PUJA WOES

No matter how hard you try, usually in fear of your father, to wake up early for the puja, you end up snoozing through the 10 alarms you set the previous night.
You can’t escape the old Sharmaji ka beta comparisons because unlike you he prepares the puja ki thali. Then you are sent out all over town for last-minute puja ki samagri errands. 
When you return from your mini-city tour, drop the bags on the floor and jump back into bed for a snooze, in comes the supermom. ‘Beta, puja ke din toh naha lo’, she says as she hands you a towel. Goodbye sleep.
Mom discards the fashionable ripped denims and black shirt you had set aside for your Diwali look with, ‘At least today don’t wear your black and torn clothes!’ You have no option but to wear some mom-approved clothes.
You surf social media to help pass the time during the interminably long puja but the clock refuses to move. ‘What! It’s only been two minutes!’ you wonder every two minutes. 
You finally take responsibility for the entire puja — from assembling the thali to lighting the incense sticks, cleaning the idol to distributing prasad — however reluctantly, hoping god will look at you kindly for this one good deed.
Post-puja, it’s time for the ‘STAR parivar’ pictures. You have to sit for your ‘daddy’s li’l girl’ and ‘mumma’s boy’ pictures, no options. As you bend down to touch your parents’ feet, there is something other than aashirvaad you are expecting — an envelope filled with money. And, that is the start of a really happy Diwali!

Text: Rushabh Shah