Flying in a day before Diwali, Nimrat Kaur ensured she was home in time as she couldn’t miss her annual Diwali duty of making rangoli. From the moment she arrived back in Noida at her nani’s place until Diwali evening, it was her sole focus.

She shares, “I arrived a day before Diwali, and my first agenda upon reaching home was to gather mate rials for making rangoli. Making rangoli at my nani’s house is my annual Diwali tradition.”

She continued, “This year, in the evening, we went out for dinner and visited the Gurudwara in sector 18 in Noida. We lit candles, had prasad. During the short drive from my home to the Gurudwara, it was so nice to see how people had lit up their homes. In between, I enjoyed my favourite pista barfi throughout the day.”

Last year, she was shooting for her film, so she couldn’t be home. She shares, “Last year, when I was shooting for my film (Sajini Shinde Ka Viral Video) in Pune, I felt very sad that I couldn’t come home on Diwali. I was really craving to be with my mum and my nani. So, I had to be at home this year. I wasn’t able to come as early as I would have liked to, so by the time I arrived, most of the work was already done. Diwali is a time when, more than doing anything, you want to be around your family.”

She adds, “The day after Diwali, I was having a conversation with my mum and nani in the morning, and they said, ‘Diwali becomes special when ghar ka koi bachha aa jaye.’ For them, the festival is special because the youngsters of the family are home to celebrate. I think it is very important to be present.”

For Nimrat, Diwali means unconditional joy. She says, “Before coming to my nani’s place in Noida, I had put up lights at my place in Mumbai. There is something about the runup to Diwali which is really precious. What I really love (about this festival) is the collective happiness and joy.”

Commenting on attending multiple pre-Diwali parties and events in Mumbai, Nimrat says, “The people with whom we have work connections are also kind of a family that one is creating. Family is not limited to blood relations. Sometimes, the management part becomes a bit tricky because you get very little time for yourself. It comes at the cost of little sleep and not feeling rested, but I think it is a very small price for the love you receive. I get recharged with that love. With my film release and people talking about it, it has been a great time from the end of September.”

Last month, Nimrat was in Delhi for promotions of her film but she couldn’t visit home, so she had called my mother to the hotel. Nimrat shares, “She sat through my film’s press con, and she was recording me the whole time. That was really, really sweet. It was like school when you are on stage performing, and your parents are watching; it took me back to school. It was so cute.”