Handmade Lights, Heartfelt Celebrations: Diwali with Chinhhari Crafts

Diwali in our home has always started the same way — maa calling out for someone to bring the box of diyas, papa checking the sweets, and kids running around with half-done rangolis on their hands. There’s noise, laughter, tiny arguments, and in the middle of it all — light.

Last year, instead of buying the usual string lights, I decided to bring home diyas and artefacts from Chinhhari. The first time I held those clay lamps, I could feel the little ridges where an artisan’s thumb had pressed into the clay. They weren’t “perfect” in the way shop-bought items look, but that’s exactly what made them feel alive.

That evening, when we lit them and placed them by the doorway, my grandmother smiled softly and said, “Bilkul waise hi lag rahe hain jaise mere bachpan mein hote the.” (“They look just like they did when I was a child.”) For a moment, it felt like time had folded in on itself — her memories and mine meeting in the soft glow of those lamps.

The same thing happened with a wooden candle holder we placed near the puja room. My cousin traced the carvings with his fingers and asked, “How do they even make something like this?” We didn’t have a technical answer, but we all knew it wasn’t just made — it was crafted.

Why handmade feels different:

• A diya that tilts slightly is more beautiful than a plastic light that blinks the same way forever.

• A painting with uneven brushstrokes tells more stories than a printout ever could.

• A gift made by hand always carries more love than anything picked last-minute from a mall.

• And most importantly — when you choose handmade, you help another family celebrate their own Diwali too.

A festival that glows with heart

This year, when I think of Diwali, I don’t just think of crackers and sweets. I think of the quiet warmth of a lamp molded from clay, the earthy smell of mitti that clings to it, and the thought that somewhere, an artisan’s home is glowing because of it too.

That’s what Diwali with Chinhhari feels like — not just bright, but soulful. A celebration where every diya, every carving, every stroke of paint carries a heartbeat.

Because true light doesn’t just shine. It connects.