Love how the entire country comes together to celebrate Diwali: Cheteshwar Pujara

Cheteshwar Pujara , who recently scored his 18 th double century in first-class cricket (the most by an Indian batter) during a Ranji Trophy match against Chhattisgarh, is glad that he will get to spend Diwali with his family. The Saurashtra cricketer, who has played some unforgettable innings for Team India in test matches, tells us, “With the cricket season going on, it’s not possible to make any grand plans during Diwali but I am glad that I will be spending some quality time with the family. It’s not often that I get to be home on Diwali. I am eagerly looking forward to the family get-togethers because I have to leave for a Ranji Trophy match after that. Puja (his wife) makes some lovely rangolis at home and now, Aditi (his six-year-old daughter) is learning about it from her mom. She also helps Puja with the decorations and loves lighting diyas.”

He adds, “Bestu Varas is all about new beginnings and I look forward to growing as a person and cricketer. I have played enough cricket to know what I need to work on to improve and I look forward to achieving new heights as a player.”

‘As a kid, I loved helping mom with the preparations’

When I was a kid, I loved helping my mom with the preparations for the festival. I eagerly waited for the school holidays and spent some quality time with my loved ones during the break. Back then, one would buy new clothes only around Diwali and we looked forward to that. People would prepare for Diwali a month in advance. Now, we can easily order most things online but while we were growing up, you had to go to the market to purchase everything. On Bestu Varas , I looked forward to seeking blessings from elders because I would be busy playing matches during the rest of the year.

‘Even if you are playing a match during Diwali, you can’t miss the festive vibes’

Diwali is probably India’s biggest festival and even if you are playing a match, you can’t miss the festive vibes. I remember I was playing a test match for India about four years back but be it the hotel lobby, ground, or the streets, one could feel the positivity that is associated with the festival everywhere. The economy gets a huge boost during Diwali and I love how the entire country comes together to celebrate the festival.

Aditi & I love decorating the house together: Puja Pabari

Talking about the festivities, Puja Pabari, Cheteshwar’s wife, tells us, “Now that she is being taught about the importance of festivals in school, every festival is a big learning curve for Aditi (their six-year-old daughter). So, she asks a lot of questions about our mythology and the significance of festivals. When I told her that Dhanteras is an auspicious day for buying silver or gold, Aditi asked if I could buy a silver spoon for her, which we did. Aditi and I love decorating the house together during Diwali and I allow her to take the lead. This year, we visited the Sadar Bazar (in Rajkot) together and bought some stuff. Our decorations aren’t always picture-perfect, but the idea is to have fun and encourage creativity. She loves paper lanterns and floral decor. We are teaching her how to celebrate the festival in a mindful and eco-friendly manner. We buy gifts for the less privileged people and she understands that we should try to make sure that everyone can enjoy Diwali. Last year, we planted a lot of trees after Diwali because when Aditi saw the firecrackers all around, she felt that the trees were crying.”