With Diwali to be celebrated across the country on Tuesday, popular stars of Hindi entertainment channel Zee TV shared their memories and plans for the Festival of Lights.

Gurmeet Chaudhary, Yash of Punarvivaah:
Diwali is an important festival which marks Lord Ram's homecoming after defeating Ravana. As kids we used to smear ourselves with sandalwood in the morning and then take a shower.

We used to spend our evenings lighting up the entire house with Diyas and lights and my sisters would make Rangolis. We eagerly looked forward to visiting our cousins during Diwali and bursting crackers together.

Diwali is all about spending time with your near and dear ones and soaking in the air of festivity.


Ankita Lokhande - Archana of Pavitra Rishta:
I have always loved this festival of lights. Making rangolis and ofcourse bursting crackers is so much fun! And we also tend to have a small celebration on the sets of Pavitra Rishta as well. It is like one big happy family!

The huge variety of sweets that one has at home makes this my time of indulgence as it is the only occasion I get to spend time with my family and close friends.

Of course, as always, the celebrations depend on our shoot schedule ... hope we wrap up soon and get the much-needed quality time we need with our near and dear ones!


Hiten Tejwani - Manav of Pavitra Rishta:
I've always had a lot of fun during Diwali. My sisters used to make colourful rangolis and my mother made lovely mithais. It is lovely to see the whole city bright, colorful and lit up.

Every person has a smile on his face and this brings a lot of positive energy in the environment. I still laugh thinking of how scared I used to get as a kid when people around me burst crackers. Now things have changed.

The shoot schedules leave us with no time for ourselves. Still it is nice to see people celebrating the festival of lights. Wishing everyone a Happy Diwali.


Kratika Sengar - Aarti of Punarvivaah:
Diwali has always been an important celebration for my family. As a tradition, the entire family comes down from all parts of the country to celebrate Diwali at my home in Kanpur.

It truly is an amazing experience to have each and every family member present for the puja every day.

Then, of course, who can forget the sweets, crackers, lights & card games in the evenings?

However, what always excited me the most was shopping for the new clothes that we had to wear for all of the days of Diwali. This year, I will be missing all of the celebrations at home. *sigh*

Ashish Sharma - Ranveer of Rab Se Sohna Isshq:
I have always had the most fun during Diwali. For me Diwali means complete family time. No matter what I may be doing during the rest of the year, I ensure that I take an off for two whole days and spend them solely with my parents.

I join them in the puja and go sweet shopping for the whole family. I know my family genuinely looks forward to having me around at this time and that's why I make it a point not to let them down.

When I was a kid, I remember the excitement that used to take over the household at the thought of new clothes! One Diwali, my dad had gifted me a brand new cycle for Diwali and I was overjoyed. Those truly were the good old days!

Ekta Kaul - Rab Se Sohna Isshq:
I get very excited during festivals right from childhood. This is the only time when the entire family gets together and we all exchange gifts. I remember one incident where we had gone to our relative's place and returned to find that one rocket had burnt our curtains.

Thankfully the windows were almost shut and no damage was done to the room. In Mumbai, the city is dotted with lights and it's a wonderful sight to see every nook and corner lit up. This year I'm hoping for a day off from the shoot of Rab Se Sohna isshq so that I can go shopping for diyas and other decorative and decorate my house beautifully.

Vibha Chibber - Bindeshwari Kaushik of Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein:
I love the festival of lights. It's the time of the year when we celebrate with our near and dear ones and this is an occasion which brings all of us closer. It spreads so much cheer...What I do not like at all and will never approve is of all night drinking and playing cards.

I don't understand why people cannot enjoy a festival without the consumption of liquor.

This year I have full plans of celebrating Diwali with my cast and crew of Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein. There's going to be a big celebration on the sets. I have also invited all my co-actors to my place on the Diwali day for a gala dinner!


Rithvik Dhanjani, Arjun of Pavitra Rishta:
Diwali is a very special time for me as I have some lovely memories of celebrating the festival in Dubai where I grew up. As Indians staying in Dubai, we used to go out of our way to bring alive the essence of the festival through all its elements - be it diyas, mithai, gifts, crackers.

With most of my family still in Dubai, I either try and get them to fly down or join them there .... My mother is very fond of decorating the entire house with lights and diyas for this festive occasion.

The flicker of the diyas in the house and the simultaneous display of gorgeous fireworks in the night sky is a truly incredible sight!

Asha Negi - Purvi of Pavitra Rishta:
Diwali is a festival of Laxmi puja, lights, earthern lamps, crackers & lots of sweets. I have some good memories of my childhood days on how we used to celebrate this festival.

Being the youngest daughter it was my responsibility to decorate the entire house. I used to decorate it with earthern lamps from early in the morning. After the Laxmi-Ganesh puja, we would all burst crackers. In our family, we have a tradition of having `Paan` during Diwali and this was the only time my dad used to have paan.

As I've shifted to Mumbai now, I make sure I follow the same rituals here as well however the only difference being- here I celebrate this festival with my extended family i.e. my close friends.

Usha Nadkarni - Savita Tai of Pavitra Rishta:
Diwali has always been an important celebration for my family. As a tradition, the entire family comes down from all parts of the country to celebrate Diwali. It truly is an amazing experience to have each and every family member present for the puja every day.

Being a hindu, the grih pravesh also forms an important part of the celebration.

Then who can forget the sweets, crackers, lights & card games in the evenings.

However what always excited me the most was the new clothes that we had to have for all of the days of Diwali. This year will be no different (hopefully).

Gulki Joshi - Phir Subah Hogi:
I get very excited during festivals right from childhood. This is the only time when the whole family gets together and we all exchange gifts. I am a foodie and the amount of festive snacking that I indulge in sends my diet plans for a toss.

I remember one incident where we were bursting crackers and one of my cousins got his hand burnt. Thankfully, it wasn't too serious but it scared all of us. I urge everyone to be very careful around firecrackers.

Rupal Tyagi - Gunjan of Sapne Suhaane Ladakpan Ke:
I have always celebrated Diwali with my family. My cousins and I are really close and we're a mischievous bunch. The elders in the house would have a tough time keeping us in check when we were up to our pranks.

Of course the gifts that I receive from my bhaiyyas are also an added incentive. *laughs*. I absolutely love helping my mom make sweets and decorate the house with lights, diyas & rangolis.

The lights and the festive atmosphere makes the entire house look so beautiful!

Karan Singh Grover - Qubool Hai:
India is at its brightest, most vibrant state during the days of Diwali. There's something very uplifting about the festival as you can literally see a hundred smiling faces if you step out on the streets.

A lot of excitement surrounds the festival ... everyone seems to want to buy something ... for themselves, for their loved ones ... the shops are buzzing with activity. Diwali, to me, is about spending some peaceful time with my family.

I'm not crazy about crackers! I try to avoid the sweets as much as I can as I'm pretty focused on my fitness regimen. I do have a weakness for motichoor ke laddoo though!

Surbhi Jyoti - Zoya of Qubool Hai:
I remember how as a kid, my brother and I would eagerly look forward to celebrating Diwali with loads of crackers, new clothes, sweets & the entire house decorated with diyas & rangolis.

However, it has been ages since I have been able to celebrate Diwali properly. Years have passed since I have been able to burst crackers and now with my brother away from home as well I don't even get the urge to do so.

Moreover, shooting schedules and other work related commitments rarely leave us with much time to anything else. So if I get an off itself, it will be a cause for celebration for me!

However, come what may, I will definitely be joining my family for the puja. And of course, the thought of new clothes is exciting as always.

Kanan Malhotra - Daljeet of Rab Se Sohna Isshq:
The best part of this festival of lights is the enjoyment that one gets from celebrating these few days with the entire family. Back home, my entire family including my mamas and chachas would come over to my place for a grand family get together.

The entire time would be spent in catching up with everyone coupled with loads of masti and fire crackers.

There would also be a large spread of various types of sweets and we kids would gorge on them much to the dismay of our parents. We were a naughty bunch that way!!


Gagan Malik, Ram of Ramayan:
I love the festival of lights. It's the time of the year when we celebrate with our near and dear ones and this is an occasion which brings all of us closer. What I do not like is the unbearable noise of the firecrackers.

I wish more and more people would desist from the use of bombs and opt for sparklers, anaars or the chakras.

Neha Sargam - Sita of Ramayan:
Diwali for me is all about crackers, sweets, new clothes, rangoli, kandils and just a whole lot of merry-making. I actively participated in making the elaborate and ornate Rangoli at our doorstep with my siblings.

I think the kid in me is still alive and I refuse to be just sitting around during festivals. This is the only time of the year when we can have unrestrained fun and not be reprimanded for acting like a kid.

Lakshmi Puja forms an integral part of the Diwali function.