Bandhi Chhor Diwas

The season of overindulging on samoseh, jalebis and pakoreh is here! And to help you through this blog, I’ve also added a Glossary at the bottom so you can understand what I’m talking about!

Bandhi Chhor Diwas, is one of my favourite days of the year. For those of you that may not know what it is, Bandi Chhor Divas means Prisoner Release Day. 

As Sikhs, this day is very important for us as it showed that good will always prevail over evil, and justice would be restored. 

Guru Hargobind Singh Ji (our 6th Guru Ji) was wrongfully imprisoned for 12 years by Jahangir (the Mughal Emperor) in Gwalior Fort. He was surrounded by 52 Princes who were also wrongfully detained. When the time came for Guru Ji to be released, he requested that the 52 innocent Princes be released alongside him. 

Jahangir mocked our Guru Ji and said that whoever could hold onto his cloak at that time could leave the prison with him. Wherever there is a will, there is always a way, and our Guru Ji showed this by preparing a special robe with 52 tassels, each one woven for each Prince.

On the day he was going to be released, he handed each innocent Prince a tassel, and together they all walked.. to freedom! When Guru Ji returned to Amritsar, a big and beautiful celebration took place! Sri Harmandir Sahib (the Golden Temple) was lit up with candles, which for me represents that good will always win over evil! 

Every year, when I light the diveh, it helps me reflect on how much Guru Ji stood up for innocent people and their freedom. It teaches me to be a better Sikh, a better human and to make sure that I always do my bit for those around us.

This year Bandhi Chhor Diwas will definitely be different. I have a very big family, which means BIG laughs, BIG memories and BIG bants! A normal celebration would be Dad dropping off jalebis to all of our houses in the morning before work, and then going to the Gurdwara in the evening to pay our respects.

It’s always so busy in the Gurdwara and the atmosphere is amazing, queues of people to do matha tek, kids running around hyped on sweets, Giani Ji getting the next kraahi ready for prashaad, and all of the aunties judging you for not wearing a suit. Please calm down Shindho, I’m here for God not to impress you.

After matha tek, and copious amounts of prashaad, we all head downstairs with our candles. Clutching our chunni’s so they don’t catch fire, and trying to find room to place our candles to be a part of this history. Standing back in awe, and looking at all the lights and then clambering through everyone to find your Mum, because you need to get to Bibi and Baba Ji’s house in 5 minutes for pakoreh and patakeh!

Bibi Ji’s house is the optimum environment for ‘iltha’, also known as shenanigans! From accidentally blowing up plant pots, to everyone trying to dodge the Catherine Wheel incase it falls off the wall. Bandhi Chhor Diwas at Bibi Ji’s is always a vibe! 

Everyone makes a different dish, and we walk around the table scoffing samoseh (to test if they’re cooked obviously), and move from jalebi to gulabjamun, to pretty much every food you can think of! While eating away we all sit on the floor in the living room, looking at blip firework pictures we’ve just taken, while the elders tell the youngers the story of Bandhi Chhor Diwas and our Grandparent’s tell us stories of how naughty we all were when we younger. 

This year will be different, this year it will be quieter, and sadly, this year it will be smaller. I’m going to miss a lot.. from family shenanigans, to seeing everyone I love, and hearing the stories that brought us where we are today. 

It’s going to be difficult to not be able to go to the Gurdwara and listen to the Ragi play such beautiful Kirtan this year. The way it travels, so mellifluously through your body and mind, it’s enough to bring your soul peace within seconds.

Although this year I might not be able to celebrate the ‘normal’ way, I’ll still be doing something to carry the message our Guru Ji bestowed upon us. He showed us that we are all the same, that when we stand, we stand together. That in every situation we must do what we can to help those around us, it’s about our community, it’s about being selfless. 

This year, to help those around me I will be donating to The Trussell Trust for Bandhi Chhor Diwas. It’s important we reflect on how we can support our communities, and that we’re all one and should do the best we can to make a difference.

There are so many ways you can help this year. Just take the time to think about what you could do differently, and how it could impact someone else positively. It could be checking in with friends and family on Zoom, or just listening to a friend who’s had a bad day. I’ve added the link for The Trussell Trust website below, just in case you’d like to donate. 

Home

Happy Bandhi Chhor Diwas – stay blessed.

-n

Glossary

Chunni – we wear this to cover heads in the Gurdwara, as a sign of respect towards the Guru Granth Sahib Ji (the holy book).

Bibi Ji and Baba Ji – grandparents.

Diveh – home made clay candles, filled with oil, with a small roll of cotton to keep the flame burning for longer.

Giani Ji – an honoured Sikh person who leads the prayers.

Gulabjamun – deep fried dough made of milk powder, flour and butter which is then soaked in sugar syrup.

Guru – our spiritual guide and teacher, in Sikhi we have 10 Guru’s. 

Guru Granth Sahib Ji – our 10th Guru, and the religious scripture of Sikhism.

Iltha – shenanigans!

Jalebis –  sweet swirly fried batter, filled with a hot sugary syrup.

Kirtan – a religious hymn.

Kraahi – a big silver wok like pan that we prepare food in.

Matha Tek – when we go into the Gurdwara, we bow down to the Guru Granth Sahib Ji as a sign of respect, this is called ‘matha tek’.

Pakoreh – commonly known as a ‘bhaji’, a concoction of spices, potato and onions, mixed with gram flour (fried of course).

Patakeh – fireworks.

Prashaad – this is a religious food, that’s eaten by everyone who enters the Gurdwara. It represents equality for everyone, and is made of flour, butter and sugar.

Ragi – a Sikh musician who plays hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Shindho – Karen.

Samoseh – fried pastry pyramids with a savoury filling, normally spiced potatoes, onions and peas. 

But I can get it cheaper elsewhere?

Small businesses. For some of us, they’re our bread and butter. For others, it’s a way to showcase talents. Either way, it means something individual to each person, which is why support is such a big thing. 

I started a small business whilst I was on maternity leave, it helped pay my bills and I was getting to do something I love! The Treasure Chest Co (follow me on Instagram y’all!) is a bespoke gift box service. I spend a lot of my time researching gifts, packaging and trying to get a vision together for a gift that’s unique yet personal. But every so often, a person will say to me ‘oh, thanks, but I can get it cheaper elsewhere’.

At first this didn’t upset me, but the more it happens, the more difficult it is to keep strong. I mean, how can I compete with the likes of Amazon, Boots, Cult Beauty and these MASSIVE companies who can offer you more for less.

I understand that everyone is in a different situation, and everyone has different financial priorities, and that isn’t the problem. I feel like the issue lies where people might not understand why I can’t sell you a bespoke gift box for a tenner WITH postage and packaging but Boots can. 

With bigger companies, you have different departments to handle marketing, design, packaging etc. but with a lot of small businesses, it’s one person running the whole show! 

Everything I create is outsourced, from products to packaging to postage. I don’t have a warehouse of cardboard to pre-make boxes and supply products, I don’t have delivery drivers that can pop to your door the next day and could you imagine me trying to bargain with Royal Mail for a signed delivery? I can’t even barter with my son for snacks. 

All of these little things add up, and so do the costs, which is why our pricing can’t always be less than a tenner. It does get stressful when you have to try and justify your prices, but Tiffanys sell a paperclip for £165 and no-one’s really questioned that.

Believe me when I say that small businesses do their best to keep the prices reasonable, but we don’t have the same facilities as these conglomerates and it’s worth knowing that’s part of the difference.

But it’s not just about the money..

With every small business I support, I’ve been lucky enough to get to know them as a person. When you get an insight into these small shops, you get to see the person behind it, how hard they work and what this means to them.. do you get that when you shop for a scarf at Next? Every hand knitted scarf, every home baked brownie comes with a story, and when you shop small, you become a part of that.

You’re supporting someone’s goal by trusting their vision, you’re encouraging their talents and most importantly, you’re helping that ‘small business’ community to elevate their creativity outside of these corporate chains. 

I’m not saying shop small ALL the time, I’m saying make a few changes to support those local to you. Why not order your hat and scarf from a local business instead of H&M? Why not shop local for a few Christmas presents this year, and instead of going Greggs for a sausage roll, why not try your local cafe? 

If you’re limited for spending this month, why not use your social media? A like, a share, a repost, even a comment goes such a long way! Trust me, it’s these little things that will make the biggest impact for a small business, and you might not know it but I promise you, every small business twerks when an order is put through! We appreciate you for having trust in us, and we’re grateful you chose us!

-n