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Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye (Taste Something Sweet)

A heartfelt Diwali story of Riya, who rediscovers the warmth of homemade sweets, bridging health and heritage, reminding us that real sweetness lies not in sugar, but in mindful love.

Harinath👍✨

and

Asha Duvvuri

Oct 22, 2025

Riya, a 32-year-old marketing professional in Mumbai, was busy prepping for Diwali. Her mind drifted five years back — to the last time she went home for the festival.

The aroma of roasted besan filled the kitchen.Riya stood by the counter, watching her mother stir the golden mixture with patient rhythm. The ghee hissed softly, and the fragrance transported her back to childhood — to a home where time moved slower, where festivals meant cousins crowding the living room, and her grandmother’s laughter echoing from the kitchen.

“Beta, taste this,” her mother said, holding out a spoonful of warm, sweet ladoo mix.Riya broke out of her chain of childhood thoughts and hesitated. “Maa, you know I’m avoiding sugar…”

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Her mother chuckled. “It’s Diwali, and this is my home Beta — not your dietician’s clinic.”

They both laughed, but somewhere inside, Riya felt a twinge of guilt — not for what she would eat, but for what she had lost.

The old “Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye” (Taste something sweet) spirit that once meant joy, love, and togetherness had now become a calorie calculation.

The Sweet Guilt of a Modern Life

Her fridge told its own story — almond milk, sugar-free yogurt, quinoa salad, and protein bars lined up neatly.But where were the boxes of homemade sweets wrapped in foil — the ones that carried more affection than preservatives?

Growing up, Diwali wasn’t Diwali until the house smelled of ghee and cardamom.Now, sweetness had become something to fear — to replace with “zero-sugar,” “diet,” or “stevia.”

Riya sighed as her phone buzzed. An ad flashed across the screen:“Sugar-free Diwali desserts – guilt-free indulgence!”She smiled ironically.Wasn’t guilt-free indulgence what her childhood had always been — before we started measuring joy in calories?

Rediscovering the Sweet Truth

That evening, Riya decided to try something different.She pulled out her grandmother’s old recipe book — pages yellowed, corners folded, with faint stains of ghee like traces of old memories.

She read aloud the first one: “Til-gur chikki – good for bones and heart.”Her grandmother’s handwriting curled gracefully at the edges of time.

Riya began mixing jaggery instead of sugar, adding nuts and oats. The kitchen came alive again — the sizzle of ghee, the swirl of cardamom, the music of homecoming.

“Maa,” she called her mother on the phone, “what if we use honey instead of jaggery next time?”Her mother smiled. “Health bhi, taste bhi.”(Healthier as well as Tastier)

And just like that, the bridge between generations — between sugar-free and soulful — felt whole again.

When Sweetness Finds Balance

Later that night, Riya sat by the balcony lights, holding a small plate of her homemade chikki.The first bite was warm, nutty, and real.It didn’t just taste of jaggery — it tasted of childhood, laughter, and something purer than any diet plan could promise.

She realized health wasn’t about rejecting tradition — it was about redefining it.Homemade didn’t just mean “sugar control”; it meant love in measured spoons, not labels on boxes.

A Gentle Reminder

As the diyas flickered around her, Riya whispered to herself —“Sweetness isn’t the enemy.Excess is.”

It wasn’t just a thought; it was peace.

So this Diwali, before you unwrap that store-bought sugar-free brownie, pause for a moment. Step into your kitchen. Stir that ghee. Reclaim that fragrance. Balance it with wisdom, not fear.

Because the real sweetness of life isn’t found in avoiding sugar —It’s in savoring what’s made with love, mindfully, and together.

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