Anya and I dropped by Little India the day before Deepavali to soak in the atmosphere. She was very fascinated by the garland-making process and insisted on buying one too. She wanted one of the really thick and colourful garlands but I managed to convince her to settle for a small thin one made from jasmines.

I also took the opportunity to show her our old place at Veerasamy Road where we lived until I was 15. Growing up in Little India, Deepavali was one of my favourite times of the year because the place was lit up beautifully and I could wander through the bazaar every night, so I wanted Anya to experience it too.