Taha Shah Badussha: My Diwali ritual is sending gifts to people I cherish

Born in the United Arab Emirates, actor Taha Shah Badussha initially grew up seeing not a lot of celebrations during Diwali around him. But after he moved to India, he was mesmerised by the opulence of the festivities. “In the UAE, the celebrations were restricted to small sectors and communities. Everybody used to dress up in Indian attire and pray, but in India, everything was just so extravagant. The whole country celebrated it with so much gusto. When I first came here, I wasn’t used to it, but the amount of celebration made me fall in love with it. I started understanding the culture and even started playing cards with a few friends,” he says.
Taha did a part of his schooling in India, and he insists that those days comprise some of his most cherished Diwali memories. He shares, “The fondest memories are always in your childhood as life is new, and there are no worries or thoughts. In my school, all the kids would gather, and we would have a few fireworks, done very carefully and safely. Being around those people and playing Diwali with them while dressing up and just being kids is something I cherish.”
A post shared by Taha Shah Badussha (@taahashah)
The actor even has a fun story with fireworks: “I used to love fireworks, those were really fun, except when there were a couple of mishaps— rockets flying into people’s houses, that wasn’t very fun. I remember a time when I lit a firecracker, and it fell on the ground and literally chased me. It was scary.” Taha adds that after having grown up, he loves the warmth that he gets to share with people. “Diwali for me symbolizes triumph of light over darkness, or good over evil. It’s so beautiful to see everybody dress up and come together. It touches my heart to have so many friends and being able to go all over with them celebrating Diwali,” he says.
Apart from visiting people, gifting is a ritual that the actor loves during Diwali. “My personal ritual is sending gifts to a few people that I love and cherish, and that list is growing exponentially. I also like to visit as many people as possible to share the good vibes. Just making everybody happy is one of the best rituals,” he asserts, adding that this year’s celebrations have turned more special due to the success of Heeramandi. “The show and Mr Sanjay Leela Bhansali have given me so many blessings. It’s because of him that I’m here today and this Diwali has made my life more lit up. My Diwali plan this year is to just go out to all the Diwali parties and spread love, receive love and enjoy myself,” he ends.