30 Diwali Questions to Ask Parents and Grandparents

The questions

30 Diwali questions to ask your family

Three of these go in the book to start. Swap in any you like, or write your own.

For Dadi and Dada12 questions

Tell me about Diwali when you were little. Who lit the first diya?
Which sweet did your mother make that nobody else could?
What did Diwali look like in the town you grew up in?
How did you two meet, and what did your families say?
What was your first Diwali in a new home like?
Who taught you to draw rangoli, and which pattern was theirs?
What did your mother do on the morning of Diwali?
Which Diwali did you spend away from home, and who was with you?
Which recipe do you want us to keep making? Talk us through it.
What blessing do you want to give each of us?
What do you hope the grandchildren grow up to know?
Which Diwali do you remember best, and why?

For the whole family10 questions

What has Dadi taught you?
What is your favourite Diwali memory with the family?
Tell us about a time Dada made you laugh.
Which Diwali sweet can you not do without, and who makes it best?
What does our house smell like at Diwali?
Who do you want to thank this Diwali, and what for?
Which family tradition would you keep forever?
What do you wish for the family this new year?
Who did you miss at Diwali this year, and what would you tell them?
What made you laugh this year?

For the children to ask8 questions

What games did you play at Diwali when you were my age?
Did you ever burn your fingers on a sparkler?
What was your favourite firecracker?
Who gave you your first new Diwali clothes?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Tell me about a pet you had growing up.
What do you think I will be like when I grow up?
What is your favourite thing we do together?

Two ways to do it

Dadi tells her story, or the whole family tells theirs.

One person's story

Dadi's life story

Sit Dadi down after the puja with a cup of chai and your phone, and ask her the first question. Twelve of the questions on this page are written for her.

Tell me about Diwali when you were a little girl. Who lit the first diya?
Which sweet did your mother make that nobody else could?
What blessing do you want to give each of us?

Start Dadi's story

Everyone's messages

The family's Diwali book

The link goes in the family WhatsApp group a week before Diwali. Aunties, cousins and grandchildren each record a message or a blessing for Dadi, in Hindi, Gujarati or English.

What has Dadi taught you?
What is your favourite Diwali memory with the family?
What do you want to thank her for this Diwali?

Start the family's book

Record Dadi and Dada right there on the sofa in the Chorus app! After Diwali it prompts you with their next question every week or every month.

Get it onGoogle Play

Family books people made

I am so glad I took the time to do this, my dadi loved it so much and said it was the best present she has ever gotten. Just a super gift!!

Sarah D.

recorded her dadi's life story

Papa cried....and my papa never cries! It was so easy to collect the stories. Super support too!

Emily M.

made a book for her papa with her brothers

Chorus, thanks so much! I'm not technical and found this so easy. The book is a family heirloom now.

Mary C.

made a book for her nani and nana

The podcast link is brilliant - you just get things you couldn't get in a book like laughing or the background in a recording! I am so happy we have this for all the grandkids.

Chris O.

recorded his dada's life story

SUPER idea. In a world where we're all so disconnected, capturing all the things we mean to each other is just priceless. Make the time, do it!

Kate B.

made a book for her mummy and papa

Here's what you keep.

All 2110 of 21

Priya

her daughter

Mummy, the kids drew the rangoli at the door this morning. It looks nothing like yours and Meera will not let anyone step near it...

Next up, Meera, her granddaughter

Hear it

Their stories in their own voices

Dadi's answers and the family's blessings play one after another from a single link.

What has Dadi taught you?

Rahul

her son

Mummy, you taught me to cook for twice as many people as are coming.

Scan to hear Rahul

Read it

A book to read online

A book online that you can send digitally or print at home!

A Chorus hardcover with Dadi's Diwali stories on the cover

Hold it

A hardcover for Dadi to keep

We print the book and deliver it to your door.

What makes it easy

We've made it easy for everyone to join in!

All 2116 of 21

Priya

her daughter

Tu Kitni Achhi Hai

Lata Mangeshkar

Play on SpotifyPlay on YouTube

Add a song to their message

Each person can pick a song that goes with their message. It plays from their place in the podcast and prints on their page.

choruskeepsake.com/book/dadis-stories

One link for everyone

They can each record a message on their own phone. Nobody needs an account.

Voice, video or writing

Everyone can answer their own way, with a voice note, a video or a few written lines.

Scan the page and hear their voice!

A code under each message plays the voice from the book. You can switch the codes off if you'd like the page without them.

PARM4 chipped in

Everyone can chip in

Turn on chip-in and everyone can put money towards the book.

The free Chorus app

Record Grandma or Grandad on your phone

Grandma might never open a link, and that's ok! Sit down together, ask her one of the questions and hold up your phone while she talks.

Also in the app

Get it on Google Play

Savitri

My mother made besan ladoos two days before Diwali and kept the tin on top of the cupboard, where we could see it and not reach it.

Edit

Change anything before it prints

You see every page before it prints, so you can fix a word, swap a photo or take a page out.

Savitri, voice note7:02

Aarav, video1:08

Priya, voice note2:16

Keep every recording

Every voice note and video is yours to download, free, whenever you like!

Gathering is free. You pay when the book is ready.

Collect every voice and every photo for free, then choose how you keep it.

The voices

$45

Their own podcast. Every recording is tidied as it comes in, and one link plays them all.

Choose the voices

The book

$99

The podcast, plus a book online that you can send digitally or print at home.

Choose the book

The keepsake

$115

The book printed as a hardcover and delivered to you, with everything above. Delivery is included.

Choose the keepsake

Start free and send the link today.

Questions people ask

When is Diwali 2027?

Lakshmi Puja falls on Friday 29 October 2027. Order the printed book three weeks before and it arrives in time.

What questions should I ask my grandparents at Diwali?

Dadi's own Diwali as a girl is the one to start with. Ask what her mother made and who lit the first diya, then let her choose from the rest.

Can family in India and abroad all take part?

Yes! The link works in any country, and every voice plays in the one podcast.

Can Dadi answer in Hindi or Gujarati?

Yes. People record in whatever language they speak at home, and you can type the words out on their page before it prints.

Can someone write their message instead?

Yes. Anyone can type their message instead of recording it, and add a photo with it.

What does it cost?

It doesn't cost anything to collect the messages. When the book is ready, you choose the podcast, the book online or the printed hardcover. We deliver the hardcover to you and the delivery is included.

Start a Diwali book

Gathering is free. Everyone will love being part of it.

Light up Diwali with the stories and blessings of the whole family!