Candles, cleaning and cupcakes: how I reclaimed Diwali

<p>Gifts for prosperity and joy; women’s autumn style essentials; and the best leaf blowers, tested</p><p>• <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/info/2024/oct/10/sign-up-for-the-filter-newsletter-our-free-weekly-buying-advice"><strong>Don’t get the Filter delivered to your inbox? Sign up here</strong></a></p><p>As a kid, Diwali was five days of sensory overload: flickering lamps, friends and relatives you hadn’t seen since last Diwali, and mithai served on repeat until joy curdled into sugar-induced despair.</p><p>Growing up in Wales in the 90s, I rejected almost all of it. Being Asian felt like a marker of otherness, and when your teenage mission is fitting in, a celebration of being Indian wasn’t all that appealing. So I joined in half-heartedly, but longed for the escape hatch of a sweaty metal gig with my friends where identity didn’t feel quite so loaded.</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/oct/17/best-leaf-blowers-garden-vacuums-uk">The best leaf blowers: 10 favourites to speed up raking – plus smart ways to reuse your fallen leaves</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/oct/15/mystical-treats-celebrate-season-witch-home-wardrobe">Season of the witch: 40 stylish, mystical treats, from crystal rings to pumpkin prints</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/oct/17/best-vodka-tested-uk">‘Dreamy in a dirty martini’: the best vodkas, tested</a></strong></p><p><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2024/dec/27/best-electric-blankets-heated-throws">The nine best electric blankets and heated throws, tried and tested to keep you toasty for less</a></strong></p><p><strong>&l