India, Nov. 6 -- From p 01 Actor Geeta Basra and former cricketer Harbhajan Singh celebrate Diwali by bringing together traditions from their respective families, while ensuring their children, daughter Hinaya (10) and son Jovan (5), understand the significance of the rituals they follow. Geeta fondly recalls their first Diwali as a married couple in Jalandhar. "It was just a few days after our wedding. The whole family was together, the house was decorated, there was food, dhol, friends coming over and everyone dancing. It was a very beautiful Diwali," she says. Having grown up in England, where Diwali celebrations were more intimate, Geeta has brought some of her childhood traditions into their home, including Lakshmi Puja. Harbhajan's family, meanwhile, follows the custom of lighting the first lamp at the gurudwara before lighting diyas at home. "We try and bring both together and celebrate both ways, cultures together," she says. The couple also have contrasting approaches to getting festive-ready. While Geeta says she takes barely 10 minutes, Harbhajan takes considerably longer. "I'm the one who's up, ready, and getting all the arrangements done," she says, laughing about how he takes his own sweet time to dress. Harbhajan shares some of the lesser-known customs his family observes. "We make pakodas on that day. They say it is very important to light the mustard oil," he says. Another tradition involves placing a knife on a lamp and applying black kohl to the eyes to ward off the evil eye. The former India spinner also remembers celebrating Diwali away from home during cricket tours. Recalling one such occasion in Ahmedabad, when India won the match and he scored a century, he says the team decided to celebrate together as there was no time to return home. During overseas tours, they would "book an Indian restaurant and have a meal together." Today, the couple are keen to pass on these traditions to their children. "If they don't see it, they don't learn," says Harbhajan. "We have to make them sit together for the puja so they understand why we do it and what the importance of Diwali is. This is our tradition, this is our culture. We don't want to forget this." For Geeta, however, the greatest festive blessing is having her loved ones around. "I am grateful for my family, my children, my husband, my parents, our health and our home. Everything else is materialistic and secondary. This is my most important thing," she says....