Diwali in Mumbai.

Five days of lamps, sweets and visits, when the city is at its most beautiful and its roads at their slowest. The house plans your Diwali by the hour — the markets, the family, the drive along the sea face — so that you arrive everywhere with the right box in your hands.

Dates follow the Hindu and Islamic calendars and move each year; the house checks them against the panchang and the moon-sighting before writing your journey. Eid is confirmed only the evening before.

The city, lit

The markets, and when

Crawford Market for diyas, dry fruits and marigold torans; Zaveri Bazaar for gold and silver, at its fullest on Dhanteras; Dadar for flowers and kandils. Go early in the week, and early in the day. The car waits near the market — not in it — and your sarathi walks with you and carries what you buy.

Visits, and the evening of Lakshmi Puja

Diwali is a week of visits: parents, in-laws, old friends across the city, each with a box of sweets. Give the house the list in the order you would like; it is planned as one journey by the hour, with the sarathi keeping the gifts in order and handing over the right box at the right door. On Lakshmi Puja the roads empty at sunset and fill again after the puja — the house plans your return around that.

The air, and the crackers

November air in Mumbai can be heavy after Diwali night. The cabin’s air is kept closed and filtered on request, and a guest with asthma or a newborn can ask for the windows kept up. Firecracker hours are set by the authorities each year; the house follows the notice.

Reserve for Diwali weekWrite the visits in the note — the house returns the plan in writing.

Questions guests ask

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