This Karwa Chauth is “even more special” for actor Sonnalli Seygall and her businessman husband Ashesh Sajnani, as the arrival of their first baby is just a month away. While Sonnalli admits that fasting can be challenging for her, given her pregnancy, she reflects fondly on her experience last year, when observing her first Karwa Chauth fast “felt like a personal achievement”.
Ask her how she is planning to celebrate the festival today and the 35-year-old says, “Ashesh thinks I should not fast, but I’ll do it in some way. Maybe I will eat a lot for sargi and do a phal aahaar fasting where I will have only fruits or stick to sweets and juices.”
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When asked if Ashesh will fast alongside her, she responds with a laugh, “He can’t fast”, adding, “More than that, I know a lot of men also do it to support their wives, which is sweet, but I’m too traditional. For me, it’s traditionally done by women. So, I never expected or wanted him to (fast). Even last year, he told me not to fast, but I wanted to. He’s not going to fast for me, that’s for sure.”
Sonnalli says that she loves the traditional aspects of the festival: “I love to wear red on Karwa Chauth. Also, I love to wear sindoor. I feel happy and special when I wear it. I make it a point to wear traditional attire and my mangalsutra.” This year, she will opt for light fabrics in the evening. “Comfort is essential for me now, so I want something with cotton lining,” she explains.
Talking about how she’s doing it differently this time, with her pregnancy, she shares, “I have to eat a lot. Last time jitna khaya tha, usse double ya triple khaaungi main. Also, last year, we did the sargi with my married friends, but this time around, everyone is in different places, so I’ll do it on my own.”
Gushing over the joy of motherhood, she continues, “But I am not alone because I have someone inside me. So, we both will do it, and of course, my husband (Ashesh L Sajnani) will wake up to keep me company.”
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Is she keeping something in mind while dressing up for the occasion? “In today’s world, it’s mostly our stylists who sort (our looks) for events and we end up wearing artificial jewellery and sourcing garments. But these are occasions when I use my own jewellery, something from my own collection,” the 35-year-old actor shares, emphasising tradition over fashion.
For her own personalised Karwa Chauth tradition, she shares, “We have our own little ritual. We break the fast with water and then for our main meal, we go to our own restaurant and eat a full thali. We did it last year and decided that we are going to do it every year because it’s so special.”
So, has her husband given her a hint about what he’s going to gift her today? Sonnalli responds, “I don’t know about Karwa Chauth, but he plans to give me a push present (an honorary present for new mums), which I didn’t even know was a thing. Apparently, you are gifted a push present when you give birth. I don’t know what’s it going to be, though; I’m just letting him surprise me.”
