Diwali for us is just like what Christmas is to the rest of the world: Kunal Ganjawala

There’s something magical about Diwali,” states singer Kunal Ganjawala, who was in Bengaluru recently for a show. “I love the lamps, the lights, seeing people in their traditional best, the chatter, and the bonding. I have lived in a joint family and while growing up, crackers were a part of the celebration. Today, the smell of those brings back a lot of memories. I love the sheera kesari that is made during Diwali; I think that tastes so much more different than the sheera made at any other time of the year. I am a people’s person and for someone like me, the festival is something I always look forward to. Diwali is to us just as Christmas is to the world,” he explains. Excerpts:
‘I started to believe in destiny because of an incident around Diwali’On the work front too, Kunal tells us, Diwali has been one of the luckiest times of the year for him. “In fact, right from the beginning, my career as a singer may have taken root sometime around Diwali when some of my seniors bullied me into singing for a pre-Diwali function at college. With no background or training in singing, one thing led to another, and soon enough, I was sort of discovered yet again by Poornima, who used to work with Kishore Kumar saab. She took me from Malhar (our college fest) to meet the likes of Anand-Milind, Louis Banks and Ehsaan Noorani. For a nobody like me, to be walking into the film centre to meet the biggies could not have just been a coincidence. That is probably when I started believing in destiny,” says Kunal.

‘Mukesh Bhatt called me a star at my first recording during diwali’Some of Kunal’s biggest hits as well as landmark incidents have taken place during Diwali as well. “Anu Malik’s Bheegey Hont Tere was recorded during Diwali, too. I can never forget that day because our Ganjawala building was set to come down that year, and this was to be our last Diwali in that building. Around 40-50 family members had gathered for the celebration when I got called in for a half-an-hour recording. Anu kept his word and got me to wrap up soon. And I was there thinking it was one of those pre-recording tasks, as usually someone else would have been shortlisted to sing the final track. But things changed that day, Mukesh Bhatt (director) walked into the studio and I was trying to lip read his reactions to what I had recorded. I had given one take and then, I met Mukesh. He told me ‘today, a star is born’. I thought he was joking, but Anu wrote out a cheque for me for that recording and the rest is history.”
‘This year’s run-up to the festival of lights is spiritually gratifying’“There have been quite a few hit songs down the years that I have been so grateful for, as each one has brought in more and more love from my listeners. Diwali this year, too, is special to me. While I will be performing in Kolkata this year, the days leading up to Diwali have been a spiritually gratifying time. I finally visited Mantralaya, a place I have been wanting to visit for a long time. Just as I was praying for peace for all of us, a little flower at the inner sanctum dropped. It has been recorded, too,” says Kunal.

Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”