This article has been authored by a member of The Quint. Our membership programme allows those who are not full-time journalists or our regular contributors to get published on The Quint under our exclusive 'Member's Opinion' section, along with many other benefits. Our membership is open and available to any reader of The Quint. Become a member today and send us your articles at TQmembersonly@thequint.com.Every Diwali brings back one of my fondest childhood memories. In our family, buying a new silver coin was an important part of the festival preparations. I remember my father carefully cleaning the sikkas (coins) and getting them ready for the evening puja. My mother would explain to him, almost every year, how the puja was to be performed. It was a familiar scene in our home. As a child, I never gave it much thought. I simply knew that Diwali was approaching when the silver coin was bought—and the preparations for the puja began.Today, those memories mean much more to me. My father is no longer with us, but I can still picture him preparing the coins while my mother guided him through the rituals. What seemed like an ordinary family custom was, in fact, a beautiful way of keeping our Sindhi traditions alive.More Than Just a Prayer for WealthFor Sindhis, Diwali, also known as Diyari, is celebrated with lights, prayers, sweets and family gatherings. In many households, gold and silver coins are cleaned and placed before Goddess Lakshmi during the evening puja. Some families also follow the custom of touching the coins to their teeth or eyes after the prayers, seeking blessings for prosperity.Sindhis have historically been associated with trade and entrepreneurship, which makes this ritual particularly interesting. However, Sikka Pujan is not simply about worshipping money. It also expresses gratitude for what one has earned and hope for a secure future.The tradition of buying a new silver coin every year reflects this sense of hope. For our family, it was an essential part of welcoming Diwali. Looking back, I feel that each coin also marked another year of family celebrations, memories and togetherness.French sociologist Émile Durkheim believed that religious rituals help strengthen the bonds that hold communities together. People may gather to perform a religious ceremony, but in doing so, they also renew their relationships and shared values.Sikka Pujan can be understood in this way. The coins are important, but so is the act of bringing the family together, preparing for the puja and following a custom that earlier generations also practised.What the Month of Poh Teaches Sikhs About Faith and ResistanceA Connection with Sindhi HistoryThe importance of preserving traditions becomes clearer when we look at Sindhi history.The Partition of India in 1947 forced many Hindu Sindhi families to leave their homes, businesses and properties in Sindh. Unlike Punjab and Bengal, Sindh was not divided between India and Pakistan. Families who migrated to India had to rebuild their lives in unfamiliar surroundings.Despite these difficulties, they carried their cultural practices with them. Food, language, religious customs and festivals became important ways of maintaining a connection with the homeland they had left behind.Sikka Pujan existed long before the Partition, but its continuation reminds us of how traditions can survive even when communities are separated from their places of origin.For families who had experienced displacement and financial uncertainty, prayers for prosperity could also carry a deep desire for stability and security.This connects with sociologist Maurice Halbwachs' concept of collective memory. He explained that memories are shaped not only by individuals but also by families and communities. We remember our past through shared experiences, stories and everyday practices.A silver coin may be worth a certain amount of money, but its emotional value can be far greater. It may remind someone of a grandparent's home, a childhood celebration or a parent performing a familiar ritual.For me, Sikka Pujan is inseparable from memories of my father and childhood. I do not remember the monetary value of the coins we bought, but I remember the care with which my father prepared them.Bold, Driven, Unapologetic: Women on OTT Are Getting to Be More Than One ThingHow Families Keep Culture AliveMuch of what we know about our culture comes from watching our parents and grandparents.French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu used the concept of habitus to explain how people develop habits, values and ways of behaving through everyday experiences. We often learn traditions without being formally taught. They become part of our lives through repetition and participation.This is exactly how I remember learning about Sikka Pujan.My mother did not sit us down to explain the cultural history of the ritual. Yet, through her instructions to my father, she was passing on knowledge that had been part of our family for years.It also reminds us of the important role women have played in preserving Sindhi culture. While the community's history is frequently told through stories of migration, trade and business success, women have helped maintain cultural traditions through prayers, family celebrations, food and language.These everyday contributions deserve to be recognised as an important part of Sindhi heritage.Today, however, the ways we celebrate festivals are changing. Many younger Sindhis speak Hindi or English more comfortably than Sindhi. Diwali celebrations increasingly involve parties, gifts and social gatherings.There is nothing wrong with these changes. Culture naturally evolves. But it is worth asking whether younger generations understand the meaning behind the traditions they have inherited.A child may participate in Sikka Pujan without knowing why coins are worshipped. Another may remember watching the ritual but may never have asked about its significance.These are small questions, but they matter because cultural identity is often preserved through the answers we share within our families.This Diwali, Let Us Remember Our RootsAs we celebrate Diwali on 8 November, perhaps we can make some time for these family conversations. Alongside decorating our homes, exchanging gifts and lighting diyas, we can ask our elders about the customs they followed and the memories they associate with them.For me, the tradition of buying a new silver coin every Diwali will always bring back memories of my father. What was once a simple yearly routine has become a precious connection with him and with my Sindhi roots.In a world where festivals are increasingly associated with expensive celebrations, rituals such as Sikka Pujan remind us that the meaning of prosperity goes beyond material wealth.This Diwali, when I see a silver coin placed before Goddess Lakshmi, I will remember my father carefully cleaning the sikkas, my mother's familiar instructions, and the warmth of a tradition that brought us together.Perhaps that is the real beauty of Sikka Pujan. Its value lies not only in the silver we buy, but in the memories we create and the traditions we pass on to the next generation.(Dr Jyotika Teckchandani is an Assistant Professor at the Amity Institute of Social Sciences, Amity University ,Uttar Pradesh. Her areas of interest include Foreign Policy Analysis, Indian Politics, International Relations, Gender Studies and West Asian Politics, with a particular focus on Iran. This is an opinion piece, and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)