KUALA LUMPUR: It's finally time for national karateka C. Shahmalarani to celebrate Deepavali in Ipoh with her family and friends.
For the 24-year-old, it is a special Deepavali as she had won the women's below 55kg bronze at the recent Turkish Open.
Shahmalarani, the world No 281 in her category, also won gold medals at the Finnish Cup in Tampere earlier this month.
After a gruelling three weeks, the national karate exponent is taking a short break in Ipoh with her family before she returns to Kuala Lumpur to prepare for upcoming competitions.
Shahmalarani is also doing her Masters in Actuarial Science.
"This year's celebration is all about being with family and having good food," said Shahmalarani.
"I had been working hard with my diet to stay in my weight class during this stint in Europe, but now it's over, I am going to have my cheat days during Deepavali. I'm just going to enjoy myself," said the Selangor-born.
"I have about 25 family members in Ipoh. I'm really looking forward to spending time with my cousins, uncles and aunties.
"I also have a new nephew and niece in the family, so it's all about spending quality time."
"For me, Deepavali is all about spending quality time with family. It has always been family first for me," said the Hanoi Sea Games champion.
Her next assignment is the Asian Championships in Uzbekistan in December.
It will serve as a warm-up for next year's Phnom Penh Sea Games, Southeast Asia Championships and the Hangzhou Asian Games.
"After the Deepavali break, it's back to training as we need to prepare for major competitions," she added.