This Friday, Hindus everywhere will celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. As NY1’s Shazia Khan explains in the following report, Diwali is one sweet holiday.

With only days left until Diwali, workers are Rajbhog Foods factory in Flushing are on a roll, shaping thousands of colorful confections called ladoos.

“It’s really, really busy right now,” said Sanjiv Mody, co-owner of Rajbhog Foods. “We do about three to four times our regular volume during the two weeks that lead up to Diwali and we're making tons and tons of sweets, probably over 100,000 pounds worth of sweets get made and sold during this period.”

That's because it’s customary to exchange sweets during Diwali. The holiday marks the new year for some groups and celebrates, among other things, the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness.

“When the mouth becomes very sweet then whatever you talk also becomes sweet,” said Rajbhog Foods co-owner Lata Mody. “They say [during] Diwali time that whatever happens in the past they forget and they exchange the sweets.”

The Modys founded Rajbhog Sweets and Snacks Shop in 1980 to offer the Indian community in New York a taste of home. They opened their first shop in Jackson Heights, but today, Rajbhog has several franchise stores on the East Coast and its sugary and salty treats are savored across the country and beyond.

“It was a small mom and pop store and now we own three factories in different locations and we are supplying to almost 45 states in the United States,” said co-owner Ajit Mody. “Some of the stuff goes to the Caribbean and Canada.”

More than 100 varieties of Indian sweets, or mitai, are made at the Flushing plant. Most of the desserts, many brightly colored, are comprised of milk, sugar, flour and nuts. One traditional treat is the Gulab Jamun. These doughy balls are coated in a sugary, spice infused syrup. Rajbhog's latest creation is Apple Burfi. The almond-based peel opens up to a winter melon core.

The Modys say many their customers have become more health conscious over the years, so to meet their demands, they've modified some of their desserts, cutting back on butter and sugar. But there is no holding back when it comes to making Jalebi. The Modys say it’s their best seller.

“It’s made with an all-purpose flour and they make like a shape of the pretzel and they dip in the sugar and with the saffron,” said Lata Mody.

As if these desserts aren't festive enough, sweets for Diwali are typically given in decorated boxes.

Here's wishing you a happy and sweet Diwali.

- Shazia Khan