Festival time for all communities

Chennai: As Chennaiites are excited about Pongal celebrations, other communities in the city are equally jubilant to celebrate the occasion. While its Lohri for  Punjabis in the city, for Gujaratis and Bengalis it is Shankranti and Makar Shankranti. Bonfires, kite flying and earthen pots brimming over are all part of the festivities.

Sneha Kapoor,  a homemaker, who has been staying in the city for the past three years, said Punjabis celebrate Lohri on January 13 and it celebrates the harvest season just like Pongal. “Earlier, this was celebrated by farmers;  but now in an urban set up also this festival is celebrated. In cities, it is also celebrated for any occasion like wedding or as a birth ceremony,” she said. She  added that if a person joins the Army or Air Force, the celebrations are very similar. She explained that in the bonfire jaggery, black sesame seeds, popcorn, lotus seeds and lentils are put. The fire is called ‘Lohri’. After the bonfire is lit, they call the ‘dholwalas’ (drummers) and sing and dance on the famous Punjabi folk song ‘Sunder mundriye hoe!’meaning let there be prosperity and poverty should leave.

“In Chennai among the family members, we make the bonfire at the terrace and celebrate it,” she said. ‘Makke di roti’ (bread), sarso da saag (curry), paneer tikka masala are what she prepares as part of the occasion.

In city’s another part, the celebrations are equally enthusiastic. Ramesh Bhatt, president, Gujarati Samaj,  said Gujaratis celebrate Shankranti during this time.

The speciality during this occasion is to fly kites. But,  unfortunately, in Chennai kite-flying is banned. “During Shankranti the course of the sun changes from South to North. We mainly do ‘Dhanam’ meaning donation. We also feed the cow bajra (millet) with jaggery and ghee. Tomorrow morning we will be up as early as 6 am and feed the cow,” he said. He said the sweet dishes prepared during the celebrations are 'puranpoli and jalebi.’ They also prepare a curry called ‘Undhiya’ which is a mixture of all vegetables .

In Chennai, we offer prayers to Vishnu, Shivaji, Ganesh and Mataji,” he said, adding Shankranti celebrated in Gujarat is not to mark the harvest season,  but to mark  the change of seasons.

Neela Ganguly,  a professor at Madras University, who has been staying in the city for one decade, has been celebrating Durga Puja, Makar Shankranti. In Bengal,  she feels, that mainly Lakshmi and Ganesh puja are performed. “We don’t celebrate in a grand manner in Bengal. It is the same as that of Pongal. We call Shankranti when the Bengali month of ‘Poush’ ends and the month of ‘Maagh’ begins.