“The true celebration of Sankranthi takes place in the villages. Everybody greets and wishes each other, shares sweets and celebrates the festival together. Isn’t that the spirit of any occasion? Back in my village Shivanagi in Karnataka, Sankranthi is celebrated for three days. Like in other parts of the country, we also worship the land and the seasonal harvest. Each family in the village cultivates sugarcane, wheat, rice and lentils and we all exchange some of our harvest. We also exchange a mixture of jaggery and sesame seeds with our neighbours. These two components are believed to go well with each other, just like the bond with our neighbours and relatives. It’s truly about sharing what we have produced and celebrating togetherness. My wife and I belong to two different villages from the same district. Although we’ve moved to the city for professional reasons, a part of us is always there. No matter how busy our lives get, we make sure to take our kids to the village every now and then. We spend our days like true villagers – walking in the fields, helping our relatives with cultivation, sleeping under the Neem tree and attending the jatra (fair).

During Sankranthi, all the streets are lit up and decorated with flowers. We wake up early, even before the sunrise, when it’s foggy and take a hot bath. Our houses are decorated with mango leaves, which are auspicious during festivals. We make Huggi (Pongal) on the first day of Sankranthi and attend the wrestling match in the evening. Every one who participates in the match gets a mango free – irrespective of whether they win or lose. A traditional meal is cooked using the seasons newest harvest – salads, chutneys, Holigey and a lot more. Of course, there’s the authentic Jawar and Bajra roti with Brinjal curry. The rotis are so Kadak (hard) that you don’t even need a plate! We serve the curry on the roti, break it and eat it. We spend our evenings at the village fair where everybody gathers to purchase handmade toys and also watch some fun competitions. My childhood was full of this. Living the city life sometimes makes me miss what the village has to offer. I have made sure my kids are as involved in our culture and traditions as I am. When we go to the village, they know exactly how things work there. No matter how far we live or how urbanised our lives have become, we can’t afford to forget where we really come from. This Sankranthi, I hope everyone celebrates with family with the right traditional practices!”

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