April 13, 2007
It's Harvest Time!
Ring in New Year the Indian Way
New
Delhi
It's Baisakhi in Punjab, Vishu in Kerala, Bihu in Assam and Puthandu
in Tamil Nadu... Whatever the name, its festival time across India's
hinterland this weekend with farmers celebrating the season of good
hope and a golden harvest, of course.
It's time to say Happy New Year in India's many rural pockets, and
outside them too as cities join in the festive spirit with local
celebrations, special sweets, clothes and rangolis.
The focus is on prosperity through the year, and a prayer of thanks
to the gods.
That's what life's all about isn't it? And Indians the world over
are celebrating it in all its colours.
It's Naba Varsha, literally new year, in West Bengal. You can see
Bengali women in traditional saris decorating their doorways with
elaborate rangolis, floral art, surrounding an earthenware pot
decorated with the auspicious swastika.
In the northeast, the day is celebrated as Rangoli Bihu. Don't miss
the special pitha, the sweet-sour delicacy, if you have Assamese
friends in the city. They may be far from home, but Assamese in the
city will get together come April 15 for dancing and feasting.
Move down south and you witness Tamils celebrating Puthandu,
popularly known as Varusha Pirappu. Many people here believe it's
the day Lord Brahma started the creation of this world. The
auspicious coconut, fruits, vegetables and rice are piled up in
front of the gods in this harvest festival.
Neighbouring Kerala celebrates the day as Pooram Vishu.
Interestingly, the traditional meal consists of dishes made from
equal quantities of sweet, salty, bitter and sour items.
In traditional households, elders wake up the young ones in the
family and escort them to the prayer room. Their eyes are covered so
that the first sight of the day is symbols of prosperity - fruits,
foodgrain and vegetables. Special food like the vishu adda, made of
rice flour, is cooked.
It's a day that is looked forward to all over the country, not just
for the food and the feasting but also because of the money elders
gift to their children - a token of love for the year ahead.
In irrepressible Punjab, Baisakhi, which was celebrated Friday, is a
day when 'bhangra' and 'gidda' go hand in hand with gift hampers and
SMS'. It was the Friday the 13th auspicious for Indians the world
over - from the villagers of Punjab to the software pros in
Pennsylvania.
Gurdwaras were decorated and hundreds of devout thronged to seek
blessings. At the Golden Temple in Amritsar - the holiest of Sikh
shrines - thousands of people lined up since Friday morning to pay
obeisance.
Now the colourful festival that rings in the Punjabi New Year has
moved beyond the boundaries of Punjab and Haryana to cover the
Indian diaspora.
As a large number of Punjabis have migrated to the US, Britain,
Canada and even Australia, online Baisakhi sites have come up.
There's a huge trend of sending gifts to relatives through these
sites.
In the US, Baisakhi celebrations begin a day before the festival. In
the early morning Sikh families arrive with grocery bags at nearby
gurdwaras to prepare the langar.
Southall in London is another scene altogether. Visit a gurdwara
there and you might feel you are still in Punjab. Thousands of
people come to the gurdwara dressed in gota-lined new dresses to
take part in the langar.
This year 3,000 Indian Sikhs are visiting Pakistan by special trains
to participate in the Baisakhi celebrations. They will be visiting
the Nankana Sahib, Sacha Sauda Sahib and other gurdwaras over 10
days. The main function is being held today at Punja Sahib in Hasan
Abdal.
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