Pongal, Bihu, and Lohri showcase India's harvest spirit

‘The day to wear auspicious black’Pongal is Makar Sankranti for Bengalis, and falls on the last day of Poush Mash (the month of Poush). “We are supposed to take a bath in the Ganga or any other holy river on the morning of Makar Sankranti,” says Atri Kumar Sinha, a Bengali, who has been living with his family in Chromepet since 2004. “Since that is not possible, we buy a little Ganga water online and use it in our bath.”Considering it an auspicious day, Atri adds that the family wears black, as the community does back home. The highlight of the harvest festival for the Sinhas, though, is the preparation of pithe puli, the Bengali version of the south Indian kozhukatta. “It’s made like a momo, with rice and sweet coconut inside,” says Atri’s wife, Joysree. “We also distribute jaggery to whoever visits, and the needy,” says Atri. Saraswati and Lakshmi pujas follow, after which a puja is performed for paddy plants. “Originally, farmers would bring paddy plants home after prayers,” says Atri.Marking the festival on a larger scale, the Bengali Association Anya Mukh puts up a ‘Poush Mela’ in Chromepet every year, where a range of Bengali items, including pithe puli, are prepared and sold.‘With plates of popcorn, sprinkled with jaggery, we circle the bonfire’There’s no festival without dancing for Punjabis, and Lohri is no exception. “Lohri signals the end of winter, on the 13^th night,” says Manjit Kaur Anand, who moved to Chennai from Chandigarh 20 years ago.“In Punjab, we would make huge bonfires. Here, we make a small one outside the house, and the family, including relatives, gathers around it. The bonfire represents thanksgiving for the harvest and also dispelling evil,” says Manjit. “With plates of popcorn, peanuts sprinkled with jaggery, we circle the bonfire seven times and offer a bit to the fire. We also dance to gidda music and distribute sweets.” The morning after Pongal, says Manjit, families cook khichdi, and eat a piece of radish along with it (a thanksgiving to radish, the major crop of the harvest). “My late mother-in-law had requested we carry on with this tradition,” she says. “We also make gachak (a sweet with sesame seeds and peanuts). At night, we have makki ki roti (a kind of unleavened bread) and sarson da saag (mustard greens curry).” ‘We make ven pongal along with til laddus’“When we were children, we would go up to the terrace early in the morning to fly kites. We wouldn’t come back till evening. The atmosphere was something else,” says Neena Kishore, a Gujarati who made Chennai her home decades ago.Kite flying using manja may be banned in Chennai, but that has not stopped Neena and her family from celebrating Uttarayan, the first festival of their year. “We offer prayers to the sun god early in the morning, and the family gets together to prepare til (sesame) laddus,” says Neena.“After the puja and distribution of laddus, married women exchange new utensils, to bring luck and prosperity,” says Tanvi, her daughter-in-law.Kishore, Neena’s husband and co-owner of Musee Musicals, has been in Chennai for several generations now, so Tamil customs are also part of the celebrations. “We make ven pongal and sweet pongal alongside,” he says.‘What matters is that our children know their roots’Festivals such as Magh Bihu (or Bhogali Bihu) are more than celebrations for Assamese families living in Tamil Nadu. They are reminders of identity, community and belonging. Even after leaving Assam and settling in Chennai more than two decades ago, families such as the Sharmas and Borthakurs say the bond with home remains strong, and they make conscious efforts to ensure the next generation grows up connected to its roots despite cultural differences.“What matters is that our children know their roots,” says Manoj Sharma, president of the Assam Spiritual Society, who moved from Guwahati to Chennai with his family in 1985.Magh Bihu marks the end of Assam’s harvest season and is traditionally celebrated with community feasts, bonfires and a range of homemade rice-based delicacies. But celebrating the festival so far from home comes with challenges, says Sharma. “It’s difficult to find ingredients to prepare Assamese food. So, people travelling between the two states sell ingredients through our community WhatsApp group,” he says.While these informal networks have become lifelines, some families adapt with what is locally available. “My wife makes tel pitha, which is similar to the Kerala unniappam. So she uses ingredients found here,” he says.“We try to keep the celebrations as authentic as possible,” says Bishwarupa Borthakur Goswami, who moved to Chennai with her husband Subrat in 2008.“We can’t perform the meji bonfire as there are no provisions for it here. We tried a couple of times, but neighbours complained. So on the day of Bihu, at 8 am, we light a small meji on our balcony using a clay tawa, so the children know the tradition,” she says.On Bhogali Bihu, which falls on Sankranti, it is customary to eat only jolpaan, flattened rice with jaggery and curd or cream. “We also invite a few non-Assamese friends home so they can share the day with us and experience our culture.”