Parks and gardens in Hubballi abuzz with festive cheer during Makar Sankranti and Pongal

Hubballi: Parks and gardens across Hubballi witnessed large gatherings as families came together to celebrate Makar Sankranti with enthusiasm and tradition. Popular spots such as Unkal Lake Garden, Indira Gandhi Glass House, Nrupatunga Betta, and several smaller parks were filled with families enjoying the festive spirit and sharing traditional meals.As part of the celebrations, families brought a wide variety of homemade dishes, including rotis, chutney pudi, madli (a sweet prepared from wheat, jaggery, and cardamom), ennegai (brinjal curry), sesame holige, karindi (green chilli chutney), curd, curd rice, palav, and other delicacies.
Susmita Hongal of Sirur Park said that celebrating Sankranti outdoors had become a special family tradition. "Every year, we choose a place to have lunch together. Eating in the park with family and enjoying the variety of dishes and sweets brings great happiness," she said.Anitha Meti, a resident of Raj Nagar, highlighted the importance of traditional North Karnataka cuisine during the festival. "Jolad Roti Utta is very special for us. We prepare Butti Utta with jaggery-based sweets, gravies, chutneys, and other dishes. Celebrating with friends and relatives adds to the festive joy," she said.Meanwhile, more than 100 Tamil families marked the Pongal festival with pomp and tradition at Good Shed Road. Families prepared sweet Pongal using rice, milk or water, jaggery, and spices such as cumin, pepper, and ghee, symbolising gratitude for a bountiful harvest and offering it to the Sun.Samman Kumar Manuswamy told TOI that his family, now in its fifth generation in Hubballi, has been celebrating Pongal for many years. "Around 100 members came together along with people from other communities. We prepared sweet Pongal using 8kg of rice and offered it to the Sun. Later, it was distributed as prasad to everyone present," he said, adding that the celebrations reflected communal harmony.Sankranti across Belagavi Belagavi: The Sogala Someshwara fair in Bailhongal taluk on the banks of Malaprabha, as part of the Sankranti celebrations, was held with great pomp. The floating chariot utsav (teppotsavam) in the river, and the special puja was the main attraction of the fair. Thousands of devotees took a holy dip and had darshan of the deity.A floating chariot utsav was also held on Wednesday in the Malaprabha River near Kumareshwar Alur Mutt in Munavalli. Devotees also took a holy dip at Gangambika temple near MK Hubballi, and near Chikkahattiholi village, Khanapur taluk.