City celebrates Pongal, Magh Bihu with gusto

Kolkata: The city witnessed a wide array of festivities on Tuesday to welcome the harvest season. People from the city's Tamil community celebrated the harvest festival Pongal in a grand way. The celebration will continue for four days, and each day represents a significant activity related to the harvest.The celebration began with Bhogi, where they cleaned and discarded old items. It will end with Kaanum, where families engage in merriment. Shobha Mohan, a resident of Rashbehari, said, "In the morning, we made sweet pongal in a special vessel and prayed to Lord Indra for an abundant harvest that helps us survive. We spent the rest of the day with family and friends, seeking blessings from the elders.""The prasadam offered to the deity includes sweet rice with a side dish of a specified 16-21 variety of vegetables made into one dish. We make ‘Kolam', which is a rangoli made with rice flour and considered auspicious in the community," said Muthuraman, who lives near Lake Market. Padma Roy Bardhan, a Lake Road resident, said, "I have been celebrating the Pongal festival in the city for about five decades. In my hometown Tamil Nadu, we use an earthen pitcher, but here I cook in a brass-made vessel."As the Assamese community in Kolkata celebrated Magh Bihu on Tuesday, the air reverberated with the familiar smell of pitha, laru, bora saul (sticky rice), and bonhomie. For many, these celebrations are a way to stay connected to their roots. Lipi Baruah (26), a resident of Rajarhat and a graphic designer, said, "We served xukaan narikol pitha (a dry coconut preparation encased in a thin casing of rice flour) and larus (coconut and sesame balls) to all the members of our housing society." Baruah added that she cooked traditional Assamese dishes such as laai gahori (pork with mustard greens) and koldil murgi (chicken with banana flower blossoms) to celebrate the festival.Nandini Basu Phookan, a co-owner of a city restaurant, said, "We are serving complimentary ghila pithas and larus as desserts for Bhogali Bihu."For some, work limits participation in festivities. "It is difficult to celebrate without family here. I prepared smoked meat dishes and used bhoot jolokia that reminds me of home. For the first time, I also tried my hand at making bamboo shoot fish, which turned out to be a hit amongst my friends," said Kaustav Saikia, a New Town resident.