Maharashtrians gear up to ring in their New Year on Saturday

THANE: From shopping for pots, torans, neem leaves, sweets and others essential for the upcoming Gudi Padwa celebrations, to purchasing new traditional clothes, lake-city residents have begun flocking the stores and malls for last-minute preparations.

With Gudi Padwa, which the Maharashtrian community observe as their

New Year

, just two days away, residents have fast-tracked their preparations and started making home-made gudis.

Sangita Joshi, a resident, said, “At our home, every item— right from toran and garland to gudis— is made at home for the occasion. This year, we are making a 10-ft high Gudi; so we had to rush to the market to purchase zari

sari

cloth, chandi pot, tambi and other creative items.”

“In addition to this, we also finished purchasing all ingredients required for the special meal. Sweets and neem leaves were purchased on Thursday itself. We will buy flowers and garlands on Friday evening so that it remains fresh on Saturday,” said Nivedita Paymode (37), a Saket resident.

While these residents have been flocking the markets in order to prep up for the weekend festivities, many others have used the occasion to purchase new clothes or valuables for their homes.

“On Gudi Padwa we begin the new year. We wear new clothes during the puja to signify this change. Besides purchasing new clothes , we also bought a new microwave. This we will start using on Saturday itself as it is auspicious,” said

Kshama

Kulkarni, a Vartak Nagar resident.

Meanwhile, some residents have spent the past few days window shopping and selecting items which they will purchase on the New Year itself. “We always make more purchases on auspicious days. We are planning to refurnish our home and have been looking furniture . We have selected what we want and will be placing an order on Gudi Padwa itself,” said Pankaj Sisodia (49), a Vasant-Vihar resident.


Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India. Don't miss daily games like Crossword, Sudoku, and Mini Crossword.