#sankranthi2023

[hg-world-india]

It's time to enjoy the first festival of the year. Wishing you a prosperous and delightful 

https://hgworld.in/

[myhomegrocers]

MyHomeGrocers Wishes you all a Happy Pongal & Makar Sankranti

May you reach new points of happiness and cheerfulness like the beautiful kites in the sky. MyHomeGrocers wishes you all a Happy Makar Sankranti!

[priyastandon]

Bask in the Sun’s benevolence upwards and onwards

Benevolent Sankranti

Most of the festivals we celebrate are calculated in accordance with the Lunar calendar. Hence their dates are not fixed. However the Makar Sankranti festival is celebrated as per the Solar calendar and falls on January 14/15 every year. We offer obeisance to the Sun on Makar Sankranti. Why is that so? It seems that when man sought to find proof of God, he found it in the Sun. The Sun is said to be a Pratyaksh Devta because we can see it and feel its warmth and energy. We chant the Gayatri Mantra while praying on Makar Sankranti. Emulating the Sun’s benevolence towards all, we donate food, clothes, milk etc. The Sun doesn’t emit light for itself, plants don’t bear fruit for themselves … let us follow suit!

The Sun provides sustenance to all forms of life. It provides energy to plants for  photosynthesis. We get our food from the plants. So the Sun is an inexhaustible powerhouse of abundance and energy for all forms of life.

Makar Sankranti is considered most auspicious as it marks the upward movement of the Sun away from the Tropic of Capricorn; from the Southern Hemisphere, towards the Northern Hemisphere. It is also called Uttarayan i.e. the Sun moving towards Uttar Disha (North direction). It marks the entry of the Sun into Makar-Rashi i.e. Capricorn. This being the harvest festival in many states, the farmers celebrate their new crops and offer them to the Gods as thanksgiving and also share them with each other.

Makar Sankranti is also called Maghi, Bihu, Pongal, Shishur Saenkraat, Suggi Habba, etc. 

The celebrations vary slightly from state to state all over India. But they centre around prayers, feasting, dancing and singing. In the North, Makar Sankranti day is the day next after Lohri. We usually consume a lot of Til, Bhugga, Peanuts and Gacchak on Lohri as we huddle around a bonfire, sing and dance with family and friends. My mother would always make Chane ki dal ki khichdi and serve it with curd for breakfast on Maghi day. Til-Bhugga etc. generate a lot of heat in the body. And khichdi acts as a coolant thereafter!

This year being the International year of Millets, you can experiment with Bajre (pearl millet) ki khichdi which is definitely the yummiest khichdi in the world! Temper it with hot ghee and red chilli powder and have it with curd! Delicious!

In the run up to Makar Sankranti kite flying is another tradition. Besides the fun in flying kites, it compulsorily exposes us to the Sun. Having stayed indoors in the cold, foggy days of the North Indian winter, kite flying on a sunny Sankranti day is like applying balm on a wound! In the garb of culture and tradition, our health is also taken care of!

The best explanation of the word Lohri is Lo-Hari (Take Lord!), which translates to a prayer written by Sri Sathya Sai Baba, “Oh Lord! Take my Love and let it flow in fullness of devotion to Thee. Oh Lord! Take my hands and let them work incessantly for Thee. Oh Lord! Take my Soul and let it be merged in One with Thee. Oh Lord! Take my mind and thoughts, and let them be in tune with Thee. Oh Lord! Take my everything and let me be an Instrument for Thee.”

Our culture is designed such that after every few days/months there is a festival that brings an opportunity to celebrate life as well as thank God for His bounties and contemplate on the purpose of our Earthly sojourn.

The North is considered to be the direction of everything auspicious, so we celebrate the Sun journeying towards the North. Moving northwards means moving towards positive thoughts, good deeds etc. If man too starts moving towards thoughts of God, it amounts to the same thing. The real northward journey happens inside us!

What do you think? 

This article is published in Hindustan Times on 15.01.2023.

[avanthichalasani]

Happy Sankranti

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[edenlightsvizag]

We wish you and your family members a very happy Sankranti!

[zoozoombeeplanet1]

[relianttechnologies]

"May your future be successful and Happy wishing you a Prosperous pongal"

HAPPY PONGAL

[marveltechnology]

May this Auspicious festival bring you overflowing happiness, joy and prosperity wishing you a blessed and Happy Pongal.

HAPPY PONGAL TO YOU ALL.