Basant Panchami

Basant Panchami

Basant Panchami is one of the six seasons (Ritus) which corresponds to Spring. It is celebrated every year on the fifth day (panchami) of the Indian month of Magh.

In the Vedas the day is dedicated to Goddess Saraswati. She is worshipped as the Goddess of speech and learning who bestows the greatest wealth to humanity, the wealth of knowledge.

The festival is celebrated with great fervour and enthusiasm. Men, women, girls and boys wear yellow clothes. The yellow colour is a sign of auspiciousness and spirituality. It also represents prosperity, happiness, intellect and energy. The colour signifies the ripening of the spring crops. The yellow flowers of mustard crop cover the entire fields in such a way that it seems as if gold is spread over the land glittering with the rays of the sun.

People wear yellow clothes, offer yellow flowers in prayers and put a yellow tilak on their forehead. Kesar halwa (yellow in colour), boiled rice dyed in saffron and traditional sweets of yellowish hues are prepared.

The festival heralds the onset of spring and the end of winters in North India as beautifully stated as “aayi basant paala uddant” (winters will blow away on the arrival of basant).

It is traditional to undertake kite flying on the day of basant panchami. The event is filled with a lot of enthusiasm, cheering and thrill. The grounds and terraces of buildings are full of people in yellow clothes and the sky is full of colourful kites. Songs are played at high volume and people dance with rhythm while flying kites. They also indulge in what can be termed as ‘kite-fights’. The joy and cheering on cutting an opponent’s kite has to be seen to be experienced and no words can describe that feeling. At various places even judges are appointed and prizes for the best kite flyer, most beautiful kite, biggest kite etc are also awarded.

The festival is however losing its appeal due to the supposedly busy schedule and ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude of the people. A little effort from all in the neighbourhood is all that is needed to keep this tradition alive.

Lohri

Lohri

Lohri is a North Indian festival which is celebrated on the last day of the Indian calendar month of Paush. It is celebrated a day before Makar Sankranti. By the Gregorian calendar the festival is celebrated on 13^th January (99 % of the time) while it may sometimes also fall on the 12^th or 14^th January. It is a festival dedicated to the end of the winter season and people generally believe that the severity of winter starts decreasing on this day, though the season itself lasts till about mid March.

Lohri commemorates the hero of Punjab, Dulla Bhatti, who staked everything to save the honour of girls who were harassed and molested by Mughal soldiers. A Muslim-Rajput warrior, he is remembered for rescuing a girl from the soldiers, adopting her and later marrying her off with a Hindu boy just as his own sister. He is also described as a Robin Hood kind of hero who looted the merchant caravans and royal treasures and distributed the bounty to the poor and needy. He rescued many women from the invaders and restored them to their parents. His story is immortalised in the traditional Lohri song, “Sundar Mundriye”.

Sunder mundriye ho!
Tera kaun vicharaa ho!
Dullah Bhatti walla ho!
Dullhe di dhee vyayae ho!
Ser shakkar payee ho!
Kudi da laal pathaka ho!
Kudi da saalu paata ho!
Salu kaun samete!
Chacha gali dese!
Chache choori kutti! zamidara lutti!
Zamindaar sudhaye!
Bum Bum bhole aaye!
Ek bhola reh gaya!
Sipahee far ke lai gaya!
Sipahee ne mari itt!
Bhaanvey ro te bhaanvey pitt!
Sanoo de de Lohri, te teri jeeve jodi!
Translation

Beautiful girl
Who will think about you
Dulla of the Bhatti clan will
Dulla's daughter got married
He gave one ser of sugar!
The girl is wearing a red suit!
But her shawl is torn!
Who will stitch her shawl?!
The uncle made choori!
The landlords looted it!
Landlords are beaten up!
Lots of simple-headed boys came!
One simpleton got left behind!
The soldier arrested him!
The soldier hit him with a brick!

Cry or howl

Give us Lohri, long live your pair (to a married couple)!

The festival is also associated with the harvest of Rabi crops. The crop of Sesame seed (til) and groundnuts comes during this season.

During the day children go from door to door singing folk songs in praise of Dulla Bhatti. They are given groundnuts, rewris, jaggery, gachack etc, and sometimes money. Turning them back empty handed is considered inauspicious.

Everyone gets together at sunset and a large bonfire is lit at a central place. People wear their brightest clothes and dance the bhangra and gidda to the beat of the dhol. They toss groundnuts, sesame seeds, gur, rewris and popcorn on the bonfire and sing and dance till the fire dies out. Traditional dinner of Makki di roti and Sarson da saag is served to all.

Lohri is more than just a festival for the fun loving, sturdy, robust, enthusiastic, energetic and jovial Punjabis. Lohri is symbolic of their love for celebrations and also brings an opportunity for people to get together to share each other’s company.

Bhangra - the king of dances

Bhangra-the king of dances

Bhangra is a lively form of dance and folk music that originates from Punjab, India. It developed from a folk dance conducted by Sikhs in Northern India to celebrate the harvest festival (also called VAISAKHI). During this time the wheat crop is harvested in the region. It was an expression of joy at the result of the hard work put in by the people (farmers) tending to their wheat crop. It has now eventually become a part of diverse events such as marriages, family functions, parties etc. The dance cuts across all divisions of caste, class, education etc. It is mainly performed by men.

The dance is based on a wooden drum (dhol) and folk singing. Many other musical instruments like Sarangi, Dafli, Tumbi, Chimta, etc may also be used. The singing usually contains couplets in the Punjabi language (bolis). Bhangra singers sing in a high, energetic tone. Singing fiercely and with great pride, they typically add nonsensical, random noises to their singing. Many phrases like “balle-balle”, “hoi-hoi”, “hadippa” etc are frequently used to keep up the tempo. The base of lyrics is provided by love, relationship, money, marriages, etc. Many Bhangra songs are devoted to Punjabi pride themes and Punjabi heroes. The lyrics are a tribute to the Punjabi culture.

The men wear a cloth wrapped around their waist (laacha) with a long shirt (kurta). A turban (pagri), to which a fan shaped attachment (turla) is attached, is a mandatory part of the dress. A waistcoat (jugi) may also be worn. The dancers also have small scarves (rumals) attached to their fingers. The entire costume is made up of bright vivid colours.

The dance is performed with a lot of zest, enthusiasm and energy.  It is a highly adaptable dance that can engage the creativity of a person and take it to an altogether different level. Several dancers execute various kicks, leaps, and bends of the body during performance. A number of accompaniments/props are used during the dance. It abundantly reflects the vigour, vitality and exuberance of the punjabis.

No wonder that the dance is widely respected and is known as king of dances......

Guru da Langar

GURU DA LANGAR

LANGAR is the term used for common/community kitchen in the Sikh religion, where food is served to all for free. It is open to all irrespective of the barriers of social status, religion, caste, colour, age, gender etc. The concept is more for developing a community feeling and service to the society and the fact of the food being free is misunderstood being just incidental. It would be just like saying that you get free prasad in a Gurudwara.

The institution was started by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. It was designed to uphold the principle of equality between all people, a revolutionary concept in the caste ridden society of 16^th century India. Guru Nanak Dev Ji designed this institution where all people (sangat) would sit in the same row/line crosslegged (pangat) without any social barriers. The tradition also expresses the ethics of sharing, community and oneness of all humankind.

The institution has ensured the participation of Sikhs in the task of service for mankind. The food is prepared and served only by volunteers (sewadaars) and no caterers are allowed. All washing and cleaning is also done by these volunteers only. This function of sewa (service) results in forging a community feeling as everyone drops their masks of ego and the feeling of ‘I’ and ‘ME’ is obliterated. This institution bestows upon the Sikhs a distinct individuality, dignity and unity. It gives them the discipline of service and a spirit of co-operation, teaches them philanthropy, equality and brotherhood.

The combined efforts of people help to organise the institution of langar based on the following principals:-

            Kirat Karo                  - Earn by honest means through hard work

            Vand Chakko            - Sharing with all

            Naam Japo               - Chanting/remembering the name of God at all times

While preparing food for the langar the mouth and nose are to be covered with a cloth. Due regard is made to purity, hygiene and cleanliness. The servers should not touch the serving utensils to the plates of those being served. They should also not touch the hand or plate of those they are serving.

The menu is vegetarian and normally consists of lentils (maanh di dal), a vegetable (alu gobhi), kheer, pickle (achar), salad and chappatis (parshada). Sometimes rice and curry may also be served. The type of vegetable is mainly dependent on seasonal availability and all other items mainly remain the same.

The principle of langar is so important that even Emperor Akbar had to sit in the ‘pangat’ and eat food with commoners before he could meet Guru Amar Das Ji. The king who was used to being served in a lavish style was so impressed by the simplicity and a feeling of community that he offered a big donation to the institution.

When President Nasser of Egypt visited the Golden Temple, he was so touched to see people of all religions serving/partaking langar that his party left all the money that they were carrying as a contribution to its running. Such accounts of people having been moved after attending a langar are endless.

In their prayers the Sikhs seek a favour from the Almighty “LOH LANGAR TAPDE REHEN - may the hot plates of langar ever remain in service.”

The last words of Guru Gobind Singh were “KEEP THE LANGAR EVER OPEN.” One of his teachings reads, “Deg tegh jag me dou chalai (may langar (charity) and sword (instrument of securing justice) together prevail in the world).” The Guru’s maxim “Deg tegh fateh (May langar and sword be ever triumphant)” is included in the daily Ardas (prayer) of the Sikhs.