President’s Message
Dear Friends,
Very Warm Greetings!!!
It was a delight listening to Mr. Prasoon Joshi in conversation with Rtn. Farhat Jamal at last week’s meeting. Mr. Joshi’s emphasis on brands reflecting self-pride and his contribution to social causes are very impressive.
The nation last week, over four days – January 13th to 16th, welcomed not just the warmth of the ‘Lohri’ bonfire but also spread ‘Makar Sankranti’ cheer, celebrated ‘Pongal’ and versions of this festival in regions all over India.
Lohri marks the beginning of the end of winter, the coming of spring and the new year. The festival is traditionally associated with the harvest of the Rabi crops. Thus, Punjabi and Haryanvi farmers see the day after Lohri (Maghi) as the financial new year.
Makar Sankranti is celebrated in various parts of the Indian subcontinent to observe the day which marks the shift of
the sun into ever-lengthening days (winter solstice) and is, predominantly a harvest festival.
It is the festival of ‘til-gul’ where sesame and jaggery laddoos or chikkis are distributed among all and is also synonymous to kite-flying in Gujarat as Uttarayan. Traditionally, it was believed that winter brought in a lot of germs and caused illness and flu. Thus, a huge number of people would turn up during Makar Sankranti and in the following months to bask in the early morning sun, hoping to get rid of bacteria and also fly kites in the process to make this act more exciting. So, our sages and forefathers put a lot of thought into creating these festivals.
Of course, the symbolism of kite-flying during Makar Sankranti and Uttarayan could be deeper. Many consider flying kites high up into the sky as a form of thanksgiving to the gods. The festival is one of bonding, where people are expected to forgive, forget and bury the hatchet with enemies and foes and live in peace. Makar Sankranti generally marks the beginning of the Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh, which takes place every 12 years while, in south India, in Kerala, one of the most austere and difficult pilgrimages of Sabarimala ends on this auspicious day. Pongal Thai – Thai is the first month of the Tamil Almanac, and Pongal is a sweet concoction of rice, moong dal, jaggery and milk.
The festival is a thanks-giving ceremony in which farmers celebrate the event to thank the spirits of nature spirit, the Sun and the farm animals for their assistance in providing a successful harvest.
While discussing the importance of festivals, I am reminded of Sadhguru, who said, “If you approach everything in a celebratory way, you learn to be non-serious about life, but absolutely involved.” So enjoy life as you would a festival.
Preeti Mehta
President