Mini-India communities ring in new year with family, friends, food and prayers
Times of India | 31 March 2025
123456 Kolkata: The city on Sunday celebrated a number of festivals, including Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Cheti Chand or Sindhi New Year, Chaitra Navratri and Navreh Poshte, on Sunday, marking the beginning of a new year for various communities.
The festivities by Sindhi Panchayat commenced with a ritual dedicated to the birth anniversary of Saint Uderolal, who, as Jhulelal, saved Sindhi Hindus from religious persecution. "Around 5,000 Sindhis assembled for the celebrations. We have around a lakh Sindhis living in Kolkata. On this day, our friends from other communities also join us to celebrate the Sindhi New Year," said Sindhi Panchayat president Harish Methramani. The community members spent the day with traditional music, dance, and food.
The 75-year-old Andhra Association in Kolkata had a day filled with prayers, music, cultural programmes, and the iconic pachadi (a mix of neem flowers, raw mango, jaggery, and spices). Ugadi is celebrated in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka to mark the beginning of the Hindu lunar calendar. "Around 140 people gathered to celebrate the festival together. We have different rituals, including a priest telling us about how the year would be, followed by the distribution of prasadam and traditional food, like tamarind rice," the association's general secretary, Soujanya Pudi, said.
Around 32-35 Marathi families celebrated Gudi Padwa on Sunday to celebrate spring's arrival and the beginning of the new year. "The highlight of the festival is the iconic Gudi, which is a bright silk cloth adorned with a bamboo stick and a garland of flowers," said a member of the Marathi community in Kolkata.
The nine-day festival of Chaitra Navratri, which began on Sunday, is dedicated to Goddess Durga. Madhukar Ray, a car dealer from Ballygunge, said "The festival is about relatives and people from the community coming together and celebrating the arrival of spring. Our day starts with offering prayers to Goddess Durga, inviting girls under 12, feeding them, and getting blessings from them." The festival is largely celebrated amongst communities in north and west India. It marks the beginning of the Hindu New Year, which falls in the Chaitra month of the Indian lunar calendar, typically in March or April.
There are two major Navratris — Chaitra Navratri and Sharada Navratri. Sharada Navratri is considered the main Navratri and falls in Sept-Oct while Chaitra Navratri gets its name from the Chaitra month, in March-April.
Kashmiris in the city celebrated Navreh, or the New Year, on Sunday. On the eve of Navreh, they prepared ‘thal varo', which was filled with rice, money, a book, a pen, a mirror, and other essential items, which they saw in the morning after waking up. This tradition involves arranging a variety of symbolic items on a tray, each representing different aspects of prosperity and well-being. The community also worshipped Goddess Durga and sought blessings for a bright year ahead. Community member Meena Kak said, "We prepare a special thal and wish God provides us with all we wish for. Then we prepare Kashmiri delicacies, like dum aloo, paneer yakhni, and yellow rice. We meet family and friends, and dine together."
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