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Harvest Festival is celebrated across many states in India during January every year as Sankranthi in Andhra Pradesh, Bengal, Kerala, Bihar, Goa, Karnataka, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh; as Thai Pongal in Tamil Nadu; as Uttarayana in Gujarat & Rajasthan; as Lohri in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh & Punjab.
More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Pongal
At least in Andhra Pradesh we have an age old tradition of having a "Bonfire" on Bhogi, a day before Sankranthi. All the members of the family gather in front of the house early morning around 4/5 AM and light a big fire with firewood and old clothes and sit around the same till day break.
Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons Bonfire
Thanks to urbanization this tradition is as good as dead at least in cities as many live in apartments and also are too lazy to get up early morning:( I rarely see "Bhogi Bonfires" in the city and only a minuscule minority celebrate it. Some fortunate few take their families to their native villages for Sankranthi where the children are exposed to the traditions.
Since traditions are carried on from one generation to another unless some steps are taken by people /organizations am sure after few years no one will ever be aware of this lovely tradition at least in Urban India.
I have a simple suggestion to make to keep this tradition alive.
A. The residents Associations of apartments as well as colonies should come together and organize "Bhogi Bonfire" in a vacant and safe place nearby. All the families should be encouraged to assemble by 4 AM and the Bonhomie can continue till day break. All the participants should also be encouraged to bring any old/unused/broken wooden junk lying around in their homes so that their home also gets cleaned of the junk!
B. Big corporates should advertise sufficiently in advance and can organize the "Bhogi Bonfire" in any big empty grounds by talking the necessary permissions from the concerned authorities similar to "Ramlila" celebrations. They can also take this opportunity to "Promote" their products/services to the "captive" public. They can also give free samples of their products. May be "Burnol" can associate themselves with all such associations and organizations by sponsoring a part of the expenditure and/or by giving small free sample of their products.
Am sure if the above two suggestions are implemented we can ensure that this age old tradition is kept alive. So go ahead..do your bit..as Mother Theresa said if you can't feed 100 just feed one.....start the Bhogi (Bon)Fire in your colony/area! Let it spread like Wildfire! ..of course metaphorically!
More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Pongal
Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons Bonfire
Thanks to urbanization this tradition is as good as dead at least in cities as many live in apartments and also are too lazy to get up early morning:( I rarely see "Bhogi Bonfires" in the city and only a minuscule minority celebrate it. Some fortunate few take their families to their native villages for Sankranthi where the children are exposed to the traditions.
Since traditions are carried on from one generation to another unless some steps are taken by people /organizations am sure after few years no one will ever be aware of this lovely tradition at least in Urban India.
I have a simple suggestion to make to keep this tradition alive.
A. The residents Associations of apartments as well as colonies should come together and organize "Bhogi Bonfire" in a vacant and safe place nearby. All the families should be encouraged to assemble by 4 AM and the Bonhomie can continue till day break. All the participants should also be encouraged to bring any old/unused/broken wooden junk lying around in their homes so that their home also gets cleaned of the junk!
B. Big corporates should advertise sufficiently in advance and can organize the "Bhogi Bonfire" in any big empty grounds by talking the necessary permissions from the concerned authorities similar to "Ramlila" celebrations. They can also take this opportunity to "Promote" their products/services to the "captive" public. They can also give free samples of their products. May be "Burnol" can associate themselves with all such associations and organizations by sponsoring a part of the expenditure and/or by giving small free sample of their products.
Am sure if the above two suggestions are implemented we can ensure that this age old tradition is kept alive. So go ahead..do your bit..as Mother Theresa said if you can't feed 100 just feed one.....start the Bhogi (Bon)Fire in your colony/area! Let it spread like Wildfire! ..of course metaphorically!
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