“KAI PO CHE” WITH A TWIST
“ Til Gud ghya anni goad goad bola”, “ kai po che”. Surely the hint is obvious now. Yes! The 1st festival of the year. Makar Sankranti or Sankrat or uttrayan are the very popular names of our very own festival of Kite Flying. It’s celebrated on 14th JAN.
Sankranti is not only famous for its kite flying but also for lip-smacking til ladoos. Winters, sun and til laddos, what a deadly combination. Well! On a serious note, why is this festival of makar Sankranti celebrated?
Indian cultures have a lot of deep meaning attached to every detail celebrated during festivals. So is with this. Makar sankranti is believed to seal the incoming of spring in our country. According to the Hindu calendar, Makar sankranti is a festival celebrated at Magh 1st of Hindu solar calendar for the happiness of getting new crops for farmers. It also incarnates the end of winter comforts which makes the last day longer than night.
Now the question arises why do we traditionally fly kites and eat til laddos? So, let’s look at the 1st point.
1.Kite flying
The tradition of kite flying helps us to expose ourselves to the early morning sun. Early morning rays are very beneficial to us as they are filled with ample VITAMIN D and COVID 19 has taught us the need and importance of VITAMIN D. Vitamin D helps us in fighting with infections and building our immune system.
2. Eating til laddoos
The sesame laddoos are made up of jaggery and sesame. It derived from the Maharashtrian culture of exchanging these laddoos and saying “tilgud ghya ani goad goad bola” which means eat sweet and speak sweet. The exchange signifies bonding and forgetting the sour past and making a sweet future start. Apart from making the relations better, it also makes our health better. It’s scientifically proven that sesame helps to keep our body warm and fulfills the amount of oil required to keep the moisture intact.
CURRENT SCENARIO
Time changed along with the way of celebration. Many parts of India stopped experiencing winters due to global warming. The exchange of laddoos has reduced due to busy lifestyles and fading bonding in relations. In late years, kite flying has proven deadly for birds. The string attached called Manjha is so sharp that it hampers their flying, injuring their wings and even their body. Not only birds, but the danger also surrounds us, humans, as well because manjha comes in our way during walking or riding a bike.
CHANGE AT APEX
Change of mind doesn’t happen in a day. It takes days, months, even years to change. The first step taken towards change is difficult and the rest becomes history. That’s why Apex students are helping mango man take the first step towards the change. At Apex students prefer not to fly kites but to feel the sun with open hands. Our socially responsible students have formed groups to educate the ‘aam aadmi’ about the dangers involved during kite flying. Not only about explaining the dangers, but the students have also made many realize the reality of our relationships and how a small sweet exchange can make a huge difference. Hard work always
pays off and our students have achieved their success. Through their campaigns, acts and socially active awareness drives, they have made a small but definite difference in our society.
To conclude, we all love celebrating festivals and we should celebrate them but not at the cost of hurting someone. So this Makar Sankranti, lets all of us feel the sun with open hands, exchange laddoos and say “tilgud ghya goad goad bola”.