Devotees take dip in Ganga on Makar Sankranti

By: Saloni Vats

PATNA: Patnaites ate ‘dahi-chura’ (curd and flattened rice) and tilkut on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Monday, despite some confusion regarding the dates of celebration.

According to the Hindu calendar, the harvest festival, which started at 8pm on Monday, will end at 12pm on Tuesday. While most people celebrated the festival on Monday, others will do so on Tuesday.

Makar Sankranti marks the shift of sun to ever-lengthening days.

Kumhrar resident Sudha Verma, who celebrated the festival on Monday, said, “All my relatives came to my place for a get-together and ate ‘dahi-chura’. In the evening, we cooked ‘khichdi’ which is part of the custom.”

Owners of several makeshift stalls have been selling tilkuts, ‘til laddoos’, ‘lais’ and ‘gajaks’ to customers for weeks now.

Jehanabad resident Raju Kumar, who has put up a stall on Bhootnath Road, told this reporter, “The sales have surged during the last two to three days. Tilkut made of sugar and ‘khoya’ are in demand.”

Meanwhile, youngsters celebrated the festival by flying colourful kites on their terraces. Rajeev Nagar resident Uddeshya Jha said, “Like every year, my cousins and I had a kite flying competition among ourselves. It was fun.”

People, who are studying or working outside, also come back home to celebrate Makar Sankranti with their families and friends. Banaras Hindu University student Alice Arya, who is in the city, said, “I have never been away from my family during festivals. I did not want to stay alone in my hostel and came home for a day.”

Many, who consider taking a dip in the Ganga auspicious on Makar Sankranti, visited ghats on Monday. Kurji resident Naman Kumar said, “I went to the Digha Ghat with my grandmother and mother. It’s an annual ritual.”