Sankranti memories: How food, kites and village rituals shape festive nostalgia

Sankranti arrives arsenic a intermission astatine the commencement of the twelvemonth — a festival rooted successful harvest, homecoming and shared rituals. It is remembered done simple, tactile moments: kites cutting done wintertime skies, caller muggus traced astatine dawn, journeys backmost to villages, and meals shaped by the season’s archetypal produce. For many, these memories signifier the affectional grammar of Sankranti, carried guardant adjacent arsenic celebrations displacement from fields and terraces to apartments and metropolis streets.

Nandini Reddy, director

“I was brought up by my maternal household successful Telangana, truthful Sankranti was mostly astir kites. I retrieve being connected the terrace with friends and family, flying kites each time with euphony playing. Trips to Charminar to bargain kites and manja were portion of the ritual, arsenic was moving done lanes to drawback drifting kites. I learnt aboriginal however to necktie the string, rotation the charkha, and negociate antithetic kinds of pench.”

P. Thiruveer, histrion

“I was calved successful Mamidpally, Nizamabad district, and moved to Hyderabad’s Old City aft Class VI. My metropolis memories of Sankranti revolve astir building Gobbemma — collecting caller cattle dung, garika grass, and regi pandulu. In the village, the festival stretched implicit 3 days. Fresh bengal gram drying extracurricular homes signalled Sankranti, meant for bobbatlu. I besides remember nuvvulu rotte. On Kanuma, my begetter and I would locomotion to the colony quadrate to cod our stock of mutton, measured by kuppa, carried location successful a tiffin box. This twelvemonth is peculiar — it is our archetypal Sankranti with our baby. In flat life, I miss chariot muggu and asking the section English adept to constitute ‘Happy Sankranti’.”

Madhu Reddy, permaculture husbandman

“Our flat was among the archetypal five-storeyed buildings successful the area, truthful neighbours and friends gathered connected our terrace to alert kites. I retrieve repairing torn kites with home-made glue, cautious not to adhd weight. Food memories are bobbatlu and sakinalu. I grew up successful Delhi and Goa, truthful Sankranti blends with Lohri — rewdi, bonfires, roasting hara channa, and agelong conversations astir home.”

Rajeshwar Reddy, creator

“Sankranti brings families unneurotic and celebrates Nature’s bounty. I grew up successful Vizianagaram, wherever decorated bulls, detailed muggus, and shared nutrient marked the festival. My father, a people artist, painted a caller Sankranti country each twelvemonth — people, animals, food, and games — hung up arsenic portion of the celebration.”

Annapurna Madipadiga, creation curator

“My begetter moved from Sakuru successful East Godavari to Hyderabad for studies, but aft turning 60, helium built a location successful the village. Every Sankranti, we instrumentality to conscionable cousins and extended family. My parent would make pottikka buttalu, a crockery we ate lone then. Our tiny village, dotted with coconut farms, turns festive during Prabhala Theertham, erstwhile colourful structures are carried betwixt villages. These traditions continue. I besides person a coating by my father, E. Rohini Kumar, that captures the tone of the festival.”