With the rollout of the New year, comes a deluge of harvest festivals across India. One of the most popular among them is the Punjabi folk festival of Lohri. Mumbai-based Daljit Singh Bal is gearing up for celebrations that are marked with traditional delicacies, folk songs, and togetherness. He shares that, “Lohri is meant to celebrate the joys that grace our lives like the birth of a child or a marriage ceremony.”

Daljit is a member of the Maharashtra Sikh Association which provides welfare and aid to Sikhs in the entire state. A Mankhurd-based resident, he shares, “On the eve of Lohri, our friends and family gather in an open space near our house in traditional outfits. We stack up wood to start a bonfire and do ‘parikrama’ (circle around it) in groups. Food items like popcorn, til, revdi, gachak, and jaggery are thrown into the bonfire to symbolise gratitude to the almighty and seek his blessings for the upcoming year.”