Shilpa Shetty launches India Now festival
Shilpa Shetty joins the London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, at 11am, Tuesday 17th July at London Bridge Pier, as one of the cultural ambassadors to unveil India Now – a three-month festival of events and exhibitions dedicated to Indian art, film, theatre, music, fashion, food and business.
Shilpa Shetty and Ken Livingstone will join other ambassadors of the festival, including actress Joanna Lumley and captain of the Indian national cricket team, Rahul Dravid, as they launch the event with a visual spectacle, receiving a replica of the Taj Mahal as it comes to rest at London Bridge Pier, following a sail down the River Thames, past London’s most iconic landmarks.
Commenting on the India Now festival Shilpa says, “The India Now season of cultural events taking place across London this summer is an apt reflection of the city's enriched diversity of ethnicities. London is a unique melting pot of cultures, providing a space for people from a multitude of backgrounds to come together and share with each other the wealth of their experiences.
“Cultural respect and encouraging a deeper understanding of Indian traditions through a celebration of diversity, art, dance and food is obviously an issue close to my heart, which is why I am delighted to be a part of these events. Celebrating India in London is an opportunity for all Londoners and visitors to London to see, taste, hear and experience some of the amazing gifts India has to offer.”
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Lohri: The Festival of Harvest
Celebrated in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi, Lohri occurs in the month of Magha and falls on January 13 each year. This day is considered as the coldest day of the year and is marked by lighting bonfires. It marks the end of the long and arduous winter.
According to the Hindu calendar, Lohri falls in mid-January (13th January, 2003). The earth, farthest from the sun at this point of time, starts its journey towards the sun, thus ending the coldest month of the year, Paush, and announcing the start of the month of Magh and the auspicious period of Uttarayan - January 14 to July 14.
The bonfire is the deity (Agni) and offerings are made while making the Parikrama (circling) around the bonfire, shouting "Aadar aye dilather jaye" (may honor come and poverty be banished). Dancing continues till late night with new groups joining in with every beat. Food served during Lohri is non-vegetarian and no hard drinks are served.
The first Lohri celebrated by a new bride or a newborn represents a grand occasion and immediate family members are invited for feast and exchange of gifts. After the party, Lohri is celebrated with traditional dancing and singing around the bonfire.
In the morning on Lohri day, children go from door to door singing and demanding the Lohri 'loot' in the form of money and eatables like til (sesame) seeds, peanuts, jaggery, or sweets like gajak, rewri, etc. They sing in praise of Dulha Bhatti, a Punjabi avatar of Robin Hood who robbed the rich to help the poor, and once helped a miserable village girl out of her misery by getting her married off like his own sister.
In the evening, with the setting of the sun, huge bonfires are lit in the harvested fields and in the front yards of houses and people gather around the rising flames, circle around (parikrama) the bonfire and throw puffed rice, popcorn and other munchies into the fire, shouting "Aadar aye dilather jaye" (May honor come and poverty vanish!), and sing popular folk songs. This is a sort of prayer to Agni, the fire god, to bless the land with abundance and prosperity. After the parikrama, people meet friends and relatives, exchange greetings and gifts, and distribute prasad (offerings made to god). The prasad comprises five main items: til, gajak, jaggery, peanuts, and popcorn. Winter savories are served around the bonfire with the traditional dinner of makki-ki-roti (multi-millet hand-rolled bread) and sarson-ka-saag (cooked mustard herbs).
Bhangra dance by men begins after the offering to the bonfire. Dancing continues till late night with new groups joining in amid the beat of drums. Traditionally, women do not join Bhangra. They hold a separate bonfire in their courtyard orbiting it with the graceful gidda dance.
Lohri celebrates fertility and the joy of life, and in the event of the birth of a male child or a marriage in the family, it assumes a larger significance wherein the host family arranges for a feast and merry-making with the traditional bhangra dance along with rhythm instruments, like the dhol and the gidda. The first Lohri of a new bride or a newborn baby is considered extremely important.
Nowadays, Lohri brings in an opportunity for people in the community to take a break from their busy schedule and get together to share each other's company. In other parts of India, Lohri almost coincides with the festivals of Pongal and Makar Sankranti, all of which communicate the same message of oneness and celebrates the spirit of brotherhood, while thanking the Almighty for a bountiful life on earth.
The day following Lohri is called 'Maghi', signifying the beginning of the month of Magh. According to Hindu beliefs, this is an auspicious day to take a holy dip in the river and give away charity. Sweet dishes (usually kheer) are prepared with sugar cane juice to mark the day.
In Himachal Pradesh this festival is known as Magli. This is the time when the rabi crop has been sown and there is little for the farmers to be done. The farmers enjoy this temporary relief from their agricultural labour. A unique custom observed here on Lohri is goat sacrifice. The goat, symbol of fertility and prosperity, is fattened all year long in prepartion for its slaughter on Lohri.
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