Celebs congratulated ‘Happy Makar Sankranti’, also shared memories of celebrating the festival

Makar Sankranti is a special occasion. According to Wikipedia, this is the first day of the Sun’s transit in Capricorn. Every such event means celebration. But now seeing the rise in the cases of covid, one needs to stay at home and have fun with family, and step outside unless necessary. Talking about the day, celebrities share their special Makar Sankranti memory with Jyothi Venkatesh. They also talk about their love of flying kites and eating mouth-watering dishes and sweets during the day.

Sharad Malhotra

I have been fond of kite flying since the days of Kolkata. I used to fly kites on the sets of Maharana Pratap too. This year I would also like to fly kites. I will eat sweets made of sesame and jaggery regardless of calorie intake. Celebrations bring positivity, and this year we need it as much as the last two years. So, I will make the most of it.

Angad Haseja

I love to eat tilkut laddus and chikkis on Makar Sankranti and would like to eat more and more. The sweetest memory is of my mother preparing brunch for us and the neighbors in Punjab. I also used to participate in kite flying competition in school. I am shooting this year, so I am not sure how much I will be able to do. Given the pandemic situation, I will probably celebrate by having a box of laddoos.

Aditya Deshmukh

Wishing you all a very Happy Makar Sankranti! My plan for this year is more or less the same as I do every year. My mother makes laddus out of sesame and jaggery and some secret ingredients that she has. She doesn’t even tell me. (laughs) I will also have gur ki roti, in marathi we call it ‘gudachi puri’ and of course fly kites but since last 2 years we could not celebrate like before due to covid… I remember, we used to have such a big playground and we used to fly kites in the same playground. We also played with ‘Bhavaras’. I don’t know if people still remember and play with it, as it is a very old concept. This is how we used to celebrate it. With all the different colors in the sky and on the ground, it is a wonderful feeling to go back home and eat. And in Marathi, it is a quote, as far as Makar Sankranti is concerned, “Til Gud Ghya, Aani God God Bola”, it means eat Til Ke Laddus and say all good and sweet things. So this is the main part of Makar Sankranti.

ranaksha rana

My earliest memories are of my childhood. I was 8 years old, I remember. Children from distant villages would come to the ground where I used to play. It was exciting because you would get a chance to meet new kids. I loved flying kites! Nobody taught me, I learned by watching others. I was 8 years old when I started kite flying, when only a few kids around knew how to fly kites. It was pure joy. My mother used to make urad dal khichdi and serve it with homemade ghee on this day. It was a day of fun and flavours.

Harshali Gin

Since I am a Maharashtrian, born and brought up in Bombay, I have fond memories of the festival of Makar Sankranti since childhood. As a little girl, I used to attend Satyanarayana pujas held in the building premises and in the evenings would go to neighboring houses to exchange homemade til ladoos and say “Til gul ghya, ani god goad Bola” and he would repeat and use the phrase to shower him with his love and blessings. Throughout the evening, till the night, all the children go to each other’s house and distribute til ladoos. Til ke ladoos are still my favorite as it is the healthiest dish to taste during winters as sesame seeds keep the body warm and jaggery adds sweetness to it. This festival used to be like a small Diwali. The tradition of kite flying, also known as Uttarayan, is largely followed in Gujarat during this festival of Makar Sankranti, which I experienced when I was studying hotel management in Ahmedabad. Families used to gather on their roofs to fly kites and in no time the entire sky was covered with colorful kites. I don’t know how to fly a kite but I used to catch a spinner from a local friend who would fly kites. But now that I am a vegetarian, I do not support kite flying as the manjha harms and kills birds. Why suffer or die any life for our entertainment. I urge everyone to be a little considerate towards these beautiful creatures and not hurt them.

Vijayendra Kumeria

Makar Sankranti is one such festival which we celebrate with full blast and fun in Gujarat. Flying kites with friends always adds to the fun. I remember I used to go to my terrace in Ahmedabad and fly kites non-stop with friends and I used to eat til laddoos and chikkis. I loved participating in kite flying in school and always won. And my favorite kite used to be Chandtara. Looking at the current situation, I will remain in Mumbai. I will take my daughter to the roof of the building and fly kites with her. The feeling of flying a kite gave me the feeling that one day I would achieve some heights in my career. I want to wish everyone a very Happy Makar Sankranti. May this Makar Sankranti bring lots of happiness and joy in our lives and soon we can celebrate every festival without masks.

Meera Deosthale

I will not be able to go to Vadodara for Makar Sankranti. I will celebrate it here in Bombay. My best memories of this festival are from Vadodara where I was good at threading kites. It is called tight bond. All the boys of the building used to come to me to tie manjha in kite. I was also a good kite flier. During the shows in previous years, I used to fly kites on the sets with the cast and crew and I miss it. Maybe I’ll go on the roof and fly kites with the kids in the building and my mom is definitely going to make them. I hope next year we will not have any pandemic and we will be able to celebrate all festivals mask free life. Here’s wishing everyone a very Happy Makar Sankranti.

Sham Mashalkar

There are many memories associated with Makar Sankranti. We Maharashtrians say “Til Gul Ghya, Ani God God Bola”. On that day if there is a bad thought about someone, they forget it and remember only the good things. The day my wife cooks a special meal consisting of 60 different ingredients. It is served with bajra roti with butter called “Bhugi ki Sabzi”. It is very tasty. This is a roti made from jaggery which we also enjoy. I love flying kites. My son and I did it every year with our neighbors. It was so much fun. Earlier when Aarav was young and didn’t know how to fly kites, I used to bring gas balloons for him. These are the best memories of Makar Sankranti. On the day we usually wear black clothes.

Nupur Joshi

During Makar Sankranti, we make ghughuti by adding sesame seeds. The different thing is that we make it in different shapes and every shape has some significance. Earlier they used to make fried popcorns and garlands of peanuts, oranges, ghughuti and other other combinations for the children. It is an attraction for children. And there is a competition among the children, that is, whose rosary is beautiful? My mother, who usually has a busy schedule, still used to make garlands for me and my sister. And the whole day the children wore garlands, it was a kind of game. It is a festival of prosperity and happiness. I too grew up in Delhi, the people there fly kites. When we were kids, we used to enjoy it a lot. My father was also very fond of flying kites. I enjoyed it with my father. The sky used to be colored with kites during the day. I don’t know how likely it will be this year.

Alisha Panwar

I will distribute sweets made of jaggery and sesame. I will distribute it to street beggars and children and stray dogs and cats and I will have too. I will also give it to my mom and friends. This time my entire family is in Mumbai so I will share with them. In my hometown in Himachal, I didn’t get a chance to fly kites because we don’t fly kites there. This year I will go kite flying at a friend’s place for sometime as I am not shooting for any show.

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