City rings in multi-cultural New Year

Chennai

This week seems to be all about celebrations. While Tamils celebrate their New Year on April 14, other states have their own version of the New Year and festivities that mark spring — Baisakhi, Bihu, Vishu and Pohela Boishakh are the other festivals that are  celebrated here.

The first day of the Chitthirai maasam is the perfect occasion for families to come together. “We exchange greetings and have lunch together which is an elaborate spread of rice, varieties of savouries and sweet. Since it is a holiday, watching some special movies screened for the day completes the ritual for us,” Swetha Krishnan, a housewife.

The Sikh community had an eventful day as people welcomed the auspicious occasion with an early morning prayer. The Gurudwara in T. Nagar was abuzz from 8 am, with a host of events unfolding in celebration.

“There were close to 2,000 people from the Sikh community present today, including those from the armed forces. There are many Sikhs in the army who are posted in the city. They make it a point to take some time off, even during weekdays, to spend time at the Gurudwara for festivals. Also, we arrange for buses for kids to come and spend the day with us,” says Jasneet Kaur Kohli, adding that people got to enjoy the delicious langar (common kitchen/canteen where food is served in a Gurdwara to all visitors). This apart, there are several stalls offering a range of traditional food items. But the real show stealers are the children, dressed in traditional attire, giving a musical performance.

On April 16, the Assamese community will come together to celebrate Bihu at the CLRI grounds. The festival marks the arrival of the seeding season and represents a set of three different cultural festivals of Assam. Every year for the past 10 years, a special event is organised to bring together people from the state in Chennai. “Not only people from Assam, but many from the North East join us. There are many Tamils who have lived in Assam for years, they too come and talk about their experience,” says musician Nicky Jatin Sharma. They plan to organise the event on April 14, but chose the weekend  for elaborate festivities. Even the Bengal Association in T. Nagar has planned a host of cultural activities on April 16 to celebrate Pohela Boishakh, which is the first day of the Bengali calendar. “We will have dance, music and other skits lined up for bringing the probashi Bengali community together,” said a member of organising committee.

Malayalis in the city will also start their day with Vishu Kani on Thursday. The All India Malayali Association will organise an event in Chetpet. “We are expecting more than 1,500 people and we have organised a musical performance for the occasion,” says a spokesperson.