Makar Sankranti is one of the most important festivals for many regions in Bharat, since ancient Vedic ages. Although this festival is called by different names across the country, the essence remains the same- it is acknowledging the importance of the sun after the long winter and thanking the Sun, the plants, the farmers, the creatures, for the energy that runs through all of us as food. In UP, we call this day Khichdi or Ganga Snaan. Khichdi is cooked in all homes, along with white and black sesame laddoos, and distributed to signify hope and new beginnings.
In keeping up with the festive spirit our team at Jan Jagran Sangathan (JJS) invited the gardeners and their families of Sector 50 parks and celebrated the festival with them. We began by distributing revari and moongfali followed by khichdi and pickle in steel plates (from our Bartan Bank) and, as per our motto, steered away from plastic and disposable cutlery. We were a little more than 100 people and the plates were periodically washed to be reused and later on we also distributed mufflers to men and winter caps to all the kids, the smile on their faces was priceless.
In JJS we also aim to demonstrate that any event, large or small, can be conducted without using disposables, without burdening Mother Earth and without leaving any wastage behind, we just need to have the will to do it.
We left the park with zero wastage, only with our bellies and hearts full of gratitude. We wish you all a happy harvest season!
