The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A special occasion for reunions

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 31, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

A special occasion for reunions

Staff Reporter

For many, it was a welcome respite from hectic schedules

Bangalore: On Thursday, people all over the State celebrated Ugadi, which marks the beginning of the New Year in the Kannada calendar, ``Vyaya''.

Television channels had astrologers make forecasts for the year ahead.

Housewives prepared delicacies for their families, and the men went about decorating doorframes with mango and neem leaves.

"It is a family festival. My relatives have come over for the celebrations. We began the day with a special puja, and every member of the family had a helping of neem and jaggery," G.P. Lakshmidevi, former radio artiste, said.

Sandhya A., an LIC employee, said Ugadi is an occasion for family get-togethers. "At least 10 types of dishes are made. The entire family sits down for a grand lunch. With our busy schedules these days, such festivals come as a saving grace and help keep the family united," she said.

A well-deserved break

Since most schools were closed, children were seen taking a well-deserved break from studies.

Ms. Lakshmidevi said common dishes made for Ugadi are "bele obbattu", "kosumbari", mango rice, sweet porridge, and rasam and rice.

"All members of my family went to the temple first thing in the morning and prayed for a good year," Malathi Suryaprakash, a housewife, said.

She said that in the evenings, the head of the family reads out the almanac.

"Most families do not follow this practice these days as many do not understand it.

However, people visit temples where the head priest reads out the almanac," she said.

She said almanac reading was an important part of the festival till a few years ago. Every family had a copy at home.

"All functions and events were planned only after consulting the almanac. Now, people refer to their schedules and get together," she said.

"The entire village or town used to be involved. Now, it is each family for itself. The large-scale celebrations are always more fun," Ms. Lakshmidevi said.

People from all walks of life visited temples attired in new clothes. They exchanged ``bevu-bella'' (neem and jaggery), which is symbolic gesture to show that they share both sweetness and bitterness.

As it turned out, the celebrations, though popular, were low-key this year.

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