Gudi Padwa processions, Navratri to lead first round of Hindu new year festivities

Mumbai: The first day of the holy month of Chaitra, which falls Sunday, signals the start of the Hindu new year Shak Samvat 1947. Maharashtrians will celebrate Gudi Padwa while Telugu speaking natives will enjoy Ugadi and Sindhis Cheti Chand. Chaitra Pratipada is considered one of the auspicious annual three-and-a-half mahurats for important purchases.
The nine-day fast of Chaitra Navratra also begins this day. Devi temples will be hosting special prayers and ‘hom havan' till Ram Navami. A second round of new year celebrations will unfold after a fortnight.
Children are taught that new year delicacies like amti, puran poli, shrikhand and pachadi are prepared using a blend of bitter, sweet, spicy and sour ingredients, like jaggery, neem, tamarind, lemon and pepper, in order to symbolise the myriad experiences that life brings.
Gudi Padwa processions and floats will be organised in Thane and Girgaum with live performers, bands and women bikers. Celebrities like Ashok Saraf, Vasudev Kamat and Achyut Palav will join the Girgaum event. Organiser Swami Vivekanand Yuva Pratishthan (SVYP) has devised a theme around the Marathi language in its 23rd year of festivity.
SVYP president Shridhar Agarkar said, "Recently, the Central govt conferred classical status on the Marathi language. So, our theme is ‘Matrubhashela Ghalu Saad, Maay Marathi Abhijaat'. The procession will begin at 8am from Phadke Shri Ganpati Mandir with the Gudi pujan ceremony led by state culture minister Ashish Shelar. A 20-ft tall papier mache idol of Sant Dnyaneshwar will hold the main gudi for the procession. GSB Seva Mandal from King's Circle will distribute 10,000 laddoos as prasad."
At least three Cheti Chand events are scheduled in Andheri Lokhandwala. The repertoire includes pheris, Behrana Sahib, bhajans and community feasts organised by local Sindhi panchayat or ‘tikana' (gurdwara).
Serving Rajasthani natives, the Kedia Mahasabha will organise a function at Bangur Nagar, Goregaon, to launch two annual Shakambhari and Ked Sati panchang (almanac) for the following year prepared by Pt Bharat Bhushan Mishra.
In Belapur, Navi Mumbai, the Maharashtra State Punjabi Sahitya Academy, along with the Sikh coordination committee, has included lavani folk dances and Maharashtrian performing arts in its ‘Punjabi Sabhyachar Mela' on Sunday to "symbolise cultural ties between the two states", said executive chairman Bal Malkit Singh.
Mumbai: The first day of the holy month of Chaitra, which falls Sunday, signals the start of the Hindu new year Shak Samvat 1947. Maharashtrians will celebrate Gudi Padwa while Telugu speaking natives will enjoy Ugadi and Sindhis Cheti Chand. Chaitra Pratipada is considered one of the auspicious annual three-and-a-half mahurats for important purchases.
The nine-day fast of Chaitra Navratra also begins this day. Devi temples will be hosting special prayers and ‘hom havan' till Ram Navami. A second round of new year celebrations will unfold after a fortnight.
Children are taught that new year delicacies like amti, puran poli, shrikhand and pachadi are prepared using a blend of bitter, sweet, spicy and sour ingredients, like jaggery, neem, tamarind, lemon and pepper, in order to symbolise the myriad experiences that life brings.
Gudi Padwa processions and floats will be organised in Thane and Girgaum with live performers, bands and women bikers. Celebrities like Ashok Saraf, Vasudev Kamat and Achyut Palav will join the Girgaum event. Organiser Swami Vivekanand Yuva Pratishthan (SVYP) has devised a theme around the Marathi language in its 23rd year of festivity.
SVYP president Shridhar Agarkar said, "Recently, the Central govt conferred classical status on the Marathi language. So, our theme is ‘Matrubhashela Ghalu Saad, Maay Marathi Abhijaat'. The procession will begin at 8am from Phadke Shri Ganpati Mandir with the Gudi pujan ceremony led by state culture minister Ashish Shelar. A 20-ft tall papier mache idol of Sant Dnyaneshwar will hold the main gudi for the procession. GSB Seva Mandal from King's Circle will distribute 10,000 laddoos as prasad."
At least three Cheti Chand events are scheduled in Andheri Lokhandwala. The repertoire includes pheris, Behrana Sahib, bhajans and community feasts organised by local Sindhi panchayat or ‘tikana' (gurdwara).
Serving Rajasthani natives, the Kedia Mahasabha will organise a function at Bangur Nagar, Goregaon, to launch two annual Shakambhari and Ked Sati panchang (almanac) for the following year prepared by Pt Bharat Bhushan Mishra.
In Belapur, Navi Mumbai, the Maharashtra State Punjabi Sahitya Academy, along with the Sikh coordination committee, has included lavani folk dances and Maharashtrian performing arts in its ‘Punjabi Sabhyachar Mela' on Sunday to "symbolise cultural ties between the two states", said executive chairman Bal Malkit Singh.