Lohri 2023

Celebrating Lohri 2023

This year, in 2023, I thought the Lohri festival on 13 January would be different. For me, at least. My father passed away last year around this time and I wasn’t in a festive mood at all.

And guess what? I ended up celebrating twice, in the office and then at home at night! When everyone around you is celebrating, you can’t stay behind, can you? Even our Gurbani says never to grieve because everything happens as per God’s will and we’ve got to accept it.

That night, after I reached home from work, I felt cold and exhausted and all I wanted to do was to go to bed right away. But my family gave me a pleasant surprise. My husband Sukhangshu and daughter Suroshri had made arrangements on our terrace for not just a bonfire, but also kebabs and tikkas.

Suroshri said, “Mom, I am making paneer tikkas specially for you, because you won’t eat the nonveg. stuff. So just sit down on the mat and relax. No need to fret about cooking.”

The dexterity and efficiency with which she and Sukhangshu managed everything was truly amazing. No mess whatsoever. It was for the first time that we celebrated Lohri on the terrace. They made me feel proud and lucky. It was, I think, their way of helping me get over the loss of both my parents.

The next day, it was Makar Sakranti and my turn to spring a surprise on my family. I used my favorite ingredients, the leftovers, paneer tikka marinade and a piece of pumpkin sitting in the fridge for several days, to make a special alu-matar (potatoes and green peas) sabzi. Suroshri hates pumpkins, but this time she didn’t mind. She said it was the best alu-matar dish she had ever had at home. Find out more about this sabzi here. https://jasbirchatterjeephotoblog.wordpress.com/2023/01/21/special-alu-matar-sabzi/

Here are the pics.

Lohri @ office

Me, in black, dancing with colleagues in office premises, Lohri 2023

Me, wearing glasses, standing near the fire, Lohri 2023, waiting for more colleagues to join

Lohri 2023, in office

URL: https://youtube.com/shorts/3q1piveRb9o?feature=share

Lohri at home

Sukhangshu standing by the bonfire, Lohri 2023

Lohri 2023 on our terrace

Lohri 2023 on our terrace

Kebabs on our terrace, Lohri 2023

My special alu-matar sabji with leftover marinade paneer tikka marinade, 14 January 2023

Here is some more info about Lohri.

Lohri is a North Indian festival celebrated every year on 13 January. We Punjabis celebrate it with great enthusiasm.

Although different people celebrate Lohri in different ways, one common feature is that there is a bonfire into which people drop items such as rewri, whole ground nuts, gajak, and popcorn, etc, with a small prayer for the wellbeing of their loved ones.

Being a community festival, you enjoy Lohri the most when you are part of a big group. The more, the merrier. Once the pooja is over, there is a lot of singing and dancing. As DJ music is now easily available, dancing is more fashionable than singing these days.