For Mumbaikar Rasika Pote, Gudi Padwa is very important. It is a festival she has celebrated with her family every year, but that changed a few years ago when she moved to Delhi for work. “I miss puran poli made by mum,” shares the 34-year-old getting emotional. “I am away from home, but the festive spirit is always with me,” she adds.
Every year, Maharashtrians along with natives of Goa, Daman and some part of Karnataka, celebrate Gudi Padwa, one of the many spring festivals taking place around India, during this time of the year. Incidentally, it also happens to be the Marathi New Year or the Hindu New Year. While the festivities may differ, the traditions are followed by every community in different ways. This year, it will be celebrated on March 30.
When it comes to the Maharashtrian community, they traditionally place the ‘Gudi’, a stick with an inverted pot, at the entrance of their home either on the window or the gate, to ward off evil. Being away from home, Pote says, “I don’t put the gudi in Delhi, but I do dress up, do my puja through a video call with parents.”
It is quite different from her time in Mumbai. The creative professional adds, “When I get a chance to be in Mumbai, we raise the Gudi in the balcony and the whole family does the puja and eat neem and jaggery as prasad and finally then feast on puran poli, khadi saakhar. Puran Poli is my absolute favourite.”
Pote’s love for Gudi Padwa stems from all her memories of celebrating the festival while growing up. “My fondest memories of celebrating Gudi Padwa in Mumbai was waking up and getting the gudi ready as we have to wash the stick, put haldi and kumkum and then drape the saree with the earthen kalash on the top. My sister and I would divide the responsibilities of getting the Gudi ready.” While the celebrations are different now, she continues her family tradition of observing the festival, even though she is away rom home, as it reminds her of family and home in Mumbai.
It is quite different for Purva Joshi-Chaudhari, a city-based publicist, who hails from the Maharashtrian community too. “I will be celebrating Gudi Padwa at my in-law’s place. While it is the usual and nothing different this year, luckily it is on a weekend this time, because it is coming on a Sunday. It means that I don’t have to go through the hassle and discussion of ‘Sabko chutti hai, why don’t you have a holiday?”
Being from Thane, the 31-year-old says the Maharashtrian community comes together at Talaopali, one of the biggest known lakes in the neighbourhood. “Everybody gathers on the periphery and lights little diyas (handmade lamps) and even in the societies they live. On the day of Gudi Padwa, we have ‘Prabhat Pheri’, a procession that is carried out and all the participants dress up with a theme.” The Mumbaikar has done it over the years, and even reminisces the one time she was a part of the procession in her younger days, one of which had the theme ‘States of India’, and she dressed up as ‘Kashmir’, after shopping for the costumes the previous day and getting ready to join the procession, which starts early in the morning.
While it was an intimate gathering in her maternal home, it has become grand in her husband’s home. “After my marriage in my husband’s home, relatives gather and there are different dishes that are made. Being the eldest daughter-in-law in the family, it is my responsibility to do the puja and help out in the cooking. It is a good chance for the family to reunite.” Since people have to do it in their home, they come together after that and enjoy the festivities.
Even though she isn’t in her maternal home, the Mumbaikar says the celebrations are an extension that is bigger and grander, and that makes it equally special, while giving people a chance of dressing and celebrating it with the family. However, Joshi wants to extend plans to the next generation too. “I am looking forward to taking my daughter to see the diyas being lit up the previous evening. On Gudi Padwa, I also hope to show her the celebrations from the started, if she wakes up on time,” laughs the Mumbaikar, continuing, “I will take her to see the procession, as it is a tradition in Thane, among families to join it. While it has changed over time, there are still many people who look forward to it, and I am going to do it too,” she shares excitedly.