BENGALURU : To me, Ugadi has always been a celebration of the city I call my home. While we have always enjoyed the festival, it became a lot more exciting for me once my daughter, Mahati, was born. I have always been a firm believer in passing on our traditions to the next generation, and so my family and I started celebrating Ugadi more in earnest. The idea has always been to give her fond memories that she will cherish and replicate in her own life as she grows.
Every year, we celebrate Ugadi as a family; with new clothes, a small puja, and a traditional, home-cooked lunch. After the puja, I remind Mahati that bevu-bella symbolises the essence of life – a mix of all things both bitter and sweet. Of course, collectively, our favourite part of Ugadi is most definitely the obattu – which we start eating much before the festival season begins and continue for a long time after it ends.
Celebrating Ugadi, and most other festivals, has become a lot more special to me after Mahati was born. We do everything we can to ensure that she enjoys this time, and learns more about why we celebrate. And of course, who can create a lifetime of festival memories like children?
One of my favourite Ugadi stories is from a few years back, when Mahati was around four years old. I told her we were buying her a new outfit to celebrate and she immediately said she wanted a saree. So we decided to improvise a little; we bought a new silk dupatta and used a crop top as the blouse. My mother and I draped it around her like a saree, and she was over the moon! It was hilarious to watch her parading around in her “saree,” refusing to change even after the puja was over.
For my parents, Ugadi has always been a celebration of traditions in a city that came to be their home. Over the years, they have passed on that love and excitement to me; something I am trying to instil in my own child and all my students at SaPa. We’re so excited that it’s that time of year again!
The author is a singer-songwriter and Dean, the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts (SaPa)