BENGALURU: While the pandemic has cast a pall of gloom over festival celebrations since March last year, Sankranti and Pongal festivities at Vinoba Nagar in Kadugondanahalli on Thursday reflected the community spirit of the harvest festival.
Makara Sankranti and Pongal were celebrated by Vinoba Nagar’s residents with aplomb. About 100 people gathered to celebrate the festival which is also dedicated to the Sun god Surya. They set up small cooking fires on the road to prepare pongal — a dish made of rice cooked in milk and jaggery.
“This is the first festival in 2021 and marks the year of hope. So we decided not to celebrate the festival at home, but make it a low-key affair and celebrate it with others. The women of the neighbourhood gathered and decided to cook pongal by lighting small fires and sharing it with each other. Not just us, the children too enjoyed it,” said Padma, a resident.
The festival spirit, albeit low key, was visible in other parts of Bengaluru too. Homes were decorated and families invited relatives and friends. While some markets did see many shoppers, some said that the crowds were thinner than in previous years due to the pandemic.
“We expected a grand sale this year, after the lull last year. But the situation has not improved. It seems customers are still being cautious and are making limited purchases,” said K Kumar, a vendor in Malleswaram.