Gudi Padwa 2021: How Mumbaikars are celebrating the new year

For a lot of Maharashtrians it is a sombre Gudi Padwa While 2020 had been quiet due to the Covid19 outbreak they had hoped the situation would change for the better this time around However the recent surge in cases has seen Maharashtra go under a lockdown from April 5 and there is no sign of it being lifted any time soonMarking the beginning of spring and a new year for the community it is one of the biggest festivals in the state brought in with pomp and fervour in most urban and rural householdsHowever the last two years have felt different for Bandrabased Sagar Hogale The 30yearold visual effects professional and his family usually headed to their village Wing in Satararsquos Karad every year for a big celebration But they havent been able to do this since 2019 ldquoWhile there are people in my colony who put up the gudi we donrsquot really do it because we have always celebrated it with family and it feels incomplete without themrdquo Given Covid19 pandemic has dampened spirits all across the country the Hogales have respectfully kept celebrations minimal They will only make puran polis mdash just like last year mdash ldquofor the sake of traditionrdquoHogale informs that every year at least one member from their family represents them in their village While he isnrsquot always able to go due to work commitments his mother always goes there to celebrate as it was a tradition started by his late father From walking the lsquopalkirsquo around the village to tying the lsquogudirsquo above every house the village comes alive during this time of the year for the family It does not end there as they also usually have a lsquojatrarsquo which is simply an extension of the celebration and includes different kinds of plays that are performed along with some dance and other festivitiesHowever just like 2020 this year too has been different for them and while he misses the annual family gathering he understands the severity of the situation and hopes it will be different next year this time aroundJust like Hogale for Goregaonbased Annapurna Kulkarni Gudi Padwa is a huge festival celebration The 24yearold accessories designer says every year her family visits their hometown in Aarvi near Punersquos Junnar for the shobha yatra where children and adults indulge in different art forms like lezim talwar dhol a Shivaji theatrical and more as an expression of their culture Reminiscing the past she says ldquoIts a huge gathering where the rally starts early in the morning at one temple and goes around a few blocks cheering celebrating singing and dancing to welcome the new year Its full of energy joy and happinessrdquo Gudi Padwa lunch at Annapurna Kulkarnis house Photo Annapurna KulkarniKulkarni adds ldquoBut since lockdown all of us are celebrating the new year keeping the memories of this yatra in our minds while preparing the most delicious meals For the last two years even if we cant step out for this huge gathering were all celebrating it with equal enthusiasm while at home My mother has made modaks my favourite Marathi delicacy to cheer up the padwa spiritrdquo Sanika Desairsquos family too is looking at the brighter side of things The 24yearold Sionbased illustrator says ldquoWe have put the gudi in our house this year like last year It is the arrangement of the copper kalash on mango or neem leaves over a sari or cloth placed on a stick Every year we decorate it with rangoli and diyas wear new clothes eat good food and also have a family gathering but that is not possible this yearrdquoldquoWe start with something sweet in the morning like sheera and it is incomplete without shrikhand poori which my mother makes every year We also have puran polis that we feast on in the houserdquo she adds excitedly