On Makar Sankranti, a celebration that signifies renewal, gratitude, and the harvest season, actor Shreyas Talpade gets into a special shoot for HTCity, that involves kite flying and binging on tilgul (jaggery and sesame candy coated with sesame seeds). Shreyas shares his thoughts on the festival that heralds the sun’s northward journey and brings communities together across the country.
Getting nostalgic as he spots kites, Shreyas shares, “Makar Sankranti is the day I miss my father the most. He used to be like an overenthusiastic child every Makar Sankranti, it was his favourite festival. He taught us kite flying, the nitty- gritties of ‘pench ladana’ and everything involved with kite flying. He would get loads of kites, manjha and phirki. We would visit our relatives in Vadodara and begin as early as 8am till night. Vadodara has a tradition of candle balloons and he would be completely immersed in it. Being the youngest in the family I was the guy who held the manjha, tied the kanni and was given other such tasks.”
The actor admits to missing celebrations like in the 90s. “Earlier we had joint families and all the kids in the building would celebrate together. Our family would distribute homemade tilguls in the building and feast on winter vegetable dishes along with non-veg food items. None of us went home that day. We would eat when we took a break from flying kites on our terrace, all day. Rasna would be prepared in a large vessel for all kids in the building.”
The actor is now father to 7-year- old Aadya and trying to keep traditions alive. He says, “I want my daughter Aadya to experience Makar Sankranti celebrations. My friends and cousins still continue our tradition of celebrating at the building where we grew up. So, this year I’m planning to take her along so she can experience the celebrations too.”
Recalling his first Makar Sankranti after marriage with wife Deepti he says, “I was in Tenali, in Andhra Pradesh, preparing for my film Iqbal, while my wife was in Mumbai. I missed seeing kites there.”