Makar Sankranti marks the beginning of a new phase. It is indeed a new beginning for a group of young boys and girls from Hamburg, Germany as they participate in the Sankranti festivities at Goethe Zentrum. The students, who are here as part of a study exchange programme, are accompanied by their friends from Nasr School. “In India, every day is a festival. You are all coming here on the eve of Sankranti. It is not a religious festival; it has a scientific reason that’s based on the constellation of stars,” explains Amita Desai as the students cheer.
The evening begins with an exciting game of kabaddi but the real fun awaits the students. They are drawn to beautiful white muggus drawn on the floor. “Take the powder with your fingers and hold your hand close to the ground. Keep your hand steady and draw a line,” a teacher explains as a group of girls watch her draw. Teenager Lena sits with a cup of pink colour powder and carefully fills it in a pattern. “They ( Muggus ) look colourful, beautiful and make even an ordinary street look so good,” she says as she goes about filling the designs.
As some students place rose and marigold petals on the colourful muggus , there are others who ask their Indian friends about the art of muggu . For German teachers Steafanie Tollner and Simone Gleissner, it is their second trip to Hyderabad during Sankranti. “Last year, it was exciting to watch the kites dot the skyline,” the duo enthuses. It is Hendrik Von Voehrene’s first visit to India and says the kites remind him of his childhood when he flew kites. “I remember flying a cobra kite,” he says with a smile and adds, “Our kites are different. They are big and made of fabric. We would take our kites to the beach and when it is windy, it helps our kites fly high. There is no competition as we do not try to outdo each other. We just love to see whose kite flies higher.”
With mehendi adorning her hand, Louisa says she and her friends plan to buy kites and decorate it in their own way. “We plan to draw sketches and fly the kites,” she said. The spirits soar high as the Sankranti buzz continues.
