The joys of devouring grandma’s secret recipes is irreplaceable for most children, and Sankranti is the time where they try to pack their bags to head to their granny’s place to soak in the festive spirit.
In the present scenario where nuclear families continue to be the trend, the three-day Pedda Panduga — Bhogi, Sankranti and Kanuma — is an occasion to foster family ties and bonds.
Children wait for the whole year to spend quality time with their grandma and grandpa to get pampered endlessly. “Tasting grandma’s sumptuous preparations which she feeds me with so much of love and affection is what I enjoy the most. Her version of pindi vantalu makes me crave for more,” says Naga Venu, a youngster, who is all set to go to Annavaram along with her parents to celebrate the Pedda Panduga . Yadla Manikanta, a Class X student of Andhra University High School Telugu Medium, ensures to go to Bobbili every year to celebrate the Panduga for two reasons. “Firstly, my grandparents stay there. Secondly, the charm of celebrating the festival in a village is something I am extremely fond of. Also, it is where we see more of Gangireddu feats,” he narrates.
It is a labour of love for the grannies as they gear up to prepare traditional delicacies at home all by themselves. “Making jantikalu , arisalu , bellam laddu and murukulu is a laborious process. The preparation starts at least a couple of weeks ahead of Sankranti, as care needs to be taken to grind the rice in the flour mill to the required consistency,” says Ganti Nagaratnam, a 70-plus woman who is waiting eagerly to meet her son, daughter, grandchildren and great grandchildren arriving soon from Mumbai, Hyderabad and the UAE.
