The festival of Basant Panchami is fast losing its traditional fervour and enthusiasm in the mountainous areas of the State. Celebrated on the fifth day of Magh month of Hindu calendar, this festival heralds the beginning of spring season and Holi festival. On this day, Hindu worship Saraswati who is the goddess of knowledge, music art and culture.
Old timers recall the festivity and atmosphere in the villages associated with Basant Panchami which is not seen nowadays. Recalling the good old days in villages, a Doon resident and a retired government officer R C Singh Rawat said that the Holi celebrations in the Garhwal hills start with the festival of Basant Panchami. He said that the children of the villages collect flowers from the fields and put them before the doorsteps of entire village households in form of beautiful floral rangolis. This beautiful tradition called ‘Fyuli’ is now waning in the rural countryside of mountains.
Fondly remembering her days of childhood, the president of Kurnanchal Cultural and Welfare Council, Sushmita Negi Manral told The Pioneer that the children wait anxiously for the festival. She informed that at least one attire used to be colored in yellow using turmeric in the houses. The specially prepared Pakoris made of locally grown black gram (Urad) used to be the flavor of the day with cucumber raita acting as appetizer. Negi said that the tradition of coloring the cloths is still followed in many households but now it is more of a symbolic affair as only a handkerchief is coloured nowadays.
The famous Garhwali folk singer Pritam Baratwan too rued the decline in tradition of celebrating Basant Panchami in the villages of Uttarakhand. He said that it is the duty of the parents to ensure that their children are aware of the tradition and culture of the hills.