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Punjab farmers dance to Bhangra beats on Baisakhi

     Amritsar: The Sikh community across India celebrated the annual spring harvest festival of Baisakhi on Wednesday. In Amritsar, endless queue of devotees waited patiently to pay respects at their most sacred shrine, the Golden Temple. After the initial prayers, devotees thronged the holy pond for a dip meant to cleanse and purify their souls. "This festival is being celebrated by Sikhs," said Major Singh, a devotee. Farmers across Punjab, where most Sikhs reside, dressed in colourful attires and danced to "Bhangra" beats near their fields and visited Gurdwaras to pray for a rich harvest. Baisakhi holds special significance for the Sikhs as this day also marks the birth anniversary of the "Khalsa Panth" or the Sikh order. The panth was established in 1699 by the tenth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh on Baisakhi day. In Kerala, people celebrated their New Year on the first day of the Malayalam month of Medam according to the Kollam calendar. The festival called "Vishu" falls on April 14 every year. It is believed that the first objects which one sees on the morning of Vishu determine the prosperity experienced in the coming year. As a result, people make it a point to see all the auspicious things as soon as they wake up. "Also the day marks with the killing of Ravana by Rama and this is celebrated in a way which India celebrates Diwali," said Rama Pillai, a resident of Cochin. In Assam, April 14 is celebrated as "Rangali Bihu" or "Bohag Bihu", the traditional harvest festival. True to the rural lifestyle of the community, the celebrations begin with giving cattle a thorough scrub and pampering them with specially prepared food. Spread over seven days, the festival marks the beginning of the new Assamese year. Sports events are organised during the day while music and cultural events are performed in night at select venues in all villages and towns of the state. Large crowds are treated to performances of music and the traditional Bihu dance. Bihu is a festival of spring, new year and harvest rolled into one. Trees, creepers and orchids are in full bloom and the air turns fragrant with flowers in the lush green Assam hills and plains.
- April 14, 2004