One festival many names, just like one country many states, names, languages, religions. Sankranti also known as ‘Uttarayan’, ‘Makar Sankranti’ etc. was celebrated on 14th January 2014. This eventful day also witnessed Eid-A-Milad too.
On one hand, Nashik celebrated Sankranti with religious fervor, and on the other hand, Eid-A-Milad was celebrated with great enthusiasm too. The celebrations of Sankranti in Nashik started from early morning itself. People took holy dip in Ramkund in Panchvati and Teertharaj Kushavarta at Trimbakeshwar. They also visited temples of various deities on this auspicious occasion along with performance of rituals. Delicacies such as Tilgul, Til ladoos were made at homes. Youth and elders enjoyed flying kites. Kite flying competitions took place at many places where huge numbers were seen participating. In the evening, people visited their friends, relatives and exchanged greetings. They offered ‘Tilgul’ to each other with special wishes “Tilgul Ghya Aani God God bola”.
In the same way, thousands of Muslim brethren celebrated Eid-A-Milad (Prophet Muhammad’s birth anniversary) with religious fervor. Juloos-e-Mohammedi was led in the afternoon from Chowk Mandai, Nashik. ‘Fatiha’ (the first chapter of holy Quraan) was read and led the procession. Ulemas recited special Dua for world peace and communal harmony. Mulsim priests riding horses and carrying green flags were attracting the attention during the procession. Sharbat, Dates and other food items were distributed en route the procession. Muslim brethren decorated their homes, shops, businesses establishments with electric lighting. The air was filled with slogans such as ‘Nara-e-Takbir’, ‘Allahu Akbar’ and ‘Islam Zindabad’. Both these unique occasions showcased different flavor and enthusiasm in the city.
