Happy Makar Sankranti and Happy Pongal to chitra!! - Page 2

What a rocking start to 2009!

Vidya Balan (TOI Photo) More Pics

Three festivals on one day in the first fortnight of the first month of the new year. Mumbai, being the melting pot of all cultures and the home of people from all across India, celebrates every festival. So, while in the South Indian pockets of Matunga and Chembur it is Pongal, the Tamil New Year; in Punjabi homes here, there and everywhere it is Lohri-Maghi, the North Indian festival of the winter harvest; and, in every Maharashtrian home, it is Makar Sankranti, when the Sun God begins his ascendency and enters the northern hemisphere, an auspicious day for all Hindus.
On Pongal, the pretty Tamil Brahmin (Tam-Bram) Vidya Balan may be shooting, but her day begins with prayers, a visit to the temple and by savouring some sweet made by her mother. "You pray that the entire year is spent in abundance. And this year more than ever before globally, considering the recession," says Vidya.

Festivals are not so much about rituals for her as much as it's about prayer and a time when you meet and greet relatives and friends. This morning the pretty actress visited the Sringeri Mutt temple near Diamond Garden in Chembur, where she lives. "Here we pray to Goddess Shardambal, the Goddess of Learning. As kids we would make it a point to vist this temple before our exams," she says. And the practice continues. "As grown-ups every day is a new challenge, a learning experience. I believe experience is a unique teacher; it gives you the test first, lesson later," she smiles.