Yugadi 2021: Pune, Maharashtra

Yugadi (known as Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, and Chetichand among the Sindhi community) marks the first day of the Hindu lunar calendar's bright fortnight of Chaitra. According to the Brahma Purana, this was the very day on which Lord Brahma commenced the creation of the universe, making it not just a New Year but a cosmic anniversary. The word Yugadi itself derives from yuga (age/era) and adi (beginning): the dawn of a new cycle of time.

On this morning, households are cleaned, mango leaves are strung across doorways (torana), and women draw intricate kolam/rangoli at the entrance. In Karnataka and Andhra, the priest or eldest member of the family reads aloud the Panchanga Shravanam (the annual almanac for the incoming year) detailing the year's name (samvatsara), the ruling planet, expected rains, harvests, and advice for each rashi. Listening to this reading is itself considered an auspicious act that bestows the merit of a sacred pilgrimage.

The most iconic element of Yugadi is the Ugadi Pachadi: a dish made of exactly six flavours: neem flowers (bitterness/sorrow), jaggery (sweetness/happiness), raw mango pieces (surprise/new beginnings), tamarind (sourness/disgust), green pepper (sharpness/anger), and salt (fear). Together, they symbolise the full spectrum of life's experiences that the new year will bring. Eating the pachadi reminds the devotee to accept all of life (joy and sorrow, gain and loss) with equanimity and grace.