AGARTALA, January 13 (TIWN): Makar Sankranti is round the corner and its sweetness has crept into the city. Celebrated on January 14, this harvest festival is marked with the words – Tilgul ghya godh godh bola (accept the tilgul and speak sweet words). People gather together, distribute sweets and happiness and cheer. The tilgul – sesame seeds and sugar – are plain white or multi-coloured. They are tokens of goodwill.

The city is gearing up to celebrate Makar Sankranti on January 14th. Markets in the city are decked up even as educational institutes are organizing melas to mark the occasion.

People in Tripura celebrate the festival by offering Pithas and Til Ladoos to the Sun God and then distributing them to friends and family. 

In the northern regions of India, Makar Sankranti is a fun-filled festival marked by a range of exciting activities such as lighting the ritualistic bonfire during the evening, dancing on the beats of the dhol, singing popular folk songs, and enjoying a traditional feast.

Markets are all decked up. Besides educational institutes, markets at M.G. Bazar and Battala, too, are geared up for the festival. Rajiv Saha, a homemaker who had gone to Battala for shopping, said the market was the best place to shop during festivities, adding that it looks incomplete unless it is decked up.

A shop owner, Rajesh Das, points to the increase in sales of til articles, “This is the first festival of the year. Ours is a seasonal business but in the last two years, there has been a 15 per cent hike in the sale of these interesting items.”