Holy Dip  

Makar Sankranti, dedicated to the sun god, is one of the most ancient Hindu festivals celebrated across India with much fanfare. The festival marks the beginning of the auspicious period of Uttarayan. Flying kites, preparing traditional sweets with jaggery and sesame seeds and taking holy dip in rivers form an integral part of it, as does meeting with loved ones and exchanging greetings and sweets. In this episode of Culture 'Shauk' with Sunita Iyer, let’s take a look at the significance of the festival of Makar Sankranti and also find out why kite flying is an important part of the celebration.

On the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, hundreds of devotees thronged the Golden Temple.People offered prayers and took a holy dip in the 'sarovar' to mark the celebration.

Sonia Arunkumar, who was once reportedly associated with the Tamil news channel Puthiya Thalaimurai, tweeted that PM Modi should have drowned while taking the holy dip. She immediately drew flak from all quarters.

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Thanks to drought this year, the Kudala Sangama river has dried up and devotees aren't able to take a holy dip during Sankranti/Pongal. The water department arranged a different tap for the devotees to take bath.