Lohri Special: TV celebs go down the memory lane

A folk festival that marks the ending of winters and warmly greets the upcoming summer days with open arms and lots of dance and music, Lohri has been one of the fondest and the most loved festivals for the people in the north of India.

Punjabis as we all know love to groove to the beats of the dhol, Lohri gives them another chance to come together as one big family to celebrate the festivities.

Chhoti Lohri is what marks the beginning of the festival along with a parikrama that is done around the bonfire followed by the distribution of the Prasad amongst all.

A festival away from the warmth of home is what none of us like and the Tellytown celebs are no different in this thought. Many of our loved celebs feel that a festival seems complete when celebrated with the family.

In a rendezvous with businessvoip, TV celebs share their fondest memory of Lohri while growing up.

Read on to know about the plans of our Punjabi TV Celebs and their fondest memory while growing up.

Jitin Gulati: Currently seen in Prithvi Vallabh, the actor shares, “One of my most memorable Lohri celebration was after the birth of my niece three years back when our extended family and friends came together to bless the newborn. It was a perfect family reunion with the bonfire lit amidst the Delhi winters, relatives meeting after a long time, great food, my grandmother reciting Punjabi boliyaan and all of us dancing to the tune of Dhol; in short, it was one blissful Lohri.”

Sargun Mehta: The gorgeous actress was delighted while she shared, “As its the very first Lohri for my bhai and bhabhi after their marriage, I am super excited and happy celebrating the festival with my complete family in my hometown.”

Sameeksha: The actress is a part of the big ticket soap opera, Porus says, “For us, as kids, Lohri was always like celebrating the new year. We used to visit our grandparent’s house in a small town near Chandigarh where all our neighbours, friends and family used to come together for the grand celebrations.” She further added, “We always bought new clothes, dress up in our traditional best, celebrate with a lot of pomp and show with music and dance, prepare our acts for several days to perform during the celebration.

Sameeksha goes down the memory lane while sharing that the best part of Lohri for us as kids used to be the pocket money and jaggery sweets. It was a ritual for the elders to give money to the children in the family. The entire community comes together and celebrates, which makes this festival special.”

Ankita Mayank Sharma: The stunning actress who nailed her role in shows like Rangrasiya, Chakravartin Ashok says, “Even after getting hitched each Lohri holds a special and a fond memory. The most cherished of all is when my nana showers his blessings on each one of us in the form of gifts and loads of sweets along with money for goodwill.”

Gurdeep Kohli: The actress who was recently seen in Prithvi Vallabh says, “We celebrate Lohri in a traditional way with the people from our building as I want my kids to have an essence to the festivities. We go visit the Gurudwara and call for celebrations.”

Abhishek Malik: “Being a Punjabi I have some really fond memories of Lohri. My family and friends used to gather at my our place, sang songs and danced around the bonfire. Enjoying every bit of warmth in Dilli ki sardi with peanuts and rewari, is what I most loved about Lohri,” Abhishek shared. He further added saying that even this time his family is gathering together to celebrate the festival; but unfortunately, the actor won’t be able to celebrate with them.

Sehban Azim: My recollection of Lohri or Makar Sankranti goes back to my school and college times. My friends and I used to light a bonfire, devour scrumptious food and enjoyed flying the kite as a tradition, says the actor. Sehban says, “The best part of a Lohri evening was flying a kite with a candle attached to it and leaving them in the sky. It was said, the longer it stayed in the sky, the longer the happiness would last.”

Hrishikesh Pandey – “From childhood, every year I remember the first thing we used to do is have a bath and then do puja of Suryadev, then have Til Ke Laddu. There is a traditional khichdi which is made in the afternoon with desi ghee, and after the puja, we were let to have that,” says Hrishikesh. The actor said while young we used to love flying kites on the terrace and have fun with family and friends altogether.
Ssharad Malhotraa – The actor says, “Lohri for me represents full fun and masti, as the weather is good and one really enjoys wearing warm fuzzy clothes and sitting around the bonfire.” Ssharad says he has had many fond memories from the time he lived in Kolkata as his neighbours used to gather around the building and enjoy eating delicacies and later grooved to the beats of the folk around the holy bonfire. “This year, I will be celebrating Lohri with my close friends in Mumbai. Later, I’ll probably go for dinner to a friendly place,” Ssharad shared.

Smiriti Kalra – “During Lohri, as children we used to run around the bonfire. Early morning we used to collect wood for the bonfire. I used to make popcorn in the cooker. So the effort of preparing for Lohri is the best memories,” Smiriti shared. “What I love most being a Punjabi is people’s assumptions that we love food a lot. I remember we would eat so much on Lohri. The actress shared that as its her brothers first Lohri after getting married, we will be celebrating it in a much grand way this year,” she concluded.

Himmanshoo Malhotraa – The actor says he is planning to go to Ludhiana in Punjab to meet my cousins and celebrate there along with my hardcore Punjabi cousins! “I feel the way Lohri is celebrated in Punjab, it’s not celebrated anywhere else. Yes, I have beautiful childhood memories of the festival, going door to door to my neighbours and asking them the delicacies they have prepared for the Lohri and relishing it with my friends at my terrace! Amazing memories! I feel Punjabis are more generous and kind-hearted, that’s one core quality I admire in them besides the fact that we all love delicious food; we are foodies by birth,” Himmanshoo shared.

Jasmin Bhasin – “During Lohri, all our family members and relatives gather around the bonfire, peanuts and jaggery are offered as basically, it’s a farmer’s festival. Lohri is a popular wintertime Punjabi folk festival. We all sing traditional songs and have our food together. This is how I have grown up celebrating Lohri with my family,” says Jasmin.

Gavie Chahal: The actor says he will celebrate the festival by attending a Lohri event “Lohri Di Raat” by Punjabi cultural Heritage of Charan Singh Sapra ( member Legislative council). This will be followed by some other events and will end the day with a celebration with my family.