Celebrating Ugadi in all its wholeness

According to ancient texts, the festival of Ugadi, has been a platform for the development of fine arts 

There is far more to Ugadi or Yugadi as it is also called, than the customary offerings of sweet, sour, salt, pungent, and bitter flavours, to ring in the season. The meaning behind the culture and cuisine of Ugadi traces its origins to centuries-old sacred works, says Arathi VB, a vocalist, who holds an MA in Carnatic classical music and a PhD in Sanskrit. 

“Nature is never seen as just a resource in India, but rather a manifestation of the Divine. Therefore, we celebrate every cyclic transition or change in nature as a divine blessing and observe seasonal festivals such as Ugadi, Sharan-navaratra, Deepavali, Sankranti, Ratha Saptami and Holi, as well as the purnimas and amavasyas. They rejuvenate our spirits, strengthen our social bonds and remind us of the blessings that come through Nature,” says Arathi.

Arathi, born and brought up in Bengaluru, was exposed to these areas from a tender age. “My parents were active participants and volunteers in organising satsangs bhajans, discourses, cultural and literary activities and services to the needy. I grew up in an atmosphere of learning, yearning to discover the original kavya-shastras for a direct comprehension of our desha and dharma. Sanksrit became the tool for that,” she says.

Arathi, who pursued her learning of shastras, kavyas, agamas and Vedanta from scholars such as N Ranganatha Sharma, R Ganesh, Vijayalakshmi, KS Kannan, Tyagali R Sharma, and others, says, “I initially learnt classical music from my mother and later on, from Pankaja Ramachandra and TS Satyavathi.  Historical figures such as Chanakya, Vidyaranya, Vivekananda and Shivaji, apart from kings, queens, scholars, yogis and philanthropists have inspired me to work for the cause of desha and dharma.”

Arathi spoke on the relevance of Ugadi. Excerpts:

Most Indian festivals are rututsavs (seasonal festivals). The foremost of them is Ugadi, the pan-Indian New Year. For Indians, the conclusion of the old year as well as the beginning of the new year, must both coincide with spring celebrations.

Hence, we celebrate two Ugadis — one is the souramana-yugadi, based on the solar calendar that follows the cycle of the 27 nakshastras. The second is the Chandramana-yugadi based on the lunar calendar and follows the cycle of the bright and dark fortnights created by the waxing and waning of the moon. The two calendars supplement each other to ascertain time and astronomical predictions.