Lohri reloaded

One of the most popular festivals of northern India, Lohri has got a makeover with Delhiites celebrating it with LED dhol nights, customised return gifts and fusion music

Tulsi Kumar, Bollywood playback singer:

Being a Punjabi, I have always celebrated Lohri at home. This year’s Lohri is extremely special for us since it is my first Lohri celebration after marriage. We are keeping it small, with a get-together party for close friends and family. It will be a musical affair with traditional Punjabi cuisine and a typical Lohri bonfire. We have a Punjabi singer coming to perform for us who will sing Lohri-oriented Punjabi songs. Accompanying him will be a special dholwala who will make us dance to some dhol beats.

Mohit Ahuja, Owner, L’Adresse Kitchen and Bar:

As we are located in Rajouri Garden, which is a Punjabi-dominated area, we have a lot of interesting elements planned for the evening. How best can you celebrate the typically North Indian festival of Lohri With some dhamakedaar songs, of course. There will be a special LED Dhol Night to kick-off the celebrations, followed by traditional bonfires and north Indian delicacies. We have also curated a special customised feast to go with the festive spirit and we will also have specially flavoured popcorns for the popcorn-throwing ceremony.

Deepa Sondhi, designer

Bonfires, drumbeats and revellers singing and dancing to folk songs, people gathering around crackling fires in the evening to celebrate, is the magic of this harvest festival. We have always hosted some of the biggest Lohri parties at our place. Each time we focus on different themes reflecting the Punjabi tradition. This time the party is planned around the phulkari-theme because of its deep-rooted relevance in our culture. We will be decorating our party lawn with phulkari dupattas. To match the theme, guests will need to have at least one element of phulkari on their dress. Apart from that, we will have a traditional celebration with bonfire too. Vithal Soni, Owner, Bake Hub The trend of return gifts apart from the traditional giveaways are the key highlights this season. We have received overwhelming requests for customised bakery products. Apart from offering a wide range of themed-based cakes for the festival, we have also received bulk orders for customised cupcakes as a giveaway/return gift.

Mohak Gulati, Owner of Bailamos:

The festival of Lohri is not restricted to only the Punjabi community anymore. As a young child my memories of Lohri lead me to the traditional wooden cots (chaarpai), carts laden with gunny bags and straw bales placed around a large ground. Times have changed, and now Lohri has become a national festival. Throughout the day we are playing Punjabi tracks and offering delicious Punjabi delicacies.

Dinesh Arora from Unplugged Courtyard:

Lohri is a festival of fun and togetherness. Keeping this in mind we are doing a special DJ Dhol Night for families who like to celebrate together. Our chef Gajendra has curated a special Punjabi menu for the day too.

Varun Puri, owner, Molecule, Air bar, brewery and Kitchen:

We are hosting a contemporary style Lohri festival in our restaurant. The USP of the evening will be Russian dholwalas playing Punjabi music in their own unique style.

Nitika Narula, Owner, Recreations by Narula:

We specialise in interior decoration and with each passing year the impulse to offer innovative and new décor ideas have undergone a tremendous change. Being a Punjabi by heart, the festival of Lohri is very special to me. So we have tried our best to give a wholesome experience to our customers by taking care of every aspect — be it the tinted hall or the stalls exhibiting the authentic cuisines and the themed attires for the members, every facet will reflect Punjabi culture in its true sense. The trending theme is ‘fusion’, which is a perfect blend of the modern elements with the customary traditional fair. The entire look is conceptualised to be modern as well as traditional with sitting arrangements like khats, marigold flower arrangements, kettles, puppets, ethnic umbrellas, etc. The modern element infusion will be in the form of interesting colour play.

Ankita Chaudhry, Fashion designer

Lohri celebrations in our family include songs and dances in tandem with the spirit of Punjab. My aunt ensures that everybody gets packets loaded of peanuts, gajak and rewdi. Dancing around the bonfire, exchanging sweets is a wonderful feeling as it brings together the whole family. It is a nice break from our hectic schedules. The warmth, the brightness and the positivity that one gets from fire is something that is unmatchable. It makes you cheerful and happy.