I must confess that until recently I had never heard of Phool Dei, a spring festival that was celebrated yesterday in the villages of Uttarakhand.
Children gather fresh flowers from the hills and go from house to house placing them on doorsteps, offering a blessing for the household:
“Phool Dei, Chhamma Dei,
Deni Dwar, Bhar Bhakar…” roughly wishing the home prosperity.
In return they receive sweets.
It reminded me a little of Halloween in the U.S., where children go door to door saying “trick or treat.” But what a lovely contrast. Here the children arrive not threatening a prank, or asking first, but giving first. Flowers.
In an age when we speak so much about environmental consciousness, this graceful celebration of spring and nature deserves to be far more widely known.
Just as Holi travelled across India and the world, perhaps Phool Dei should too.
For me, the children of Uttarakhand are my #MondayMotivation
@SubathraDevi_ Please don’t comment without hearing to both the sides.
கல்யாணம் ஆயிடுச்சானு கேட்டா தப்பு. குழந்தை இருக்கானு கேட்டா தப்பு, வயசு கேட்டா தப்பு, இப்போ ஊர் பேர் கேட்டாலும் தப்பு. புதுசா யாரையாவது பார்த்தா என்ன பேசுவது? கொஞ்சம் சொல்லுங்கப்பா.
@RGVzoomin Very true. We are also dog lovers and animal lovers, but can’t keep a lion inside the house or strays on the road. Everything has its place. When we go to foreign countries that is what strikes us most.
@AnuSatheesh5 It is so much effort. The steps are so steep just to climb, to make rangoli at every few step till the top is really an amazing task. Such a pure devotion🙏🏼
@NeecheSeTopper Yes this hit me the most, but all Tamil film villains are like that. They cry over their own brothers and family but without slightest remorse or regret go on a killing spree without thinking about the victims and their families.