Tradition of ‘Sandhara’ now languishes in Sawan

Mahesh Sharma

Mandi Ahmedgarh, July 24

Sawan used to be a month when the rains arrived, rejuvenating the dry earth and filling the spirit with joy and hope. It also used to be a time to observe rituals like that of presenting ‘Sandhara’ to married daughters. In those days, small bakeries in towns and villages used to hum with activity with the onset of Sawan to observe the tradition of presenting biscuits and cookies to the families of married daughters. The tradition, once a de rigueuer, is dying down gradually.

However, the tradition is being kept alive by the poor and middle class families in the rural and suburban localities to some extent. A majority of these families have started considering the practice as a social ritual in contrast to the enthusiastic ceremony held to celebrate it till a few decades ago.

A visit to the bakeries in town and surrounding localities revealed that there had been a steep decline in the number of families queuing up to get biscuits baked with the material brought from home.

At least one member of each family used to remain glued to containers carrying milk, desi ghee and wheat flour till the ingredients were transformed into dough and baked into biscuits. Contrary to the trend, the desirous families either leave the material for preparation of biscuits or prefer to buy the ready-made cookies and other bakery items.

Madhvi Sharma of Subhash Nagar said the practice is diminishing due to a change in lifestyle. “Contrary to the earlier trend when people used to visit their in-laws or the families of their daughters only on special occasions, the visits are more frequent now throughout the year. This has led to a decline in enthusiasm and charm of ceremonial visits,” said Madhvi Sharma, maintaining that the daughters and their in-laws were not much interested in items presented as ‘Sandhara’ during the rainy season.

Naresh Kumar Sharma, veteran social activist, said offering eatables with a longer shelf life was a necessity earlier as the rainy season normally used to upset the life of families in those days. “To ensure the availability of food for subsistence during the ‘rainy days’, each family used to send the stock of baked items, including biscuits, to the families of their married daughters,” said Naresh Sharma, arguing that the need was converted to a ritual and ceremony with the passage of time.