Lohri essentials – khajoor and kites, safe from demonetisation effects

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 10

Lohri, the year’s first festival, is upon us and it finds a special place in the quintessentially Punjabi celebrations. Dhol, bonfire, heaps of peanuts, khajoor and roof-top kite flying competitions in the holy city usually define how Amritsaris celebrate Lohri.

Following the traditions, this time is about the very special, exclusive Lohri savoury – khajoor. The sweet delicacy made only during the 15-day period before Lohri, the fried flour and ghee based khajoor is an exclusive and popular food item in Amritsar’s rich culinary list. “These come at a price of anything between Rs 300-325 per kg and are only available for Lohri. They are a part of traditional delicacy for the festival and usually the stocks are sold out by the day ends,” says Ram Kumar, a sweet shop owner near Modal town temple.

Several variations including the dry fruits-crusted are also available in fancy food stalls. Demonetisation seems to have no effects on the taste buds of Amritsaris, for only the prices of these khajoors have slightly gone down, selling at Rs 250 per kg at some shops.

Another Lohri fetish is the Kite Flying as the celebrations are considered incomplete without kiting. The city sky dons a colourful look on the day, with kites of different sizes, shapes and hues adorning it. And when it’s about kite competitions, people have kites as big as 11 feet ready to take a flight.

“The season is at its peak as the market seems safe from the demonetization effects. Bigger sized kites are more in demand and some with PM Modi’s photographs are also popular,” says Mani Kaushal, a wholesaler in Hall bazaar area. “ In any case, kites do not fetch a very high price, usually placed between Rs 5 to Rs 100, depending on their size and design. So, business is usual,” he says.