Some things never change. Lohri may be celebrated with a modern twist, but cravings for mungphali, reori, gajjak, bhugga remain the same

“De mai Lohri, jeeve teri jori”

“Khol mai kunda, jeeve tera munda”

The ‘Lohri’ here means delicacies associated with the festival, delicacies like til gur, pinnie, mungphali, reori, gajjak, bhugga. Visiting houses is a custom associated with Lohri. If someone asking for Lohri is not entertained, he/she has another song to condemn the act, which goes – “Ukka bai ukka, eh ghar bhukka”. However, with the changing times, the traditional Punjabi festival is given a modern twist. Now, Lohri in most parts of Ludhiana is celebrated with lavish parties that serves dinners and cocktails. Still, those winter delicacies, especially on Lohri, remain the all-time favourite.

The market has been littered with shops that sell the winter goodies. But a new crop of products, customised for those health conscious people, have also become popular. As Ritu Malhotra, who runs a label called Secrets, tells us, “The season starts from October till March and I am flooded with orders for pinnies, masala gur, till gajjak, bhugga etc. The pinnie of alsi (flaxseeds) and nuts remain all-time favourite among my buyers, even those in Canada as these have longer shelf-life. Pinnies made of dates and fenugreek seeds are also made on demand. The till-kut gur is also a hot seller in the winter. People give orders in bulk. The price range is anywhere between Rs 600-Rs 1500/kg. At times when the orders are more, I hire women to help me.”

Another culinary expert Sweety Ghai, who runs A Sweet Story, says she prepares special Lohri baskets which include gur, til bhugga, pinnie, dal-barfi and panjiri. “I get plenty of orders and prepare as per the taste of the customers. While some want without sugar, where jaggery or sugar-free sweetener is used, others want want plenty of nuts in their pinnies and panjiri due to extreme winter conditions. Everything is hand-made according to the choice of customers,” says Ghai. Well, the festival may have evolved, but the taste-buds of people remain the same.