8 families celebrate Maghi with newborns

As the Punjabis consider Maghi as an auspicious occasion and the start of the New Year, at least eight families in Jalandhar celebrated it with the arrival of a new family member.

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Of the eight newborns, six were boys and two girls. The birth of the children today made the families all the more elated.

Manoj Kumar, a hairdresser from near Kishanpura Chowk, said that he had planned to name his daughter ‘Mannat’. “I hope everyone in our family will approve of this name. We had a son earlier and we wanted a daughter this time. Our desire has been fulfilled with the arrival of ‘Mannat’. There could not have been a better day than Maghi for the birth of our child”, he said.

Nakodar-based Gurpreet also delivered a baby girl and named her ‘Anaira’. “Anaira has completed our family on this special day of Makar Sakranti. Jagjit Singh, an autodriver, and his wife were blessed with their third child — a son. “We already had 11-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son. I had told my wife Priya that I want a third baby and she fulfilled my wish today”, said Jagjit.

For UP-based couple Aarti and Bablu, Makar Sakranti had no major significance. “It is when we came to the ward with our baby ‘Anirudh’ when the nurse told us that it was a pious occasion in Punjab”, Bablu said. Bihar-based couple Gagan Mishra and Kanchan was blessed with a baby boy ‘Anand Kumar Mishra’. Gagan, who is a tailor, said, “Maghi is not our festival but since we are in Punjab for the past few years, we know that it has some special significance. For us, the day has become important as it marks the birth of our first baby”.