A writer fondly recalls her grandmother’s special dish made with a special kind of tita phool (bitter flowers) that was carefully prepared to keep coughs, colds and fevers at bay from her beloved family members.

Celebrated every year in the sacred city of Varanasi, this festival marks Lord Shiva’s victory over the demon Tripurasur and is celebrated after 15 days of Diwali. It is also known as Tripurotsav and is observed on the day of Kartik Purnima.

Igas festival is a popular festival in Uttarakhand and a state holiday. It is a folk festival and is also known as Igas Bagwal, Igas Diwali and Budhi Deepawali. The festival is celebrated by singing folk songs and participating in folk dances like Chanchhari and Jhummelon.

Nothing takes one back to one’s childhood than a festival. Chhath Puja brings back memories of mothers, grandmothers, aunts and cousins bustling around preparing for the pujas, cooking and spreading joy and that special buzz.

The devout in Bihar and Jharkhand celebrate Chhath Puja with fasting as well as feasting. Experience the fervour of the people through the images of the festivities seen through the lens of Eklavya Prasad’s camera.

Aalta Patra is offered to the Sun God during Chhath Puja. There are communities in Bihar that have been traditionally making these flat and papad-like offerings.

Every single festival in the Indian calendar comes with its own special menu card. For Chhath the food made during this festival is usually sattvik, that is without onion, garlic and spices. Each of the four days has its own special dietary requirement.

Matar Tihar is celebrated two days after Diwali and is mostly observed by the pastoral community in Chhattisgarh. As a mark of respect, the freshly harvested grain is first offered to the cows after which it is used for preparing local cuisines.

While Diwali celebrates the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya, Sohrai Porab celebrates the return of the cattle to their village. Villagers in Jharkhand worship the cows by decorating them, lighting lamps, singing songs and offering pujas.

The Tokhü Emong Bird Count concluded after four days of intensive birdwatching in the northeastern state which has led to the documentation of 210 species of birds. A large number of school students participated in it.