When a harvest festival comes to Bengaluru

Bengaluru south resident Sachin Rai remembers a time when the area around what is today Bannerghatta Road had lush green agricultural fields with ragi and groundnut crops aplenty. “I remember farmers complaining about elephants entering the fields and destroying the crops. The herds would later retreat to Bannerghatta, Anekal forest areas,” he recalled, describing it as a phenomenon that persisted till as late as the turn of the century.

Bengaluru south resident Sachin Rai remembers a time when the area around what is today Bannerghatta Road had lush green agricultural fields with ragi and groundnut crops aplenty. “I remember farmers complaining about elephants entering the fields and destroying the crops. The herds would later retreat to Bannerghatta, Anekal forest areas,” he recalled, describing it as a phenomenon that persisted till as late as the turn of the century.

But as the city of Bengaluru has grown, swallowing the villages around it -- becoming Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike -- and with it all the farmlands too, all this is a thing of the past. But come Makara Sankranthi, the markets of Bengaluru get a certain “agricultural” feel.

There are heaps of groundnut, avare kayi (hyacinth bean) and ingredients that go into the traditional ellu-bella (til and jaggery mixture). There are clusters of sugarcane and mounds of flowers too. Though several farmlands have disappeared, these fresh produce for the annual harvest festival come from nearby villages.

Bengaluru is surrounded by a ring of villages and towns like Hoskote, Devanahalli, Nelamangala, Ramanagara and Anekal that are a lifeline to the city supplying it with its agriculture produce, especially vegetables, fruits and greens, known for their grapes, pamelos, avare kayi among others. The neighbouring districts of Kolar and Chikkaballapur are among the largest producers of mangoes and tomatoes in the country. The annual Kadlekai Parishe, celebrated around Basavanagudi area, is also a reminder of a time when groundnut crops were grown in the region.

However, as the influence of the city has expanded horizontally, many of these agricultural zones are being threatened. Gated communities and swanky apartments now dot these areas, the land prices have shot up significantly and the realtors have made significant inroads. While agriculture and horticulture still remain the mainstay of these areas and the city remains their main market, this symbiotic relationship is all the more threatened today.

This is what makes Sankranti -- a festival celebrated across the country by different names by different agricultural communities such as Pongal, Lohri, Bihu and many more -- all the more precious.