Saman Ali Saudi Gazette AL-KHOBAR — Basant is the Sanskrit word for spring. The season of spring brings warmth, festivities and happiness with it. New plants and flowers start to bloom. Snow melts and streams swell up. It has been a tradition in the Indo-Pak subcontinent to celebrate the advent of spring with great fervor. Basanth is usually celebrated on the fourth or fifth of the lunar month. Wheat grows and mustard blooms. Poets and writers have dedicated couplets and songs to the yellow fields of mustard. This yellow color is considered to be the color of spring and men tie yellow turbans, women wear yellow scarves and saris. Swings are hung in trees. Traditional songs are sung to reflect festivity and happiness. Kite flying is common. It is said that the famous Indo-Pak saint Nizamuddin participated in these celebrations. Last week Basant was celebrated at a local compound in Al-Khobar. It was an all-women festival. After 10 in the morning, women started gathering dressed in yellow and green. A few were dressed in other colors too but everyone was in the mood to enjoy and celebrate. The entrance was decorated with colorful dupattas (long scarves) and kites. Indian and Pakistani women were all under one roof smiling and exchanging greetings. The hall was bedecked in yellow, red and green. Music was played in one corner. There were some savory snacks and jalebis, a yellow colored spiral sweet, to welcome everyone In one corner Indian jewelry and Pakistani branded lawn were sold. A dholki and tambourine were played by women who sat on the floor and sang Urdu and Punjabi songs. There were games and lucky draws and winners were given gifts. There were a few women who had just arrived in the Kingdom from Australia and America and have been away from their home countries for a very long time. They were really happy to mingle with the community and exchanged ideas and views on living abroad. The aroma from the food table was too powerful and everyone was eager to eat. Women were happy to see and taste zarda at the lunch table. Zarda is a typical south Asian dessert usually served at weddings. The word zarda is derived from the Persian word Zard, which means yellow. Rice is boiled with yellow color, then sugar, milk and cardamom are added. Garnished with raisins, almonds and pistachios, it is a sweet treat that is hard to forget. It went well with the Basant theme. The event lasted for more than three hours before everyone went home. Kevah Fashion also arranged a successful fashion show that will be remembered for days to come.
