Happy Makar Sankranti, Lohri and Pongal, folks! It is a day to show our gratitude to the farmers who play an important role in growing the food we eat. For most parts of India, this period is a part of early stages of the Rabi crop and agricultural cycle, where crops have been sown and the hard work in the fields is mostly over. Celebrated with different names all over the country, the festivals of Makar Sankranti and Pongal symbolize the happiness that comes with good harvest and is a celebration of a positive transformation in people's lives. The festival celebrates the first month with consistently longer days. This is the beauty of the festival. The festival is celebrated on three days with different traditions being involved for the three days. "Uttarayan greetings to the people of Gujarat", said Modi in his tweet in English and Gujarati. Music by Ismail Darbar, the song has a lovely classic touch which helps you to celebrate the festival traditionally. Another legend says that the Sun god forgave his son Shani for a transgression and Shani then visited him on Makar Sankranti. One can't imagine the celebration without the "til ka laddoo", made with jaggery and sesame. The day marks the end of winters and beginning of spring.

To mark this auspicious day, people across the country thronged the bank of river Ganga to take holy dip and offer special puja.

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The harvest festival is here.

Not many know that Makar Sankranti draws parallel with western festival, Thanksgiving. They are celebrated to show our respect towards food and the famers.