Sankranti, also known as Makar Sankranti, is a major harvest festival celebrated in India on the same day every year, which is January 14th or 15th, depending on the solar calendar. It marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Capricorn (Makara), which is why it is also called Makar Sankranti.

Despite India being a diverse country with many regional cultures, Sankranti is celebrated in a similar way across the country with some local variations. People across India celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm, and it is a time of joy, happiness, and new beginnings.

The festival is celebrated by flying kites, exchanging sweets made of jaggery and sesame, and taking dips in holy rivers like the Ganges.

In many parts of India, people prepare special dishes made of freshly harvested crops like sugarcane, sesame, and jaggery. In some parts of the country, like in Maharashtra, people exchange til-gul (sesame and jaggery) laddoos and greet each other with the phrase "til-gul ghya, god god bola" which means "eat sesame and jaggery and speak sweet words".

In southern India, particularly in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu, Sankranti is celebrated as Pongal. People make sweet rice pudding called Pongal, which is cooked in earthen pots outdoors, and it is a time for families to come together and share the festive meal. In the state of Karnataka, people make a special dish called "Ellu-Bella" which is a mix of sesame seeds, jaggery, dry coconut, peanuts, and fried gram.

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