Joy-Ride School for Juniors: How to choose the best play school in Faridabad ci...

Joy-Ride School for Juniors: How to choose the best play school in Faridabad ci...: It is a given that children today go through excruciating academic pressure. A playschool is a place where children who are in the rang...

How to choose the best play school in Faridabad city for your child

It is a given that children today go through excruciating academic pressure. A playschool is a place where children who are in the range of the age group of 2 to 4 years spend their maximum time under the supervision and guidance of teachers or caretakers. It is the most crucial time for parents because it is highly significant to take the right decision for the nascent and foundational stage of your child’s life. Here is a quintessential parent’s guide for choosing the best play school in Faridabad for your ‘tiny tots’. Apart from tones of happiness, parenthood brings a far greater level of responsibilities and education is a major one of them. Every parent wishes to give the best and the most secure future to their children. In this process of shaping a bright future for their children, Admission in Nursery schools acts as a very significant foundation building-block.

However, let’s primarily learn the basic information about a Play School. The most important aim of Play Schools is to be focused on the sensory-motor development along with the social development of the child rather than aiming for the development of the academic skills. Amidst the various other plus points, a remarkable benefit of the Play School is that it assists in mitigating the separation anxiety that is usually depicted by children. Play Schools prepare the children for their future formal education process in a school. Delhi is known to be the educational hub of the country for its exemplary institutions imparting quality education and Faridabad is one such city. Now that we know the most essential elements of a Play School, let’s browse through a quick parent’s guide for selecting the right Play School for your ‘tiny tots’.

Location of the Play School

The placement of the Play schools in Faridabad is a very significant feature. Parents must look for it within their vicinity itself. They can also try to seek for a preschool that is near your home or place of work. This makes it far more convenient for them to reach your child whenever needed. Ensure that the location on which the play-school is situated has a good natural surrounding and atmosphere with consequential importance on the hygiene. A well-maintained infrastructure is important. For instance, it must not have factors like a stagnant water body in the vicinity that can harbour infectious pathogens and lead to diseases.

Be aware of familiar play school related terms

Apart from the formal education philosophies, acknowledging the difference between the other common early childhood terminologies will assist in making the decisions with respect to your child’s education. These common terms that are used to describe pre-school settings include child-centered, teacher-led, child-led, faith-based, pre-kindergarten and many more. It is important to note that these terms could be used alone or in tandem with one another.

Do your research

It is important to ask your friends, family members and veterans or experts of that subject knowledge while conducting your research for Play schools in Faridabad. Make sure that you have various alternatives. The institution you choose must have a good reputation. Do not select an institution, solely according to its brand value. This is because many of these are franchise owned and function as per their individualistic terms. Additionally, assure yourself that the location is hygienic, clean and safe as well. Procure detailed information regarding the composite fee-structure, pre-schooling hours and vacation schedules. Ensure that the staff of the school is amiable enough for the child.

Pay a visit

Ensure that before enrolling your child in Nursery School in Faridabad, you are entirely satisfied with the facilities that are offered by the institution. The staff ought to be well qualified, friendly, compassionate and encouraging. Further, the staff must be trained in the field of child psychology. This is highly crucial as any unskilled person will not be cognizant of the progressive stages and needs of a child. You can specifically ask regarding the staff turn-over. In case the teacher changes after every six months, it is better to move on to a better alternative. The reason for this is that children need consistency in order to forge strong relationships and evolve. Also, do not forget to keep a tab on the classrooms, play areas and various other significant factors such as student-teacher ratio.

Safety Transport

If you opt for a transport system for your child make sure that the playschool arranges for a good vehicle which is in good condition. The driver should be professional and must not change frequently. It is also important that the vehicle should preferably have a proper speed limiter that is installed securely along with a maid or a teacher constantly present throughout the transit from the Pre-school to home and vice- versa. Also, the food served must be hygienic and the school staff needs to be patient suitably qualified and experienced.

 What should you do if you don’t seem to find all these parameters in an institution?

Compromising on any of these parameters must be strictly avoided to ensure a strong foundation and a better sustainable future for your child. But it might turn out to be a challenge to find an institution that stringently adheres to all of these parameters. In case you are not able to find such a facility, you could prioritize each of these features. As safety is the prime concern and also the most significant one, you can opt to select an institution that does look professional and has a reputation for not compromising on the safety parameter skeptical parents would be pleasantly surprised to understand that the concept of Play Schools has literally nothing to do with academics in the first place. Choose a suitable preschool for your little one wisely as the Nursery School Admission in Faridabad proceeds.

http://www.joyrideschool.com/

Keep children AT SCHOOL SAFE

Creating a safe environment for children must be a priority of every caregiver – a parent and an early childhood educator. A safe environment for a child is one that provides freedom from harm and offers a sense of security in which he/she can play, develop, and learn. As young children play and explore, minor injuries and accidents naturally occur. Since young children are at a stage where their physical, cognitive and emotional skills are still developing, injuries are bound to happen. These accidents can however be prevented. The first step towards providing for safety is to ensure that the preschool follows strict safety guidelines.

At Preschool in Faridabad every aspect needs to be carefully supervised, right from the toys and equipments, to the furniture and the classroom infrastructure.

Check for safety….

•             Do the toys and furniture have sharp edges?

•             Are the toys washed on a regular basis?

•             Is the school clean, safe and secure?

•             Are all the electrical fittings beyond the child’s reach?

•             Are the bathrooms clean?

•             Are there gates in front of the stairways?

•             Is the outdoor area fenced?

CLASSROOM

Check for all safety hazards within the classroom. Plug points need to be beyond the child’s reach. All loose cords should be tied to avoid children getting trapped. There should be no gaps where the children’s fingers, arms or legs can get caught. These are gaps between parts or holes in the furniture’s, equipments, etc. Ensure that there are no sharp or pointed edges on any equipments or furniture. It is important that the classrooms are bright and colourful, but at the same time we must ensure that the paints used are non-toxic and lead-free. Use doorstoppers and ensure that the doorknobs are beyond the child’s reach. This will ensure that no child can open or close the door themselves. The stairs need to have safety gates and the windows need to be grilled.

Check all the toys and play materials used in the classroom. Ensure that they are clean as children are likely to put them in their mouth. No toy that is broken or that has sharp edges must be used. Art materials such as paints, crayons, or play dough must be non-toxic. Above all check the quality of the toys used.

OUTDOORS

Children engage in outdoor play every day. Outdoor activities include playing on large motor equipments such as swings, trampolines, slides, etc, water and sand play etc. As children play with such equipments we need to ensure that these are safe. Outdoor activities should be conducted in an open area. The outdoor area needs to be fenced and all equipments need to be placed on a shock-absorbing surface such as sand or grass. It is important that all the materials are clean and have no sharp edges. Teach children some basic rules of playground safety, such as not climbing up slides or walking in front of or behind a swing when another child is on it.

Constantly supervise children when they engage in water play or sand play. Plastic tubs or inflatable pools can be used during water play. Children must not duck their face into water and neither taken in or taste water. The water should neither be hot nor cold. Use water toys of good quality. After the water play, ensure that all the toys are removed from the water. Similarly for sand play, use sand that is free of dirt and is well sieved.

WASHROOM SAFETY

The bathroom is a potentially dangerous area for children, but it is not possible to make this area out of bounds for the child. Thus it should be carefully planned. The floor surface should be anti-slip to prevent falls since the surface is likely to be slippery due to water. The attendants must keep the floor free of spillages to avoid accidents. Keep all disinfectants, acids, brooms etc beyond child’s reach. No child must be allowed in the washroom unattended.

In case of an emergency, administer first aid to the child, seek medical help and contact the parents immediately.

Safety is the right of the child and they must have it.

http://www.joyrideschool.com/

8 Ways To Teach Children The Importance Of Independence Day

We are slowly inching towards the date and day when we celebrate our country's 72^nd Independence Day. For most of us, the day has been reduced to nothing but a hint to check for longer weekends to plan small vacations. No harm there. But there can actually be a way to celebrate the day and its importance so that our kids remember it and pride about.

I remember my childhood days when Republic Day and Independence Day were celebrated with the same enthusiasm as festivals. A month in advance we would start preparing on national songs, make our own props for stage shows; little kids wore sarees or white churidar-kurtas to school, whereas l carried flags and pinned flag badges. We had a flag hoisting ceremony in our society, after which sports and cultural programmes were organized to showcase unity in diversity in our country. I remember having a lot of fun. There were documentaries on television that described at large the independence struggle of the nation. We still had parents and grandparents who had been a part of the freedom struggle and spoke about the life and times back then. Even as I write this, I am stuck in time and miss those days.

The value of patriotism is slowly eroding out of our day to day existence. If you have noticed, not all theatres or schools play national anthem during morning assembly. Don't you think this way our kids are missing out a lot? Well, I think so. Playing national anthem at public places not only reminds us about our nation but also help us to devote a few minutes to respect our diverse culture by singing the national song.

My little one is four years old, and sings National Anthem and Vande Mataram. Though not very well but it makes me very proud. Her school still hasn't started teaching any of these songs. Thus, I have decided to celebrate the national day in a special way to impart its importance. Not only this, I would love to share the same with you so that you too enjoy celebrating Independence Day with your kid.

My Independence Day Plan:  

1. Soon after bath, dress your child in tricolours of our national flag or simply in white. Greet her with Indian flag and give her a badge.
2. Make a tricolour breakfast- sandwich or idlis. Also, make thematic lunch or dinner.
3. Attend the flag hoisting event held by your society or any other place.
4. Spend time drawing and painting the tricolour flag, or make tricolour badges and hair bands. I did this last year with kids in my apartment during a hobby class which also involved other mommy friends. It's all fun!
5. Play some national songs to get your child in a patriotic mood.
6. Tell your child stories about national leaders.
7. Try and take her to a museum.
8. Teach her about national bird, food, animal, sports, etc.

http://www.joyrideschool.com/

Holi - Festivals of Colours and Happiness

Holi is festival of color and the festival of sharing love with all. and celebrated on the last full moon of lunar month of falguna that is at the end of winter season. Holi is spring festival and it’s basically celebrated for two days. First day is known as holika dahan or choti holi across different parts in India different celebration ways are there.

On first day holika bonfire with where people worship holika bonfire with coconut,black chana ,batasha (holi sweets ),many delicacies made for holi.

These holi sweets batasha(sugar candies) , garlands of dry fruits are distributed to relatives children on the occasions of holi.

Next morning is celebrated as ragwali holi/dhuliwandan where people color each other with dry colors or colored water .children play with water guns /pichakari, water filled balloons for their water fights.

Spirit of these festivals makes everyone get carry along with it that everyone from children to elderly enjoys it equally. People visit relatives , friends and to colour each other with color powders laugh and dance, then share Holi delicacies like gujiya,puran poli,desserts and drinks like thandai.

As a kid I always waited for this festival .There were for two reasons to get garlands sugar candies from my relatives and second to play color on dhuliwandan with pichakari /gun.

Colorful pichakari was main attraction for us kids, whose pichkari looks how competition among kids was. Coloring friends by hiding or throwing water color filled balloons on strangers passing from the road was very funny.

Thandai is special drink served on festivals like Holi along with many tasty delicacies.It's milk flavored using selected dry fruits and spices like fennel seeds and cardamoms. Thandai means coolant and its prefect drink for this hot summer.

Here are special thandai flavoured recipes for holi made using thandai (made from dry fruits).

Thandai lassi

Lassi is perfect beverage for hot summer its coolant and its cooling property increases when we infuse thandai in it.enjoy this easy to make coolant on the hot afternoons of Holi and as a break from festive preparation. It will definitely refresh and rejuvenate you.

Joy-Ride School for Lilliputs

My Child My Valentine

Dear Parents,

Let us make this Valentine’s Day, super special for our child. How?

Create something through which you promise your child a life of Freedom, Connection and Learning.

Here are a few suggestions.

• Write a letter: Write a letter to your child expressing your feelings for them. Write about the feeling of a Father/ Mother, How nervous you were holding them for the first time, Your Anxiety on their first day to school etc. The List goes on... Preserve this letter and give it to them when they turn 16.
• Decorate their room with posters / paintings / ornamental hangings 
• Create something for all of you: How about creating a T – Shirt that is same to same, for all the members of the family?

The core ideas behind these ideas are…

• Make your child believe you are their first priority Valentine. No one else is. No one else will be.
• Make your child feel they can be FREE with you, make them feel CONNECTED with you, be a person with whom they would LOVE TO LEARN.

In other words, touch them deep with your gesture.

Why should your child attend pre-school?

For many kids, the most important years of schooling come before they can even read. The young mind is wonderfully malleable, able to develop new habits with relative ease. And, Best Play School in Faridabad provides a foundation for learning both socially and academically that will help your child succeed in elementary school.

1.       An opportunity to learn

For many children, preschool is their first experience in a structured setting with teachers and groups of children. It’s an opportunity to learn to share, follow instructions, and begin the foundation for learning that will occur in elementary school.

2.       Brain development

Brain development is highest during the first four years of life. Children are able to learn at a rapid rate and want and need to learn new information. At this age their child’s brain is like a sponge. Their brain absorbs information and stores it. Your child can benefit immensely when interacting in a good preschool which imparts appropriate information and tools.

3.       Children learn to take care of themselves and others

Children’s sense of competence and self-worth grow as they learn to take care of themselves and help others. Children learn how to perform their day to activities without depending on the elders. Teachers appeal to a young child’s desire to engage in “real work” by offering him chances to help out in the classroom. Teachers also encourage a child help to the other fellow preschoolers.

4.       Preschool promotes social and emotional development

High-quality preschool programs nurture warm relationships among children, teachers and parents. And teachers build a close personal connection with each child in their care. It develops social and emotional maturity and the ability to relate well to peers and adults, solve conflicts, play co-operatively and be assertive.

Parents get daily reports on their child’s activities and regular meetings are scheduled for more in-depth conferences with staff. Young children learn social skills and emotional self-control. Teachers help the children to learn to manage frustrations or anger. Without embarrassing a child, they encourage the child to notice the impact of her aggressive or hurtful behavior on another child.

5.       Inculcates decision making and discipline

Children have several choices of activities; a child who is wandering aimlessly is encouraged to choose one that interests him. Teachers are alert to a child who can’t figure out how to enter other children’s played and may offer him suggestions on ways to join the group. When a child is made to decide from things they like, they like to sit with patience and work with that. This in a way inculcates discipline in the child which is not forced.

6.       Gains independence & self esteem

Preschool environment guides children to gain independence, self-esteem and self-confidence, empowering their learning. It also helps children have a greater understanding of the world around them. It encourages children to be independent learners and to take an active role in their learning;

7.       Development of motor skills

Physical coordination improves, allowing the child to explore her environment — and to challenge herself-in new ways. High-quality preschool programs provide several opportunities daily for children to run, climb, and play active games. Activities are offered to help children develop fine motor skills, such as threading beads or cutting with scissors. And children undergo a variety of activities to build their hand-eye coordination and balance.

8.       Development of language and cognitive skills

Pre-school in Faridabad education supports children’s intellectual and language development and communication skills it also offers children consistent, experienced, qualified educators to support their learning and development. Preschool-age children’s language skills are nurtured in a “language-rich” environment. Teachers help children stretch their language skills by asking thought-provoking questions and introducing new vocabulary during science, art, snack time, and other activities. Children have many opportunities to sing, talk about favorite read-aloud books, and act out stories.

A young child’s cognitive skills are strengthened by engaging in a wide range of hands-on activities that challenge her to observe closely, ask questions, test her ideas or solve a problem. However, teachers understand that preschool children are not logical in the adult sense of the word; their explanations of what makes a plant grow or why people get old, may not involve cause and effect.

9.       Nurturing the curious mind

To nurture their curiosity and motivation to learn, teachers use children’s interests and ideas to create activities. Preschool-age children have active imaginations and learn through make-believe play. Teachers know that the line between reality and fantasy is often not clear to a young child. The imaginary play area in a high-quality preschool is well-stocked with costumes, “props,” and child-size household items such as stoves, sinks and cupboards. It’s often in this activity area that preschool-age children progress steadily from solitary play, to one-on-one play, to complicated group play.

10.   Preparation for kindergarten

As kindergarten becomes more academic, many parents look to preschool to launch their child on the path to success in school. At the same time, parents may worry that the current trend to focus on pre-math and pre-literacy skills in preschool cuts into important play time and pushes a child to grow up too fast.

Fortunately, in selecting a preschool, parents aren’t forced to choose between protecting a child’s play time and making sure she’s ready for kindergarten. A high-quality early childhood education program will offer children both. And they organize space, time and activities to be in sync with children’s social, emotional, cognitive, and physical abilities. Joy-Ride school is the best option for the play school. It is one of the leading play schools in Faridabad and Delhi Ncr providing holistic approach towards education with an aim to equip the child with academic as well as non academic tools.

Ideas for Pre School

Life gives you many occasions and moments to celebrate and parenthood is one of them but along with happiness, this stage also calls for a sound planning of finances, your child’s education and future; and other relevant responsibilities. Let’s begin with the child’s first step away from the parents or from the family that is Play School. It is not only enough that you are sending your ward just to a normal play school but it is also important to remain updated with Play School News India. 

There are many parents who somehow gather information from hearsay and other sources but the authentic source for seeking information about any play school is to go through Play School Article India. Reading the related articles not only enrich your knowledge but also triggers off your thought process regarding the importance of decision making at such a crucial stage for your child. This blog covers Play School Article India on varied topics, the one can you can think of and also those you can’t. Through this blog on Best Play School in Faridabad News India, you will find yourself in a better position to look for the factors while choosing the best play school for your child and also be able to acquaint yourself with the latest and current curricula and approaches being followed in various preschools to equip young learners with the very basic concepts. 

One of the major objectives of any play school is to prepare the child for formal schooling and inculcate in him/ her, a thirst for knowledge, a curiosity to learn and explore; and a sense of appreciation for learning. Play School Article India reveals the basic activities, games, infrastructure, facilities and amenities provided to the toddlers to give them training to express themselves, their needs and feelings. This blog also shares some of the tried and tested strategies to deal with finicky kids and offers some good parenting tips through Play School Article India. Since it is a blog, the responses, participation and feedback from your side will always be welcomed and appreciated. Ranging from play school timings, appropriate age, syllabus, audio-visual teaching aids, parents’ problems, child’s eating problems, toilet training, children games, parents apprehensions to making your child self confident, all the things are included in this blog that keeps you updated with what’s, how’s and why’s of your queries related to Preschool in Faridabad under Play School News India.

Play School in Faridabad, Where Bachpan Gets Grow Gently

Choosing the right primary school for your children is one of an essential decision every parent faces once in a life and, therefore, it is essential to set parameters of primary or play school especially when you live in the Metro cities. There are some most valued checkpoints which are essential to recheck every time before giving a final decision about any school.

The top tips when looking for your child’s first Preschool in Faridabad is to begin your search glowing in advance of their first day.  This will facilitate you to increase a good idea of the options available and meet any application course of action.

It is a personal responsibility to gather as much information as possible from as many sources as available like school reports, local authorities, school prospectuses, and school visit all form sources of this process. These are few factors which are common, besides these; there are numbers of factors most relevant when looking for your child’s Best Play School in Faridabad.

Here some of the most common but important features are briefly described; parents should pay attention to;

v  Area of School

This is the first and most essential concern according to the current scenario. It is very much important to inquire about the locality, school environment, playgrounds, and the available facilities in an emergency. It is important to check, in respect of security point of view, how they are responsible.

v  Direction and management of the school

This category analyses the efficiency of the school’s engagement with parents and caretakers, as well as accessible partnerships in encouraging learning and comfort.  This efficiency could also be reflected in how the school sponsors equality of opportunity, deploys assets to achieve value for money and promotes social consistency.

v  The quality of delivering education

At this point, you should inquire about the qualification of teachers, background of education systems, teaching methods, standard of books offering or providing, and if possible then previous result records.

v  The number of students in each school/class

Availability of a small number of students is far better than large. Special, personal, and particular attention is important, which is not possible in a large size of the class room.

v  Other parents’ testimonies

Feedbacks, this type of inquiry opens the reality about school, it is must go on in respect of the following questions:

1.       My child gets pleasure from school

2.       The school maintains my child security

3.       My school informs me regarding my child’s improvement

4.       My child is making sufficient progress at this school

5.       The teaching process is good at this school

6.       The school guides me to support my child’s education

7.       The school is certifying the proverb “Health is wealth” in respect of my child

Conclusion: - Considering the analysis of other parents, who are likely to be thinking regarding the same concerns as you, on these subjects could be a helpful use of your time when considering where to send your child for their primary school education.

JoyRide School for Lilliputs

How to say NO to your child

'No baby, don't touch this pot', 'No, don't behave like that', 'No, this phone is not for you'. How repulsive it is to hear the word 'No' frequently. During the process of parenting, we realized, like as adults, kids also don't like to hear 'No' a lot.

But for our little one to grow into a balanced person, we believe, setting limits is as important as letting him explore things around. A child's natural tendency is to explore his surroundings and parents’ is to protect them from any potential danger. However, saying straight NO many a times makes him react stubbornly. Also, they get more inclined to do those things for which we ask them not to do.

So, now I try to say NO to him in a way in which I don't use the negative word. However, if need be, I also do say NO to him because by itself, 'NO' is not a bad word, I have just tried to cut down number of times I use it.

Today, I like to share how I ask my little one not to do something without really saying 'No' to him.

1) Try to give him simple reasons

When playing outside, he playfully puts sand and pebbles in his mouth, I firmly tell him that sand is not for eating and that if you eat it, you will have a stomachache. At the age of 2.5, he has started understanding short reasoning that I give him. Now, before putting anything in his mouth right away, he always asks me if he can eat it.

Giving short reasons has worked in many other cases also such as chocolates. I tell him that though you like it, eating lot of it can spoil your teeth. Also, showing him visual examples (real life or pictures) of the side effects helps create a quick impression on his mind about the negatives of eating too many chocolates.  A positive side effect of this has been that he has started brushing his teeth twice daily.

2) Tell him the right use of things

When he jumps on bed or stands on chair, I firmly tell him that bed is for sleeping and not jumping; chair is for sitting and not standing.

When they do not like to eat what he has been given or is not really hungry, he starts playing with the food. It is annoying at times to see him do this however; I try not to shout at him and I just take away the bowl and firmly explain him that food is for eating and not playing. His pediatrician had explained me not to worry, if he does not eat what you give him, when he is really hungry, he will ask you for the food himself. Though it is difficult to follow this as a mom but it has worked really well for me.

3) Tell him what is meant for him

It is important to keep kids away from mobile phones and electronic gadgets. So when he asks for my mobile phone. I instead, give him his toy phone and tell him this is mumma's phone and that (toy) is baby's phone. Even when I am busy with my work, I avoid giving him my phone to play with as he might form a habit. In spite of all this at times he does not give up and still asks for my mobile phone so, I have downloaded many kids learning apps which he can use to learn and locked social media apps because I don't want to expose him to it at this tender age.

 4) Tell him about acceptable behavior

Sometimes when my little cute monster, does not like to be hugged by someone or does not like someone to hold him, he pulls other person's hair or hits him. I withdraw him immediately and explain him softly that if he does not like it, he has to say no and that hitting is simply not acceptable.

When he beats someone his age, I withdraw him and then tell him you have to play nicely with each other or I will take you back home.

5) Give him alternate option

When he plays with a ball inside the house, instead of asking him not to play, I ask him to play with it outside or play with some other toy, if he wants to play inside. In fact, I also sometimes join him to play along with him to keep his excitement levels high.

6) Distractions works well

Kids have a very short attention span. So sometimes when my child demands something; distracting him from it and redirecting to something else works very well. He instantly forgets about that activity and gets involved in the newer one. This works really well when they do not have his food. I just tell him some stories in animated tone to distract his attention and in the meanwhile, feed him the food easily. However, this strategy may not work for kids of more than 5 years of age.

7) Setting limit and telling him about it.

List of cartoons my child likes to watch is long: Doaremon, Shin Chan, Oggy and the Cockroaches, etc. So, I have asked him to select any 2 of the cartoon shows a day if he completes his assignments. Though there are some exceptions to this rule but majority of the time it works fine.

These are some of the steps I have taken for my child. Sometimes I do feel that I am a strict mother not fulfilling my child’s wishes. In fact, sometimes I even refuse to give him things which may be very common for other kids to have. But then I believe that being firm at times, helps me create a balanced growth for my child.

There can be no fixed rules for raising kids. It would be interesting if you can share any other ways you have used for saying No to your child.

Joy Ride School for Lilliputs

Celebrating Lohri with Kids

January 13^th is a day of celebration for Sikhs and Punjabis across the world and they like to celebrate in style!

A harvesting festival, Lohri falls on the longest night of the year (so more time to party!) and is a festival of thanksgiving for farmers who celebrate the harvest of rabi crop which is sown in winter.

The Hindu God of fire, Lord Agni and the folklore of Dulla Bhatti is sung with much fervour, with dhol playing in the background. It is similar to the celebration of Makar Sakranti or Maghi, celebrated in other parts of the country, but since Punjabis like to do everything king size, their Lohri celebrations are full of colour, music, laughter and great food.

Many families who have a newborn in the house celebrate the first Lohri of the child and similarly the first Lohri of newlyweds is celebrated with much enthusiasm.

Til (sesame) and rorhi (jaggery) are eaten as traditional foods on this occasion, and people gather around the bonfire, sing songs and throw in foods like gajak, chikki, puffed rice, popcorn, rewri, sesame seeds, jaggery, peanuts and sugarcane to pay homage to roots.

Colour, music and good food are the basic essentials of every Lohri party. 

Joy Ride for Lilliputs