In a small cage. I knew at once that I wanted to keep him

BAISAKHI ESSAY – 3 (400 WORDS) 
Baisakhi, observed on the 13th (or sometimes 14th) of April every year is one of the main 
festivals of Sikhs as well as Hindus though the reason for celebration varies to some extent 
for both these communities. Here is how this day is perceived and celebrated by people 
belonging to Hindu and Sikh religions. 
Baisakhi Significance – For Hindu Community 
The day of Baisakhi is said to be the first day of the traditional solar New Year. People from 
the Hindu community celebrate their New Year on this day by visiting temples, performing 
prayers, meeting and greeting their friends and relatives, having good food and dressing up 
in new clothes. 
Harvest is complete and ready to be sold around this time and the farmers around the 
country celebrate the ripening season on this day. Baisakhi is known by different names in 
different parts of India however the way it is celebrated is almost the same. Here are the 
names this festival is known by in different Indian states: 
Rongali Bihu in Assam 
Maha Vishuva Sankranti in Odisha 
Pohela Boishakh or Naba Barsha in West Bengal and Tripura 
Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka 
Bisu among the Tulu People 
Bikhu or Bikhauti in Kumaon, Uttarakhand 

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Puthandu in Tamil Nadu 
Vishu in Kerala 
Some of these are celebrated on the same day as Baisakhi while others are celebrated a day 
or two after the same. 
Baisakhi Significance – For Sikh Community 
Contrary to the common notion, Baisakhi is actually a Hindu festival. It is the Sikh guru, 
Guru Amar Das who chose it for the Sikhs along with other two festivals – Diwali and 
Makar Sankranti. Just as in Hinduism, Baisakhi marks the beginning of the New Year in 
Sikhism also and hence it is a day for celebration. 
Apart from this, Baisakhi is also celebrated as a harvest festival in Punjab as the Rabi crop 
ripens around this time in the Punjab region. The farmers thank God for the harvest and 
also pray for abundance in future. 
This day is also special for the Sikhs as it marked the beginning of the Sikh order after the 
execution of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur who declined the Mughal Emperor 
Auangzeb‟s order to convert to Islam. This was followed by the coronation of their tenth 
Guru and the formation of the Khalsa Panth. 
Conclusion 
Baisakhi is celebrated with great zeal across the country mainly in Punjab where people 
carry out processions, burst fire crackers, organize feast for their near ones and enjoy the 
whole day.