Sukhwinder Singh: Lohri for me is all about kites

On Lohri, Sukhwinder Singh recalls celebrating the festival in Amritsar and what the day means to him

“I was born in Amritsar and I fondly remember waking up to a sky full of thousands of kites on Lohri,” says Sukhwinder Singh, as he recalls his childhood memories of the festival. The singer would look forward to a day full of festivity, food, music and kites! “Lohri for me is all about kites. Back in the day, we never had the harmful manjhas. We would use simple strings and manjhas. I remember, there would be lakhs of kites in the sky. I would be on the terrace, flying kites for hours. I still do that. It’s my Lohri ritual. In fact, I was in San Francisco (USA) on Lohri once and I spent four hours flying kites there as well,” recalls the Rabba (Cuttputlli; 2022) singer.

Sukhwinder Singh

For Singh, Lohri means a day that “unites people”. He adds, “I feel that’s the beauty of this festival. People from different religions and cultures come together for the evening celebration. Everyone offers rewari, gur and chana to the bonfire. In fact, in Punjab, you’d find people singing Sundar Mundariye Ho, the traditional Lohri song, at every nook and corner.”

The singer says Sundar Mundariye Ho is his favourite Lohri number. Now that he resides in Mumbai, does he miss Punjab on Lohri day? “Nahin, main jahan bhi hota hoon, wahan Lohri utne hi utsaah se manaata hoon jaise Amritsar mein manaata tha. Main kahin bhi hoon, aag jala kar usmein rewari, gur, chana zaroor daalta hoon,” says the singer, as he goes on to share how the festival inspires him. “The atmosphere on the day of Lohri is so energetic. The happiness you see on people’s faces when they dress up, sing and dance is infectious. I love the energy that I experience by being near the bonfire and praying there,” Singh signs off.