How the 'haldi-kunku' cuisine reflected women's social standing

The nationalist movement was characterized by a strain of Hindu revivalism in Colonial India, where political agitation often centered at religious festivals.

- Chinmay Damle

Unlike Christianity or Islam, Hindu religious worship was largely a matter of individual or family worship. But nationalist feeling provided the necessary social cement for congregational worship among Hindus.

In Bengal, Durga Pujo focused on nationalist feelings, while in Maharashtra, political forces promoted, for nationalistic purposes, festivals like the Ganeshotsav. The British largely observed a hands-off policy about religion and allowed people to come together to celebrate their festivals.

In 1933, Umabai Sahasrabuddhe, a member of the Hindu Mahasabha in Pune, launched an interesting initiative. She decided to celebrate the "Chaitragauri haldi-kunku" publicly, albeit with a twist. The expenses for the ritual were to be taken care of from the contribution to a fund by participating women. She named this event "Sanghatit (unified) Chaitragauri haldi-kunku".

In Maharashtra, Gauri, or the wife of Shiva, was worshipped in the month of Chaitra by every married woman whose husband was alive. This Chaitragauri celebration began on the third day of the bright fortnight of Chaitra and continued until the third day of the bright fortnight of Vaishakha (Akshayya Trutiya).

It was believed that on the third of the month, Gauri returned to her home. It symbolized married women returning to their maternal home for their annual visit.

Gauri in the form of "Annapurna" was installed, mostly in small brass swings, in houses for the entire month. She was offered sweetened milk each morning. In some houses, a brass swing containing the images of Shiva and his family was placed on a raised dais, and the images were worshipped every morning with a fresh garland.