School Play Script
[cite_start]A 10-15 minute narration script for assemblies and cultural programs[cite: 188].
Scene 1: The Sun & Seasons
[cite_start]
(Soft music. Surya stands center stage with glowing light) [cite: 204]
[cite_start]Narrator: Long ago... He was Surya, the giver of life, warmth, and time itself. [cite: 205]
[cite_start]Surya: For months, I travel south... But the time has come... I now begin my journey northward. [cite: 206]
Scene 2: Makar Sankranti
Sage: Today, the Sun enters Makara Rashi. [cite_start]This holy day is called Makar Sankranti! [cite: 209]
Child: (offering sweets) Take sesame and jaggery. [cite_start]Let our lives be sweet and our words kind. [cite: 213]
Surya: Let harmony return to families. [cite_start]Let forgiveness heal old wounds. [cite: 214]
Scene 3: Uttarayan (Kites)
[cite_start]
(Sound of wind. Children pretend to fly kites) [cite: 218]
[cite_start]Narrator: With Makar Sankranti begins Uttarayan—the Sun’s northward journey. [cite: 219]
Child: Look! [cite_start]Our kites touch the sky! [cite: 222]
[cite_start]Narrator: Kites fly high, carrying dreams... as people welcome health, warmth, and new beginnings. [cite: 223]
Scene 4 & 5: Bihu & Pongal
Magh Bihu (Assam)
Assamese Farmer: Our harvest is complete. [cite_start]Let us thank fire and nature. [cite: 227]
All: May hardship burn away. [cite_start]May abundance stay. [cite: 229]
Pongal (Tamil Nadu)
Tamil Farmer: Milk rises! [cite_start]Rice cooks! [cite: 233]
[cite_start]All: Pongalo Pongal! [cite: 234]
[cite_start]Krishna: Honor the Earth, the cattle, and nature—for they sustain life. [cite: 237]
Final Message
[cite_start]"Different names. Different customs. But one eternal story—the journey of the Sun and the unity of India." [cite: 244]
Unity in Diversity
A Pan-Indian Celebration
[cite_start]Makar Sankranti is not a single festival but a "cultural prism" that refracts the sun's journey into diverse regional celebrations[cite: 105, 256].
Punjab: Lohri
Bonfires & Bhangra
-
[cite_start]
- Celebrated the night before Sankranti with communal bonfires[cite: 263]. [cite_start]
- Honors Dulla Bhatti, a folk hero who rescued girls from the slave trade[cite: 123]. [cite_start]
- Food: Sarson da Saag, Makki di Roti, Gajak, and Rewri[cite: 280].
Tamil Nadu: Pongal
Overflowing Abundance
-
[cite_start]
- Named after the dish "Pongal" (rice boiled in milk) meaning "to boil over"[cite: 275]. [cite_start]
- Bhogi: Burning old items to welcome the new[cite: 290]. [cite_start]
- Mattu Pongal: Cattle are bathed, polished, and worshipped[cite: 312, 313].
Gujarat: Uttarayan
The Kite Festival
-
[cite_start]
- The sky becomes a canvas for millions of kites (patang)[cite: 357]. [cite_start]
- Kai Po Che! ("I have cut!") is the cry of victory[cite: 299]. [cite_start]
- Food: Undhiyu (spicy vegetable casserole) and Jalebi[cite: 340, 363].