Editor's Letter: April Festivals in India, Issue 72

Dear readers,

There is a week in April when India seems to start again, all at once, in a dozen languages. In Punjab, the drums of Baisakhi echo across fields of ripe wheat. In Assam, young dancers spin through the night at Rongali Bihu. In Kerala, families wake before dawn to look upon the Vishukkani, an arrangement of auspicious objects meant to be the first sight of the new year. In Tamil Nadu, kolams are drawn at doorsteps for Puthandu. In Bengal, people greet each other with “Shubho Noboborsho” on Pohela Boishakh. Different names, different foods, different songs, and yet the same idea at their heart: the year turns, the harvest is in, and it is time to give thanks.

That is the spirit of this issue. We called it What’s Happening in India in April, but we could just as easily have called it “The Month India Begins Again.”

Why April matters to travellers

April is a month many travellers overlook. Winter crowds have gone home, and the monsoon is still weeks away. The plains are warming, yes, but they are also alive with festivals that most visitors never see. Meanwhile, the hills are shaking off the cold, rhododendrons are blooming in the Himalayan foothills, and the wildlife parks of central India offer some of the year’s best chances of a tiger sighting.

It is a month that rewards curiosity and a little planning. It asks you to rise early, rest in the afternoon, and step out again in the evening, when temples glow, food streets fill and festival stages light up. Travel this way and April becomes one of the most rewarding months of the year.

What you will find in this issue

We begin with festivals. Our guide to experiencing India’s harvest festivals as a tourist explains how to be a welcome guest rather than a spectator, and our complete guide to Baisakhi in Punjab takes you into the gurdwaras and fields where the festival lives. We have also included a reflective piece on Ramadan and spiritual journeys, and a round-up of local fairs and cultural festivals you can attend this month.

Then we go deeper. Our feature on the one route that explains April follows the Grand Trunk country from Amritsar to Varanasi, through wheat fields, temple towns and Lucknow’s kitchens, to the evening lamps on the Ganga. Our three-day guide to Guwahati at Rongali Bihu suggests a slower way to celebrate the Assamese New Year, built around music, silk and the Brahmaputra.

For first-timers, we have written an honest guide to what to skip on an April trip, and what to do instead. Our guest slot this month takes you to Talwandi Sabo, home of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, for a quieter, rural Baisakhi beside the famous one in Amritsar. Our practical feature on food, stay and getting around explains how to eat, sleep and move well in the heat. And our news page gathers festival dates, permits, pilgrimage registrations and seasonal closures, so you can plan with confidence.

Three April moments worth chasing

If you are wondering where to begin, here are three moments I would build a trip around. First, dawn at a gurdwara on Baisakhi morning, when the kirtan begins and the langar kitchens are already busy with volunteers rolling rotis by the thousand. Second, a Bihu night in a Guwahati neighbourhood, when the pepa and dhol start and the whole crowd seems to lean toward the stage. Third, an early morning in the Himalayan foothills, with rhododendrons flaming red along the trail and snow peaks still visible before the haze of summer arrives. None of these needs a large budget. All of them need you to be in the right place at the right hour, and that is what this issue is designed to help you do.

A note on travelling well

Festivals are, first and foremost, for the people who celebrate them. When we visit, we are guests. That means covering our heads at gurdwaras, removing our shoes at temples, asking before taking photographs, and accepting hospitality with grace. It means eating in the langar alongside everyone else, buying from local weavers and vendors, and leaving places as clean as we found them. Small gestures of respect make the difference between watching a festival and being welcomed into it.

April heat also asks for care. Drink plenty of water, carry oral rehydration salts, dress in light cotton, and give yourself rest in the afternoons. Check the dates of the festivals you want to see, since many follow lunar and solar calendars and can shift from year to year. Book early for festival towns, and always confirm permits and road conditions before heading into the mountains.

A personal thought

What moves me most about April in India is its sense of shared beginnings. A farmer in Punjab, a weaver in Assam, a grandmother in Kerala arranging the Vishukkani, a family in Chennai preparing mango pachadi with its sweet, sour, bitter and spicy notes: all of them are marking the same turning of the year in their own way. Travelling through India in April is a chance to witness that diversity and that unity side by side.

I hope this issue inspires you to step into that celebration, whether you travel across the country or simply to the next town. Wherever you go, may your new year be full of good journeys, good food and good company.

Happy travels, and a very happy new year in whichever language you choose to say it.

Khushi Anand, Editor
Travel Viewpoint, Issue 72, April 2025