IIIT Hyderabad community celebrated Bhogi and Lohri on 14 January and Makar Sankranti on 15 January at Felicity Ground.
Bhogi was celebrated on the morning of 14 January by lighting a bonfire at Felicity ground. Bhogi is the first day of the four-day Pongal Festival which is celebrated one day before Makar Sankranti. Bhogi usually falls on either 13 January or 14 January and is celebrated widely in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra. At dawn, people light bonfires with logs of wood to discard and burn household items that are no longer useful.
Lohri was celebrated on the evening of 14 January by lighting another bonfire at felicity ground. Lohri is a popular harvest festival that is celebrated with great fervor and enthusiasm all across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, and Delhi. The celebration involves lighting a bonfire in the evening and walking around the bonfire and offering puffed rice, jaggery, sesame seeds and coconut into the fire. People also sing folk songs and dance around the bonfire. Lohri is traditionally associated with harvesting rabi crops.
Makar Sankranti was celebrated on 15 January. Many students flew kites in the morning at Felicity ground. From this day the sun starts its northward journey. Makar Sankranti is also known as the festival of kites.
All these events were organised by the Campus Life Council (CLC).