The state has gone all in to oversee what it now refers to as a “Punjabi cultural festival,” deploying surveillance drones, enforcing QR-coded kite lines, registering rooftops, and applying stiff penalties. Centuries ago, on Basant Panchami, when grief silenced a Hazrat Nizamuddin, his disciple chose the colours, rhythms, and beauty of a Hindu festival to heal him. Basant does not need Islamic validation. And Punjabi culture does not need historical amnesia to survive. But you cannot cut the string that ties Basant to its Indian, Hindu, civilisational roots, no matter how many times the story is rewritten.

Source: The Hindu February 10, 2026 01:22 UTC