India, Jan. 16 -- At a time when identities are increasingly getting boxed into rigid compartments, the Sankranti celebration hosted by poet Kaifi Azmi's family once again shone as a luminous reminder of India's natural syncretism. It was not merely a festival gathering, but a quiet, resolute affirmation that faith, culture and belonging need not exist in opposition. For Kaifi Azmi, whose family had always marked Makar Sankranti, Holi and Diwali with equal warmth, belief was never a boundary but a bridge - an invitation to shared living rather than guarded separation.

Born on 14 January 1919, Azmi shared an intimate bond with Sankranti, a coincidence of date that over time grew into something far more profound than personal sentiment. Th...