India, Jan. 14 -- On Makar Sankranti, a festival of renewal, gratitude, and harvest, actor Shreyas Talpade joins HTCity for a special shoot where he shows his kite flying skills and gorges on tilgul (jaggery and sesame candy). He shares his thoughts on the festival, which marks the sun's northward journey and unites communities across India. Getting nostalgic as he spots kites, Shreyas shares, "Makar Sankranti is the day I miss my father the most. He used to be like an overenthusiastic child as it was his favourite festival. He taught us kite flying, the nitty gritties of 'pench ladana' and everything involved with kite flying. He would get loads of kites, manjha and phirki." He adds, "We would visit our relatives in Vadodara and begin the festivities as early as 8am and they would last till night. Vadodara has a tradition of candle balloons and he would be completely immersed in it. Being the youngest in the family I was the guy deputed to hold the manjha, tying the kanni and do other such tasks." The actor admits to missing celebrations like in the '90s. "Earlier we had joint families and all the kids in the building would celebrate together. Our family would distribute homemade tilguls in the building and feast on winter vegetable dishes along with non-veg food items. None of us would go home that day. We would eat during our breaks from flying kites which would last all day. Rasna would be prepared in a large vessel for all kids." Shreyas is now trying to keep traditions alive with his 7-year-old daughter Aadya. He says, "I want her to experience Makar Sankranti celebrations like I did. My friends and cousins still continue to celebrate at the building where we grew up. So, this year I'm planning to take her along so she can experience that too." Recalling his first Makar Sankranti after getting married in December 2004, he says, "I was in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh, preparing for Iqbal (2005), while my wife (Deepti Talpade) was in Mumbai. I missed seeing kites there."...