Mumbai:
Making sweets on Makar Sankranti is a tradition. The big draw is always Tilgul, a delicacy made of sesame seeds and sugar or jaggery.
But this year, homemakers like Nandini Kulkarni have been forced into a balancing act - between the family's demand for Tilgul and prices that are playing spoilsport.
She explains: "The festival comes once a year. How can we not make sweets? All sweets require either jaggery or sugar, and their prices have hit the roof."
In fact, prices have doubled over the past year, making sweets at least 10% more expensive.
The respective prices (in rupees per kilogramme) for sugar, jaggery and Tilgul have gone from 25, 27 and 220 in January last year, to 50, 48 and 250.
Some retailers have also tried innovations to try and keep the prices in check.
Sachin Godbole of Godbole Stores in Dadar, a popular destination for festive sweets told NDTV, "We have kept our profit margins at a minimum. We have also used organic jaggery and 100% natural sugar substitutes, that have helped keep our prices same as last year."
This maybe the odd exception but overall, this Makar Sankranti, the sweets have become at least 10% more expensive.
It's customary to say "Tilgul ghya gaud gaud bola" or "Let the festival be filled with sweetness." But the government's perceived inability to tackle the price rise has taken the sweetness out of this festive season.