In pics: Kite festival, bullock cart rides and more at Bengaluru's Suggi-Huggi

Hundreds of people on Sunday attended the Suggi-Huggi Sankranti Habba in Lalbagh, on Wednesday, to catch a glimpse into the lives of farmers – their rich culture and traditions.

The day-long festival was hosted by the Karnataka government's Kannada and Culture Department, along with the Agriculture Department.

The Suggi-Huggi Habba showcased harvest celebrations from six different regions of Karnataka.

Some of the main attractions of the Habba were the kite festival, raashi pooje, folk performances, bullock cart ride and fire crossing by bulls.

Foodies could enjoy free samples of huggi and pongal, and there were also stalls selling traditional, organic and millet food items.

"City residents are unaware of our past, our roots and our agriculture. The Suggi Huggi Habba is the best antidote to this. It will give an opportunity to our Bengaluru residents to acquaint themselves with village culture, become aware and celebrate our rich heritage," the Minister of Agriculture, Krishna Byre Gowda, said.

Hajira Banu selling kites at the Pongal festival Suggi Huggi, Lalbagh, Bangalore co-conducted by the dept of agriculture, Karnataka
Mera Bharath Mahan @krishnabgowda @OrganicsMillets #om2018 #organicsmillets #letsmillet pic.twitter.com/812mLtk75f

— Caroline (@tweetcurrylines) January 14, 2018

#Sankranti #SuggiHuggi #millet #harvesting #culture @krishnabgowda #Jan14 @GOKUpdates pic.twitter.com/bb2kh4QLjq

— ಹರೀಶ (@HChoudhari6) January 14, 2018

Suggi Huggi, a first-of-its-kind festival hosted by the Kannada and culture department jointly with the agriculture department to mark Sankranti, gave us a peek into the countryside of #Karnataka. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity. pic.twitter.com/v1d4Ufg1ig

— Arka (@ArkaComm) January 15, 2018

In its efforts to position Karnataka as the 'Millets Bowl of India', the state government will be hosting the International Trade Fair in Organics and Millets 2018 at the Bengaluru Palace from January 19 to 21. The Suggi-Huggi was a precursor to it.

The trade fair will see 225 companies from India, USA, Germany, Switzerland, UAE, South Korea, Uganda, China and Malaysia taking part in it.

The partner states in the fair are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh.

Apart from 375 stalls that will be set up as part of the exhibition, the trade fair will also have farmer workshops, an award ceremony honouring outstanding achievements in organics and millets, an organic food court and B2B meetings.

"The inherent advantage of climate and our fertile, rich soil, and our hardworking farmers, Karnataka is a major producer and exporter of organic foods. However, there is immense potential and many opportunities in diversifying the product range to include coconuts, pulses, aromatic crops, fruits and other crops. The International Trade Fair will be the forum to explore this potential, and help us meet the growing needs of the future," Krishna Byre Gowda added.

Images courtesy: Kannada and Culture Department