Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East and Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today took to Twitter to wish Kashmiri Pandits on their new year festival, Navreh. Except, she spelt it ‘Nauroz’.
https://twitter.com/priyankagandhi/status/1114372522940747778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Gandhi, whose grandmother has Kashmiri roots, seems to have either invented a new spelling for the festival or confused it with the Parsi festival Navroz. Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi’s grandfather, Feroze Gandhi was a Parsi. Or maybe she just invented a new festival in confusion.
Many Twitter users pointed it out that she seems to have confused the two festivals, especially since Navroz was celebrated just few weeks back.
https://twitter.com/abhijitmajumder/status/1114391212327358464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/TarekFatah/status/1114390992537489408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The Kashmiri Pandits, especially, seem to have not taken it too well.
https://twitter.com/DharRenuka/status/1114391313129115648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/Rahipoet/status/1114380839209582592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/Ateendriyo/status/1114381609426227200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Clearly, not too happy.
https://twitter.com/Ateendriyo/status/1114383193807843328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Navreh is a new year for the Kashmiri Pandits which falls on the first day of bright fortnight of Chaitra month. On the eve of Navrah, a thaali filled with rice, curd, bread, walnuts, inkpot, paper, pen, mirror, flowers, silver coin and the almanac of the next year is kept ready to be seen the first thing next morning. Navroz is the Parsi new year which was celebrated on March 21 this year. However, from what it appears, Priyanka seems to have either confused the two festivals of her Kashmiri and Parsi roots or she has invented a new spelling of the Kashmiri festival.