Hundreds of thousands of faithful today took holy dip in rivers and ponds and offered prayers in temples on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti which was celebrated across the country with mirth and fervour. Braving early morning winter chill,devotees in North India bathed in sacred rivers and ponds and made a beeline to temples to offer prayers. The faithful also offered goods made of "til" (sesame) to the poor,an act of charity believed to bring spiritual benefit on Makar Sankranti when the Sun enters the tropic of Capricorn. Security forces kept a hawk-eye vigil to maintain law and order and ward off any attack on religious congregations. In Allahabad,a sea of humanity converged at the Sangam,the confluence of Ganga,Yamuna and mythical river Saraswati,to take holy dip on Makar Sankranti which marks the decline of winter. Led by ash-smeared holy men,worshippers took a ritual bath in the holy waters at the Sangam signalling the start of Maha Khumbh,billed as the world's biggest religious festival. Long-winding queues of devotees were seen outside temples in the vicinity of the Sangam and near the banks of Ganga and Yamuna. At the Sagar Island in West Bengal,over five lakh devotess bathed at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal to celebrate the festival. Colourful kites dotted the skyline of many cities and towns on the occasion with children,young and old camping themselves on roof-tops to enjoy the festival. In Tamil Nadu,harvest festival Pongal was celebrated with fervour as farmers worshipped the Sun God with their agricultural produce. Skillfully laid out colourful 'kolams' (rangoli) on the streets and houses decorated with palm leaves and flowers marked the day as people welcomed the auspicious Tamil month of 'Thai.' In Rajasthan,devotees thronged Galta Tirth in Jaipur and Pushkar sarover in Ajmer for holy bathing,offered prayers in temples and alms to the needy. Skyline of the Pink City,where Makar Sakranti is celebrated as a festival of kites,was dotted with colourful kites. Enthusiasts perched themselves on roof-top at the break of dawn to fly kites. In Tamil Nadu,farmers in rural areas worshipped the Sun God by cooking pongal,a local sweet delicacy,with the 'first rice' from the latest harvest. Many shops in Chennai were shut as most workers from rural areas went to their villages to celebrate Pongal. Immunity for U.S. troops in Afghanistan to be decided by year-end (Adds comment,context) KABUL,Jan 14 (Reuters) - A decision on immunity for U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan after the 2014 planned withdrawal will be made by the end of the year,Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Monday. "The issue of immunity is under discussion (and) it is going to take eight to nine months before we reach agreement," Karzai told a news conference in the capital,Kabul,after returning from meetings with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington. The Afghan government rejected an initial U.S. proposal regarding the question of immunity and a second round of negotiations will take place this year in Kabul,he said. Those negotiations could involve Afghanistan's Loya Jirga,a "grand assembly" of political and community leaders convened for issues of national importance,he added. When asked if security would deteriorate in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the NATO-led force,Karzai replied: "By no means. Afghanistan will be more secure and a better place." The Obama administration has been considering a residual force of between 3,000 and 9,000 troops in Afghanistan to conduct counterterrorism operations while providing training and assistance for Afghan forces. But the administration said last week it did not rule out a complete withdrawal after 2014. The United States is insisting on immunity from prosecution for any U.S. troops that remain.
