In rural Maharashtra, winter is incomplete without an invitation to a hurda party. The season of sorghum (jowar) is celebrated by first harvesting and roasting the ripe jowar, separating the grain, and then tucking into the sweet millet, along with a host of condiments, over hearty banter. Once an intimate affair, farmers are now inviting city folk to get a taste of hurda parties at their farms during the December-to-February season. And if you’re still waiting for an invite, this weekend, an indie travel company called The Western Routes will zip you off to an agri farm in Shillim for a field day.

A previous hurda party at the farm in Shillim