The festivals celebrated in India are countless. Being the land of diversity, the calendar in India is packed with festivals from various religions and cultures. In addition to the ceremonies, the visit to the places of worship, prayers and offerings to Gods in certain cases, festivals are occasions when families get together and spend quality time. It is a time when cousins from different parts of the city get together. It is a time when people from metropolitan cities travel back to their hometown to celebrate the occasion in their traditional way. But, how is Pongal any different from other festivals? Pongal celebrates “labour”.
The grand festival of Tamil Nadu “Pongal” is a celebration of the harvest which is a result of the relentless efforts of farmers in the fields. This is celebrated as Sankranti outside Tamil Nadu and in other parts of India. The celebration of this festival usually includes worship of the sun, decorating the cattle by painting of the cow’s horns and garlanding the cows and cooking “Pongal” - a dish made out of the freshly harvested rice, jaggery and milk. There are customised versions of this festival that might differ from region to region in Tamil Nadu. But, on the whole, the festival is a celebration of anything and everything that relates to agriculture. A festival that celebrates “labour” and the driving factors for a successful harvest on the harvest day - can a festival be more rational?
The grand bull taming event “Jallikattu” also coincides with the Pongal festival which is a spectacular sporting event in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu. “
Vaadivaasal”, a Tamil novel written by C.S. Chellappa captures intricate details of this sporting event in the background of social structure prevalent in the villages. “Jallikattu” has gained popularity over the years and channels have started live streaming of this event in the recent years with sponsors from popular brands in Tamil Nadu.
Since, the festival relates to labour, naturally it should have been a secular one. But, people being used to the act of practising rituals and conducting ceremonies during festivals might have made Pongal closer to one religion than the other. We have seen instances in Tamil Nadu where Pongal is celebrated by Hindus, Muslims and Christians. There is also an event “Samathuva Pongal” (means Secular Pongal) conducted in the presence of representatives from different religions. Each religion might have its own way of celebrating Pongal, but the majoritarian belief should not distance the solidarity this festival shows towards secularism. If every religion respects the other and its way of celebrating the festival, the festival would be an unanimous display of harmony. If there are individuals or groups who think the other way, their views should also be respected.
“Pongal” will build an inclusive and harmonious environment to celebrate “labour” which keeps this world running!
Wishing everyone a happy Pongal!
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