Pongalo Pongal (Boiling)

Wish You All a Happy PONGAL

Before i tell my Pongal celebrations, First we see, why we celebrate Pongal.

Pongal is a four day long harvest festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India. For as long as people have been planting and gathering food, there has been some form of Harvest Festival. Pongal, one of the most important popular Hindu festivals of the year. This four-day festival of thanksgiving to nature takes its name from the Tamil word meaning to boil and is held in the month of Thai (January-February) during the season when rice and other cereals, sugar-cane, and turmeric (an essential ingredient in Tamil cooking) are harvested. Mid-January is an important time in the Tamil calendar. The harvest festival, Pongal, falls typically on the 14th or the 15th of January and is the quintessential Tamil Festival. Pongal is a harvest festival, a traditional occasion for giving thanks to nature, for celebrating the life cycles that give us grain. Tamilians say `Thai pirandhaal vazhi pirakkum, and believe that knotty family problems will be solved with the advent of the Tamil month Thai that begins on Pongal day. This is traditionally the month of weddings. This is not a surprise in a largely agricultural community the riches fgained from a good harvest orm the economic basis for expensive family occasions like weddings. The first day is celebrated as Bhogi and second day is celebrated as Surya Pongal, third day is celebrated as Mattu (Bull) Pongal and The Fourth day is known as Kannum Pongal day..

My celebration

On Pongal day, i usualy wake early, take bath, wear New Cloths and watch Specail Program. My dad will go to shop and buy Sugarcane and turmeric, at 11.30 or 12.00 we take the Pongal Pot to the open space in front of our house to do pooja. Every time i ask my mom to keep pongal on the fire, until it flows, but my mom dont hear my word,and take it as soon as it ready. I will argue with here, that when the pongal flows form the pot, that is the real pongal. I also like to eat the pongal which was cooked in pot, but my mom used to cook it in cooker. On last pongal i compul my mom to buy a new pot and cook the pongal on this, because when we buy a pot for pongal, it will help the poor people who sales pots and they also will celebrate the Pongal. after keeping the pot in open, we show camphor (in tamil Karpuram) to the sun god, and we will shout pongalo pongal. after finishing the pooja, we will be read to taste the Pongal, Vadai and sundal. and will continue the Special programs in TV. I like to celebrate atleast one pongal in Village.

Tommarro will tell about My Mattu Pongal celebration.

Celebration of Harvest – Pongal Festival

Pongal, the traditional festival of Tamils is left by two days. Tradition is something I always admire and I believe everything has some scientific reasons behind our customs and traditions what in later days turned relevant to faith. Pongal, the harvest festival of south India is a thanksgiving to farmers, cattle’s and nature in support of cultivation, though it is celebrated all over India in different names and custom, the core intention was to stand up for the farmers who the reason for our daily food.

A simple Pongal  kolam or rangoli from the neighborhood, last year.

Mostly, Pongal is a festival celebrated grandly and traditionally in villages and small towns where the farmers and the related sources exist. But in cities I feel we almost lost the touch of real essence of Pongal – the earthen pots, which brings a connection between earth and us and in combination of firewood produce a distinct flavour what any other utensils could promote and the bubbling up of pot with rice is another cheerful part believed to bring auspicious to home and hope to life. And that’s why I try to celebrate Pongal in traditional way each year, even though we couldn’t live up to farmers and villagers dedication I try the best to convince parents to celebrate/cook Pongal in pot and firewood.

I see Pongal brings new spirit to life and by celebrating the festival I feel grateful for the farmers and anything related to farming and food processing. ‘Suriya Pongal’ is another aspect of the festival devoted to prime source Sun (Suriya-n) where the Pongal pot is placed in open area where the sunlight falls, and by boiling the rice from newly harvested crop is a way of thanking its light and energy fuelling in cultivating crops. And ‘Thai Pongal’ is another term refers to Pongal which meant the beginning of Tamil month Thai, according to Tamil calendar, and the month when the harvest begins is believed to bring hope and ways to live with harvested grains.

A earthen pot on firewood stove  getting ready to cook Pongal, from the previous pongal festival a couple of years back.

This year the Pongal extends into the weekend, following Pongal, Maattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal on 15, 16 and 17 respectively to 18 and 19 as weekend. Though the holidays doesn’t going to do anything with me or change across, but I could end up watching TV programs on special days after try to make firewood Pongal in the balcony, just like the previous year, and others could be the routine. One thing special about this Pongal is I gonna watch the programs and movies in my new big Led TV. Lol

Though Pongal is a piece of cake to us compared to villages and small towns where the celebration is whole, I always try to connect the feel and think back the times at grandparents’ home and visits to villages on Maattu (Bull) Pongal to take part in their celebrations, where cattle’s are decorated and their shelters being cleaned and worshiped and kids taking joy rides in bullock carts, to cherish myself to pick up the energy to go further. I think a festival mood couldn’t be enrich unless added some people to make my belief true that festivals are to be celebrated together with people rather making it a custom to celebrate alone or mark it as holidays only. I always wish to celebrate festivals along with people or at least surrounded by dear ones. I wish people from India a Happy Pongal and Makar Shankranti!

Country Pongal

The Pongal festival has something special than any other festival, where this only festival celebrates for 4 days. In foremost years, cultivation was the only main source of lives, so celebrating this in pomp way still continues till now for four days as Bhogi, Pongal, Maatu Pongal & Kaanum Pongal. In villages, welcoming pongal is such delight, so as cleaning the houses, whitewashing, coloring, and keeping surrounding clean and dignity, to draw kolam (drawing) to look better the place to make pongal. The pongal is mostly prepared with new rice, from the harvested paddies before some days to pongal, with newly grown sugarcanes without dullness of its greenish, turmeric bunch and vegetables, with newly did oven. Oven, not to think the one in our kitchens, it’s made out of three pieces of mud clays, that kept for dry a week before painting colors or to daub the dissolved bull dung on the old ovens to make burn with palm leaves.

The day before pongal is Bhogi. The things that remains after cleaning houses and those useless things to thrown away are burnt in front of there gateway. By this they believe the adversity clears and welfare spreads. On pongal, the elders in house wake up early to bath before sunrise, to lit oven and decorated mud pots to arrange in count of newly married couples, from one to three pots to prepare pongal. After worshiping sun and nature, the pongal pots brought into home for special prayers. The next day was Mattu Pongal (Bull Pongal). It’s the day to honor the bulls, which strongly support to cultivation and cultivators. On that day, bulls are bathed and there stalls been cleaned, to prepare small pongal within stalls, later the pongal is served little to bulls and distributed to others. On that day bulls are let free and mostly unused to works.

In some towns and cities in Tamil Nadu, on the bull pongal day they conduct bull catching festivals - known as Jallikattu, and other games that kept front bulls. The fourth and final day of festival is called Kaanum pongal. On the usual process, people go out with there families to beaches, temples and tourist space and spent there whole day entertaining themselves, forgetting there hard works and spared freely. Similarly the whole villages celebrate these four days happily and the main reason it continues for thousands of years celebration is because of its simply peoples friendly. As its needs no big worship or prayers, the only intention of this festival is happy celebrations. Let’s celebrate the Pongal, welfare to spread and delight to sunshine in our lives.

#Check for Chennai Sangamam below

Pongal and Bull Dung!!

Above is my Pongal Pot, which I did two days back with cotton, painting the pot and the paper karumbu (sugar cane), was kept in our showcase.

Thai Pongal(boiling) was a traditional festival of Tamilan’s, which flows (celebrated) during the first four days of Thai Month (mid-January) according to Tamil calendar. Each day refers a special and it calls as Bhogi, Pongal, Mattu (bull) Pongal & Kaanum Pongal. This was my favorite festival always. This was the day we used to thank the Nature, and we can also call this day a new year for our farmers. After the yearlong hard works of plough the soil to make it a good one for cultivate; then seeding the paddy; transplant in to another spacious place and leaving water till it reaches the stage of Harvest, the farmers spent there whole energies to see their paddy are grown well. So to express their happiness by thanking the god they celebrate this Pongal.

The Mattu Pongal is the day to thank the cattle’s, esp. the bulls that helps us to the agriculture. We not only take the energy of bulls, even their dung’s are used for this pongal festival. As it was the Thai first, the next month of the Margazi which was the season for kolam (making a design with rice flour). On this time and on pongal days people used the dissolved bull dung to create a smear before their gateway to draw the kolam. Now days we can only see this smears in the villages of Tamil Nadu, once it was also available to see the smears in chennai some years back. The kolam gets an exquisite when it was put on dung smear floor in rice flour. And it considered auspicious to make the kolams before sunrise, as the Sun God feels welcome before it visit the earth. To bring more attracts to the kolam, a lump of cow dung will places at the center of the kolam and a five petal pumpkin flower will rests on it regarded as a symbol of fertility and an offering of love to the deity.

I have seen some of these incidents near my house at least before 10 years back, the friendly neighbors used to follow this way of putting kolam, some times their would be little fight with others for the bull dung. On the day of Bhogi I noticed many people come to my grandpa house to collect the dung for putting kolam. As we are in the Margazi season, the gateway of my neighbor’s friend’s house would have a thick dung smear floor and as it would be very smooth and our evening hours of sitting, playing and talking with friends will be on that floor, some times even we get scold from the neighbors for braking the dung floor, esp. for leaving tops on that.

It was familiar in villages to cook the pongal, keeping the pot in the middle of the kolam in the dung smear floor with the oven which was daub by the bull dung, some times this pongal was cooked on burning the dried dung cakes. In the villages the people who have mud houses and who already have floors daub by dung for their house, use the bull dung to daub for the Pongal celebration, like how we clean our house with whitewashing the walls. Actually today's situation was, we are missing the real pongal. If we see most of them are cooking the Pongal in Cooker and steel vessels, mostly the people in cities and urban areas. Because of this we miss the real taste of pongal, which prepared in sand pot. Nowadays all of them have gas stoves, so making pongal in firewood’s and dried bull dung have reduced and it also changed the taste. I can’t forget the sweet pongal cooked on the dried dung cake were my mom prepare in the month of Aadi in the Amman Temple. With our forgetting our traditional way of celebrating, at least let we all try to continue with its nature… Wish you all a beautiful pongal with sand pot, sugarcane and more sweets. HAPPY PONGALO PONGAL:)

Pongal and Pot

With a day for Pongal, the harvesting festival of Tamils uplifts the mood quite. Being an admirer of festivals, Pongal has a special place in my heart and the value of tradition being preserved at least during this time feels happy. Pongal is not only farmers festival but people who survive, eating their harvested grains should celebrate to thanksgiving the farmers and their close associates of cattle and the natural resources. People in cities mostly celebrate the festival (almost every festival) in front of the televisions and Pongal (boiling of milk and rice, which overflows to be believed as a favourable outcome) is also cooked on cookers rather the traditional way of mud pots.

For more than a decade we have been making Pongal on mud pots, but except couple of times on the firewood’s it was the gas stove mostly. The Pongal cooked in mud pots has a distinct flavour and I enjoy having it so much.  Though having a spacious courtyard, we didn’t arrange for firewood last year unlike 2015, as our city was going through difficult time due to floods, I have requested mom to prepare for a traditional Pongal this time. I really love to celebrate Pongal in a village atmosphere where true festival essence exists. But living in city it’s quite difficult even though I try to visit villages or travel around the countryside to capture the glimpses of Pongal celebrations on the Mattu Pongal or Kaanum Pongal, the successive days of Pongal festival that highlight bulls and entertainment consecutively.   

Among the four days of Pongal festival, tomorrow marks Bhogi Pongal where the houses are cleaned and old things are replaced by new or disposal of unused. For last few days our house has been going through much cleaning and mom and dad had taken care of the task. Though it was a difficult job for them, I really got to recover and cherish many things (that I have quite forgotten) while cleaning has left me with ideas which I think of using in coming days.  

Btw. The mud pot and stove was captured at a restaurant in Kodaikanal and it was placed on the sunshade. It was raining that time and the picture had little grains, so I used oil paint filter and it gives a nice feel. Wish you all Happy Pongal 

My Pongal celebration 2017

I know it’s late by two weeks to post on Pongal, the harvesting festival of Tamils, but it’s better late than never. I think you all know about the youth revolution that took centre stage following the Pongal and though it wasn’t an easier task for people to come forward to protest for their rights and protection of bulls, the entire week was like an extension of Pongal with the voices of slogans indirectly, alongside supporting the traditional sports, emphasis the wealth of bulls and farmers. We couldn’t think of Pongal keeping away the farmer and it was farmers festival overall but we have the reason to celebrate as they are our life savers, producing food for us. Pongal festival brings happiness for farmers and Jallikattu is a part of the celebration and we got back the traditional sport in right manner.

Coming to the post, this year’s Pongal was different for me and was able to feel the mood more than latter years. Though we celebrated Pongal in the traditional way, where we lit firewood’s on the outside of the home and made Pongal (boiling of rice and milk) in the mud pot, the Pongal event conducted in our street by the backstreet boys was really uplifting. They created a friends group in name of APJ Abdul Kalam and conducted Kolam contest, running race for different age groups and couple of fun sports.  The event was started from the eve of Pongal and the Kolam contest happened at the night itself but they came to capture our Kolam (along with the others) only in the morning and we unknown who’s the winner. The boys and girls participated in the races and won gifts from the organisers and what really impressed was all showed up in traditional dresses.

But what keeps me bothering was how I missed capturing the event or at least the kids running around. The songs played in the speakers and people talking over the mike let the festival feel in the air. I put some special programs and movies on record (thanks to DTH) and moved out of the home to enjoy the festival and while things happening around; mom prepared the Pongal in the mud pot on the firewood’s and before it overflows I was with camera to capture the moment and once the rice boiled the whitest foam forms and milk is poured to restrain its flow. But it was me asked her to wait to let it overflow, though I don’t believe such thing will change things for better but this custom of overflowing keeps me going. Lol

The pot Kolam in my previous post was drawn by mom along with the above one but the coloring job for the couple of pots were given to our next door neighbour and she did it pretty colourful. We stayed awake till midnight for them to finish the Kolams, amid the troublesome mosquitoes and my cute lil friend Achu was also wakeful to give company and it was fun to be along with him. The sweet Pongal boiled in the pot was later offered to the Sun, the foremost source of energy to the entire living on earth and helps in high yield, which is a form of thanksgiving to nature and farmers who transforms the resource into edible. On Mattu Pongal, the third day of Pongal, I went for an outing on ECR and visited my great grandma’s village. I will write on it later. Follows few shots from the offering: 

The offer to energetic sun

My favorite  "ven pongal and vada"

Thai Moon Pongal

Pongal, gladly known as farmer’s festival of harvesting and thanksgiving, and also celebrated as Tamil New Year for last couple of years is now here. The yearlong hardworking and tiresome farmers celebrate this day as Pongal and not alone the farmers; almost every Tamils in the world celebrates this festival as thanksgiving to nature.

The world celebrates thanksgiving and harvesting day in different names, but the point of view and hope is one, and its nature the heaven. Pongal is also celebrated in other parts of India as Sankranthi - the transition of the Sun into Capricorn on its celestial path.

In the basis of sun and moon, our ancestors calculated this day to be celebrated on the first day of Thai moon, which falls almost on January 14 or15, where sun diverts its path towards north after 6 months journey towards south. On this day people hope good things happen to them.

The pongal is celebrated for four days by marking bhogi, pongal, mattu pongal and kaanum pongal. In all these four days, pongal is considered as auspicious and holy day of harvest. On this day, farmers are seen on wealth and set to begin there auspicious affair and hope it continue throughout the month and year.

It’s sad to see, only on these days alone we think about farmers and there need and deed to us. Keeping away the faith, I appreciate this tradition celebrated for a true cause that holds our breath. More than the pongal that witness in cleaning up homes, drawing colorful lines and lightning clay pots to boil and flow milk as auspicious sign of vivid life, I love mattu pongal (bull pongal). It’s my favorable festival where we celebrate the cattle and bulls, who are our intimate friends of farmer in helping on many activities esp. the bulls that are used for plowing, caring, feeding…

On this day, the places around the bull stable are cleared up and a pongal pot is lit on a corner and bulls are taken into bath and painted colorful horns. Later the boiled pongal with varies vegetables are feed to them and set free on this day without giving much work to them and farmers get together in evening and next day by visiting there favorite places. Hope the auspicious begins on this day continues in our lives and esp. our life saving farmers. Happy Pongal

The desideratum festival Pongal and Jallikattu

A feel good beginning for my art again.

We are ahead with energy flowing to welcome the most wanted festival of Tamilan. It’s not particular for Tamils; it’s a festival center for all common people who interest to thanksgiving the nature. The Pongal follows the solar calendar as the sun changes its direction rays, where it starts riding from southern to northern. The Pongal is intends to boiling over of milk and rice from the pot that is considered a sign of happiness and property flows in our lives. The Pongal which celebrated in Tamil month of Thai for four days from the last day of Margali (mostly Jan 14). The farmers festival on this pongal, we clean and whitewash our homes, decorate our homes with mango leaves and festoon, drawing beautiful kolams and cook pongal to celebrate with family and friends around.

Generally Pongal is celebrated at its best only in villages, where in early decorated new clay pot, taking the newly harvested rice from paddy and adding with pure milk to make flowing pongal to thanking the earth and welcoming Sun. The first day before pongal is consist of Bhogi. It’s the day to said good bye to old and enters of new in our lives; it always celebrated as burning or throwing the old thing into fire. But in todays time its better stop burring the waste things or old clothes and best is to give for non-existence. On the third day of Mattu Pongal (Bull Pongal) is thanked giving for bulls those handworks throughout the year and which was farmers friend. Taking them to bathe, painting there horns and decorating with leaves and replacing with new cord, tying bells and with colorful balloons the bulls enjoy themselves, esp. seeing other bulls.

The Jallikattu (bull catching game) happen on this day and the last day of pongal that was known as Kaanum Pongal in Tamil Nadu is world famous. Kaanum Pongal is well known for its outing and picnic with family and friends for there favorite places, in many villages people interested in going to watch Jallikattu at near there place. The Chennai Marina beach is recorded yearly for more people visiting on Kaanum Pongal. According to Jallikattu, it anticipated for an important award by Supreme Court this year whether it would be banned or to allow conducting the Jallikattu, but without cared about anything the preparation for the festival was in full fledge. The Jallikattu always happens in Madurai’s Paalameadu on the 2nd day of Thai (Jan 16) and the world famous Alanganallur the next day and followed by other districts of Tamil Nadu. The bulls are carefully trained rest of the whole year for the yearly ones game.

Bulls are feed with grind raw rice and cotton seeds and left to drink 40 litters of water twice a day to avoid fatigue and 3km of walking every day. To strengthen, the bulls were daub to grinded tamarind seeds for full night and bathed next day, that continue for three months before to Jallikattu, where it develops the blood circulation and gives a shine skin. They even used to tell, bull should not visible others, so they won’t allow none near to the bull. The most looked bull is Kangeyam bull which is the most bravery bull in all and its look itself threaten everybody, but only sad is its species are in stage of perishable. In rural sides if one was to be praised for brave they use to indicate Kangeyam bull, so far it reaches to its name. There would be only countable Kangeyam bulls to exist in Tamil Nadu and I was not sure. To make bulls intoxicate, they fill hays into clothes and create like a man like doll and get them to batter the doll to increase its anger. Because of getting training like this, these bulls are not left so easily into the playing ground of Jallikattu and in addition to train or grow a bull to play for the game they spend minimum 40,000Rs (1000$). But all the hope of these people playing, as well as developing bulls are stopped by Friday’s award by Supreme court in banning for this traditional brave game of Tamil Nadu.

Though it was a good relief for bulls from humans and threat of bull battering humans to injure and sometimes to death in game. But it was a sorrow for Tamil Nadu and mostly for the people of southern districts and Madurai to give away our traditional brave game. It’s not planned, but it happens to relate this post to my recent painting of Jallikattu above, like a man trying to control the bull. It was one more happiness I got at this year beginning of returning to my drawing side that I wasn’t touched for over a year. I was in confuse could I able to draw something again like past, but I moved to the comfort of drawing. Let me know your comments… I wish you all for a Happier Pongal celebration.

Our Pongal

The last we celebrated Pongal in our traditional way i.e. cooking in firewood stove, was five years back, on the terrace of our native home in Adyar. Surrounded by close family members, we settled for a firewood stove, enclosed in bricks, and placing a new mud pot atop and calling Pongalo Pongal as the Pongal (boiled rice/milk) overflows the pot, it was quite delight as we ever so directly celebrated the festival under sunlight. Pongal is a festival celebrated esp. to thanksgiving the sun for it’s entice source of energy and other natural elements for helping farmers in good harvesting. Not only farmers, Pongal is believed to bring auspicious to everyone, the way Pongal boils over the pot.

Mom's Pongal Kolam, - in front of the gateway

Shifted to an individual house in 2013, I planned to celebrate the festival in more traditional flavor, bringing my dear ones into another cheerful enclosure of firewood, mud pot and sugarcanes. But nothing worked out and I couldn't make anything as I wished, as I myself suffered with the fracture in my femur. This year, still living in an individual house with enough space to make firewood stove, we went ahead to celebrate the festival, in our personal interest, as it was not possible to recreate a then moment.  I think personally, Pongal is a social festival and it should be celebrated by all together. Not only Pongal, but I think every festival is celebrated to bring togetherness and sharing.

Follows our Pongal Pot: 

 

 

Pongal 2019

Mom's Pongal pot Kolam

I still going through the painful arm (read here if you missed) at night and the muscle spasm  have formed well on the upper arm and it’s taking time to heal. Being a muscular dystrophy, with weaker muscles, an extension in healing is no wonder. But I could feel better than earlier and still shifting positions kicks pain and I continue to ice and heat therapy. In between we had a far better Pongal and after 2010 we got to celebrate Pongal along with our uncle’s family who lives adjacent and the extended balcony (for my wheelchair movement) has gave enough space to lit firewood stove and Pongal was cooked in mud pot. Pongal is a harvesting festival of Tamil and thanksgiving to nature that nurture our lives and making Pongal in open space means dedicate to the prime natural source Sun and make thought the year become all success and happier.

Making of sweet Pongal by boiling rice, milk and jaggery

The weather is pretty cool all these days and the sun is bright enough to balance the heat and the Pongal was cooked despite the warm sunlight that kept producing heat. The night before Pongal, mom and aunt got their hands on beautifying our front yard or the space between the road and our house and both made two colourful Kolams aka Rangoli using colour powders. First time mom took effort to draw a big Kolam after her surgery in May, though it is a simple kolam for her but just put this effort for me as  I love kolams. Every year she used to draw Pongal Kolam and adds colors according to the design and this time along with the aunt they turned more colourful the way it used to be. Other than paying homage to nature esp. the sun, and making Pongal on the balcony the days were spent mostly on TV and i went around our streets in the evening to check neighbours Kolam but to my disappointment most of them had drawn small Kolam or design which I would sharing in another post. Hope you liked our celebration.

View on other two kolams by aunt, from balcony

Pongal Day

It’s my wish to celebrate the Pongal in the traditional way, even though we had no way to bring the old style of the pongal, which celebrates, in village sides. This year we (Tamil Nadu) faced a new equality pongal with out seeing the religions all were gather and celebrate. As I said in my recent post most people in cities use the other vessels than sand pot to cook pongal. I had a point that I should not give it, so urged my parents to buy a new sand pot for the pongal, even though we had a old pot, I needed only new ones. Wake up early to do not miss the special programs on TV; the pongal was over flowing from the Pot when the sun was on the top, rushed to click a snap of it.

Placing the pot in the center of the kolam on the opened gateway, it naturally took us to the traditional way, when we showing the camphor adoration to the pongal pot, and the sun; shouting Pongalo Pongal was very warm that we had a best one forever. We also got some support from a neighbor for the equality pongal. The best wishes would be from them, as they feel happy by the way we celebrate it and we also shared the sweets and pongal with them. I felt that in my apartment most don’t likes to share the festivals or the enjoyment with others, except some whom like the one who comes forward interestedly to share the pongal. Now I really miss my old neighbors in my old place who are even ready to put love fight with us for their share in our pongal. How sweet it was!!

The place was very silent, only parents, my grandma and me were presented to worship the sun. My bro was off from this as he was wandering with his friends for the first day ticket for new release films. Even thought it was bore time, I was happy that we are celebrating our festival in good mood.

Christmas and Pongal Pictures

I did arranged with few things from the showcase on the Christmas Eve alike a year before, and burn few candles around it and thus it marked the event to glow. I was happy to play that moment by blowing candles and having chocolates, but by chance there was no one to share my joy except my mom.

Unlike Christmas, we had a wonderful moment at our native home on pongal, by celebrating the festival in a traditional way by making pongal in fire woods stove on the terrace and worshiping the greatest nature sun for producing heat to help us and our environment to survive in many ways.

It was something difficult for me to celebrate this festival on terrace, but giving importance to my interest and desire my parents prepared for this. People always prefer to celebrate the pongal in there homes and increase in nuclear families, the tradition is slowly decreases and ends in cooker whistle and television program. I always wish and think pongal isn’t a religious festival, it is a harvestival festival and thanksgiving to nature. In this way the world revolves and survives by nature and is made to share happiness, love and comfort.

In each and every way we’re occupying nature’s space and thus we all have a reason to celebrate in common, so why do we need a celebration in our home alone and why can’t make it as a event to get together where happiness and joy shares. I always wish the pongal is celebrated by inviting our neighbors, friends and relatives and make a equality pongal where our relationships are kept in touch.

I know I was late to produce this post and pictures here. I was taking these pictures with another camera and due to some virus in memory card it took this much time to deliver the pictures through photo studio. Thank you.

Pongal Post

(Click pics for enlarge)

I don’t think it’s too late to post on Pongal, held last week. As always it was three of us (me, mom and dad) celebrated the harvesting and thanksgiving festival by making Pongal (boiling of rice and milk) at the courtyard using firewood on bricks stove. My brother was out of town, though he isn’t interested in festivals general, I love the tradition of making Pongal esp. in mud pot in open space as a sign of thanking the foremost nature source sun. I always feel festivals are to celebrate and it’s an occasion to be happy, at least for a while keeping away things that put us down or race life. Pongal isn’t a religious festival to celebrate independently at home and some are so reserved to come out to  show up cheers while sending greetings and I believe it’s celebration of nature and thanksgiving the farmers and cattle’s in supporting the production of food crop.

From night to morning mom drew 4 kolam along the courtyard and gateway, two before went to sleep and two at early morning. I will make a post of it later and here you could see the Pongal boiling/overflowing out of the pot. The days of Pongal passed by watch few movies and TV shows, and alike last year I went around our streets to check neighbours Kolam, but couldn’t see many unlike previous Pongal. The first photo here was the Kolam of my nearby neighbour, though it’s not a colourful kolam, I like the beautiful pattern and neat finishing from this young lady. The backstreet boys conducted Pongal festival contest, just like last year on Mattu Pongal day instead on Pongal and being a weekend along with festival many were out of town and it wasn’t interesting though and contests also went on untimed for people to participate. 

Maa Kolam – a cultural identity of Tamil!

Maa Kolam is one of a cultural identity of Tamil people and drawing a beautiful as well colorful designs at the doorstep during festival seasons, will fascinate everyone with a smiling face: there’s a flat mate in our apartment who pass comments usually encouraging us when we do something traditionally and seeing our pot kolam on Pongal, he says that it remind his hometown. Doesn't it make sense and smile knowing it felt someone nostalgic? Whether it is in India or abroad, Kolam stays as a stable distinct feature of Tamils; with various forms wherever they are settled. Kolam becomes a reflection of individual skill of Tamils and basic faiths of goddess those believe in such. And even we don’t have big thought about kolam that unites the diverse features of life, exposes the artistic talent of homemakers.

There isn’t a specific period when the practice of Kolam took shape, but a traditional kolam is drawn on rice flour and its posture has changed on various stages from plain white to colorful state now. Next to rice flour, the Kolam is drew on a powder grind from a specific white stone and later the colors or flowers are added to enhance the beauty during the festival season. The specific of drawing kolam is believed to bring auspicious to home and by doing so we also keep our house and streets clean and doorstep looks artistry. The kolam is based on a calculation of dots, which has various methods like straight and cross dot, lines and flower patterns become a support in life esp. for women in solving many loopholes in family. So it seemed as an essential for women practicing kolem which helps in developing their mindset and optimizes their existing talents and noble cause.  

Kolams are drawn on various states of India and variety in styles. For example: the Athipoo Kolam of Kerala and Rangoli drawn in north Indian states are equally noted for the kolam drawn in Tamil Nadu.  Besides Alpana of West Bengal, Sanji of Uttar Pradesh and Rangavalli Muggu in Andhra Pradesh. Athipoo Kolams were drawn with flour first and later decorated with flowers which mostly used are marigold, oleander and chicken crest flowers. Rangoli is a colorful kolam, drawn using salt to increase the color saturation and prevent spreading of colors in wind and moreover the salt is comprised as pride of wealth.

Not only during festivals, Kolam drawn as a daily activity of Tamil Nadu: we are one of the countless houses that drew Kolam everyday at the doorstep and during the Tamil month of Margazhi a special attention is given to Kolam. At this time of month, conducting kolam festivals are specific in Tamil Nadu and unlike many other festivals celebrated during this month, a festival for Kolam is only held at here. In Margazhi everyone used to draw a big kolam in front of their homes and using this, people in their area or street create a team and conduct contests and gifts are presented to those well drawn. And it does not only stop there, but by this way people are motivated to disclose their talents and encouraged for an enthusiastic challenge.

Another reason to draw kolam with rice flour was because it giving life to the tiny species on surface, esp. ants use the softly grind-ed flour as their favorite food to survive. During the festival of Pongal that begins with the Tamil month of Thai, is a wonderful time to sight very colorful kolams indicating the rice boiling over the pot, sugarcane and turmeric images taking place besides the kolam. And the Pongal pot is kept to boil over at the header part of the kolam, before worshiping the sun. The same follows with the Mattu Pongal (bull pongal), where kolams are drawn with images of bulls, calves and bells and drawing kolam during the period of Pongal is a fascinating thing as well showcases the pride and happiness of family. And writing pongalo pongal in between the kolam conveys the wishes to everyone passes through the street and certainly kolam has become a lasting part of the beautiful Tamil culture.

(The photos on the pongal kolam where drawn by my mother, during the occasion.)

My Kaanum Pongal Celebrations

Childreans celebrating Kaanum Pongal in some Village

The fourth day of Pongal is known as Kaanum Pongal. On that day people go to there relatives house and some tourist sports, to get relax after celebratingof Pongal. Many time i have gone out with our famile, usualy my uncle used to take us out, to some toursit spot and some relatives house. I think 10years back we take a Maruti Van and went to our relative house in Changelpattu (a town in South India) on the Mattu (bull) Pongal day evning, so we got a good chance to see many people taking there Cows to Temple, and travell in Bullcart (Mattu Vaandi) with decarations, and we stayed in our relatives house that night and next morning, we and our relatives, went out to celebrate the Kaanum Pongal.

First we went to Vedanthangal Bird sanctury, in pongal time the season will be winter, so on that day we saw many birds, it was really wondeful to watch birds in early morning, it was a big lake with many trees, we can see many foreign birds lay eggs and after the season is finished it will take its child birds to there country. I have gone to that sanctuary 3 time, it is a very beautyful place, one side birds and another side is field. on Kaanum Pongal days, when we travel on village side roads, we can see many people going in Mattu vandi (Bullcarts) and tractor to the fav
orite places. we can also see like this in chennai's suberbs or urban areas. After watching birds we went to Mahabalipuram, Mahabalipuram it is a gift for us by Pallava king, some years back it was called as Mamallapuram.( when i want to tell about Mahabalipuram, i have a lot of memories, so i will tell you on some other days) and while returning from mahabalipuram, me, my brother, my aunty and my cousin Uncle had sit in the Dickey of the Maruthi Van and open the door, we can feel the fresh sea breeze when we go like this and we saw many people who are going to there favorite place and we told Happy Kaanu Pongal to them, all the people have surprizingly looked us, it was very funny. That days are very sweet memories.

Some districts in Tamil Nadu, will condect Jalli Kattu (catching Ox) on Kaanum Pongal.

Pongal Weekend

To put it another way, the long weekend is arriving. Pongal, the harvest and thanksgiving festival of Tamil Nadu and Tamils worldwide, falls on the weekend, with the first day as Bhogi; Pongal, Mattu Pongal, Kaanum Pongal, and Ulavar Thirunaal to follow, and is a significant festival time in Tamil Nadu. 

Each day has its significant reason to celebrate. Bhogi was observed on the concept of "the old goes away, and the new comes in," which means getting rid of the old and undesired things in our homes and lives and replacing them with the new, or letting out things to breathe fresh. People traditionally light a fire outside their homes on this day and burn undesired items in it, but lately, the practice of burning things has decreased, thanks to public awareness of the environment and pollution and the prohibition on burning tires and plastic items.

Pongal, the important festival of the series, takes place on the second day (Jan. 15), thanking the natural elements and farmers that give us life and progress in them. If nature provides us with the source, it is the farmers, who transform it into our life support, just like our two eyes, which have to work correctly to see a clear picture of life. On this day, people gather in the open to boil milk and rice in an earthen pot and worship the sun as the source of light and energy for everyone's well-being and future.

From the beginning, cattle have always been the only source of support in our farming, and it's a difficult question to answer if they aren't. So there is no farming without the cattle, especially the bulls, whose muscular pull gives rise to our grains; their dung is the best natural supply of fertilizer to yield abundantly. Farming and cattle are inextricably linked, and even though we are technologically advanced and have machines for every job, to coin the phrase, "old is gold," there is still a demand for them for organic farming. And dedicating a day to cattle is both appropriate and necessary to send a message to the world about the significance of cattle, and our relationship with the species is known as Mattu Pongal or Bull Pongal. 

Finally, the Kaanum Pongal arrives, a much-anticipated day for families and friends to get together and have fun. On this day, folks pack a lunch and go on a pleasant and entertaining journey to tourist attractions, beaches, and the banks of rivers and lakes. Farmers and workaholics take time off from their jobs to be with family and friends. So the four-day festival encompasses things that we may be grateful for and cherish all year: the worth of food and its evolution, and thinking and longing for time together. Happy Pongal to everyone!  

Things happens beside (pongal)

This year’s Pongal was something very simple and somehow boring until cousins came home. The thought to celebrate the festival in a traditional way never comes home easily unless I force to make it rather like the former year where rice boils to firewood under sun light and sugarcanes to hold either on the terrace, we loud Pongalo Pongal as soon the milk boils over.

Every year I wish that Pongal happens in a village and this year we went further to plan a trip to join a Pongal celebration in a village but by chance we missed the opportunity for some reason in traveling and even though I’m happy that at least we gave such concern to plan and hope next year we visit villages on Pongal festival. The festival went off usually how Chennaities celebrate it in there cooking vessels in kitchen and later watch television programs and go out the last day to conclude the festival which is known as Kaanum Pongal.

This year’s Pongal was something disastrous because of the deadliest accident happened in Kerala where more than 100 Ayappan devotes were killed due to the rollover of a jeep and following stampede in a hilly terrain. It was terrible to hear such an incident before yet to go into a festival mood and even it doesn’t much bothered here, its causes are sorrow. Unlike the obvious one above, one of my dears got into an accident and happened to fracture his wrist and even he’s not relatively close, I grown up by cutting my hairs from his hands since I remember.

What truly bother me was that within minutes he left our home finishing my hair cut he was hit by a share auto. I never saw a person like him, who never changed in his attitude and care for our entire family and closely associate with us since we began to practice. What touched me a lot was even in this condition with a fractured arm, he was thinks about my next hair cut which has a month time and there’re many barbershops in our neighbor and he employs many in his shops to serve and still he care for me is simply astonishing and such people are rare in this society.

He’s not alone a barber; he’s a finest Nadaswaram artist who performs for any rituals and temple festivals and there isn’t a function happen in our family certainly without his concert and we are not even to invite him, he understands and comes to play without an invitation and money comes next to him before us and anyone. I couldn’t say anything in front of things happen and I thought that moment what all his plans got disturbed because of his fracture and for a barber and who plays Nadaswaram the hands are very important and source of life and what he going to do having festivals at phase.

Beside these the festival days went off peaceful even there isn’t much happiness to cheers and experience to share, the last day went out on a brief ride on ECR and it was fun going along with cousins in car and chatting and teasing either. Everywhere it was congested on Kaanum pongal which is usual and to believe it was unusual to see so many people crowded the ECR till Mamallapuram. Yearly the counting just increases in crowd and never seems to reduce and it’s enchanting to see people crowded for happiness and fun! And I’m happy in sharing with you all.

RGB Monday

The four days of the Pongal festival went with the flow and I was just idle watching a couple of newly released movies on OTT and entertained by other programs on tv and YouTube.   As usual, I went for Kolam hunting on our streets on the Pongal evening, but as I expected, I couldn’t see many colorful kolams, and some are in regular patterns to shoot. The Pongal festival wasn’t lively at home, and we miss the Pongal cooked in mud pot right outside the home, what we had done for the last four years, including two years along with uncle’s family. This year’s Pongal was the same as what happens when you eat Pongal – a dull feeling.

But the next day, the Mattu Pongal was good enough as I went on an outing on ECR to explore a couple of places, and what can give me happiness other than the opportunity of travel? I enjoyed the day, except for a couple of disadvantages, and this was my first outing with the sister-in-law, and it went all comfortably. I may write on the places in further posts with photos.

Now coming to RGB Monday, I share my aunt’s colorful pot Kolam she drew for the Pongal festival. Mom’s knee pain stopped her from participating in drawing Kolam, so my aunty managed to draw two more simple Kolams, the only colorful thing we added this year for the Pongal. Hope the Pongal is celebrated with happiness and peace at every house of Tamil people and a wonderful weekend for the others.