Pongal, a grand harvest festival that has its roots in the deep rural South has slowly evolved into a quick-and-easy ‘cooker’ affair.
This is quite the opposite of the elaborate celebrations that accompany the festival in villages. On Pongal day, every household wears a festive look. Maavilai thoranam (mango leaves) decorate the entrance of houses. The aroma of steaming pongal in ponga panai (earthern pots tied with fresh turmeric leaves) swathe the air and people chant ‘pongalo pongalo’ in unison when the full-boil rice brims and neighbours share their joy by asking “Pongal vachacha?” The front yard of the house will be adorned by a grand kolam and traditional musicians visit one’s doorstep and sing Vaazha ninaithal vaazhalam or Kalangalil aval vasantham. Manju virattu or jallikattu will be arranged in many places where groups of young men take on the bulls.
But Pongal today seems to have lost its flavour in the city. With people packed in closed apartments, Pongal is restricted to gas stoves and kitchens. With more people migrating to towns and cities for non-agriculture-based livelihoods, is the tradition still alive?
Says Kalaivani Saravanan from Dharmapuri, who has been residing in Chennai for the past seven years, “Most of the people in the city are not aware about the real essence of Pongal and have little idea why we celebrate it. Coming from a farming background, we used to celebrate Pongal elaborately back home. But now, I stay in an apartment, unable to follow the traditional way of celebration. Our Pongal is restricted to four walls. We just watch TV or go for an outing.”
Urbanisation has diminished the traditions and customs followed during Pongal, says 70-year-old M Ramaswamy, a retired school teacher. “The spirit of the festival is lost in the city. In our village, we used to celebrate four days of Pongal- Bhogi, Surya, Mattu and Kaanum Pongal with much fanfare. I find people flocking to the beaches on the Kaanum Pongal day. But the significance of the day is different. On this day, people travel to see other family members. The younger members of the family pay respects to the elders, and the elders thank them by giving token money. That’s why it’s called Kaanum (to see each other) Pongal,” he clarifies.
Says writer Melanmai Ponnusamy: “It is villages that still follow the Indian traditions and culture. Thai Pongal is not attached to any religion or god. It is just a form of thanksgiving to nature for the excess yield and is dedicated to the Sun god. In our village at Melanmai near Virudhunagar, people used to wake up by 5am in the morning. Right from tying the mango leaves on the entrance of the house to offering sugarcane to the Sun god, every ritual is followed with utmost devotion. Neighbours used to share the Pongal prepared at their homes. In the evenings, cows would be given bath and decorated with different beads and flower garlands. The entire atmosphere would be full of fun. But here in Chennai, Pongal is usually seen as a religion-based ritual. People celebrate Pongal just like Valentine’s Day or Deepavali. The festival is celebrated behind closed doors without understanding its meaning or significance.”