Pongal - O - Pongal

At Sobha Palladian, we celebrated Pongal for the third time in as many years.

The first time, Jan 2018, it was a tame affair. A few enthusiastic families got together, rustled up the ingredients, some firewood and a Ponga-Panai and we got going with a small group in attendance.

Year 2, Jan 2019, we were better organised. We made an elaborate kolam, had sugarcanes, a PA system and homemade vadais from Freeda & Raja.

This year, on 18 Jan 2020, the organizing team went Pro !!

We had the works!!

2 beautifully decorated Ponga Panais lined up on the cricket pitch.

5 elaborate kolams greeting all visitors to Sobha Palladian.

Ample firewood and a  huge stock of thick juicy sugarcanes.

Lots of flowers and decorations and lots of chairs for folks to sit down and relax.

An evening full of music and entertainment.

A senior citizen guest speaker – Sri Venkataraman

Bought out vadais and special homemade Venn Pongal from Nirmala

And a surprise event, URI ADI - a wonderful initiative by Krishna Kumar.

Uri Adi = Hit the JackPot

And Hang on!! 

We had the men folks making their debut in dancing – Puliattam!! And they were awesome.

And we also discovered that Raja dances as good as his better half, Freeda !!!

And we had a whopping 120 plus turnout.

From 3 PM onwards, the Jovial Grounds (aka. CA Site) started bustling with activity.

And the eager and enthusiastic Palladiian folks turned out in Flaming orange Sarees and spotless white veshtis.

And the children in their elaborate dance ensemble.

And I would not be surprised if next year these enthusiastic folks rustle up a few bulls for a Jallikattu at our grounds!!!

Jallikattu = Bull taming sport

As the folks came, they were greeted by a set of 5 beautiful Kolams and the entrance to Jovial Grounds decorated with the traditional banana fronds and Poo-Malai (string of flowers)

 Kolam!!

 Kolam is generally drawn in front of all houses in villages. Generally, it is of small size. However, on the day of Pongal, the streets of the villages are decorated with larger ones. The squarish kolam symbolizes / depicts life being intertwined with a lot of smaller problems. But there is always a solution and a way to come out of challenges.

The circular  kolam resembles a taambaalam (large plate) which holds different offerings to god in the form of fruits & flowers.

On the 1st day of Pongal, the sun god moves from Dakshinayanam (south) to Utrayanam (north) on his chariot. The Chariot kolam depicts this travel of the sun god. Hence that day’s kolam is called Uttrayanam Punya kalam.

The overflowing pot is the classic depiction of Pongal.  Sugarcane and Turmeric  adorn the two sides of this pot.

In villages, Pongal is celebrated for 8 days and the 8th day is called Mayileru and on that day, all the houses are adorned with Peacock kolam.

Preparing the Ponga Panai..

It’s a tradition to have a new pot, newly harvested rice and jaggery from newly harvested sugarcane for the Pongal. The design used as a decoration on the pot as this is dedicated to sun god

 Making Sarkarai (Sweet) Pongal!!!

First pour fresh milk into the pot and let it boil and overflow the pot.

This signifies the welcoming of a new year overflowing with riches and prosperity!

And then all the folks take turns to add all the ingredients and lend a hand to cook and stir the pot.

And a hundred pairs of eyes eagerly watching this cooking process.

And finally, when the Pongal is ready to be served piping hot, its absolutely lip smacking and finger licking. The organizers made sure we lick our fingers for they did not give us a spoon!

And then the evening event started.             

So, Saran welcomed the assembled gathering in chaste Tamil and picked up a few unsuspecting victims and asked them to translate a few words in Tamil.

Then our senior citizen Mr Venkataraman gave a wonderful in-depth discourse on the meaning & the spirit of Pongal and the history and tradition behind this event..

Followed by Anil Bajpai who shared a few points on Makara Sankranti as well.

1. Thai Pongal :  Dyuthi kicked off the celebrations with a short talk on Thai Pongal  and then played a popular Pongal folk song. 

 Thai Pongal is a multi-day Tamil harvest festival of South India, particularly in the Tamil community.  It is observed at the start of the month Thai according to Tamil solar calendar, and this is typically around January 14.

It is dedicated to the Hindu sun god, the Surya, and corresponds to Makara Sankranthi, the harvest festival under many regional names celebrated throughout India. 

The four days of the Pongal festival are called Bhogi Pongal, Surya/Perum Pongal, Maattu Pongal and Kanum Pongal.

Today we present Thai Pongal celebrations through traditional folk dances

 The dances are inspired by the elements of nature - Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Space, which is the foundation for    our sustenance.

2. Karagattam:   And as the young dancers assembled ready to perform, Sanjana’s clear voice rang out on the PA system. And she gave us a small primer on Karagattam and then played the song to which the young dancers performed so wonderfully.

 Karakattam or karakam is an ancient folk dance of Tamil Nadu performed in praise of the rain goddess Mariamman.  The performers balance a pot on their head. Traditionally, this dance is categorized into two types: Aatta Karakam symbolizes joy and happiness. It is mainly performed as entertainment.  Sakthi Karakam is performed only in temples as a spiritual offering. Karakkatam invokes rain through a classical Tamil dance. The most common song employs Amrithavarshini Ragam. Tamils believed that mother nature gives bountiful rain and protects the harvest.

 This is a dance inspired by Water!

3. Oyilattam :  Hello Riya, Can you tell us something about Oyilattam and play  us a song??

 Oyilattam meaning dance of grace is a folk dance with origins in the Madurai region of Tamil Nadu. It was traditionally a dance where a few men would stand in a row perform rhythmic steps to the musical accompaniment.  Typically, the musical accompaniment is the Thavil (drum)and the performers have coloured handkerchiefs tied to their fingers and wear ankle bells.

 Oyilattam is mainly performed at village festivals and themed based on great epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata and lord Muruga's history.

 This is a dance inspired by Wind!

4. Kummi :  And then our young DJ,  Preethika picked up the mic and announced Kummi Dance. And she put on  racy track!!

And the ladies glided in, dancing in rhythm to the lively beat of this song.

Kummi dance is an engaging folk dance performed by the villagers and tribal community of Tamil Nadu. The dance revolves around the daily lives of villagers. The origin of Kummi dance is dated back to the prehistoric times when no traces of any musical instrument were found. Since the dance has originated without accompaniment of any musical beats, the dancers clap their hands to keep time.  Performed usually by the womenfolk, Kummi dance is enacted in circular movement.  The performers are essentially agriculture centric and thrive on occupations like farming, harvest etc. which is reflected in the poem being sung and in the dance performances.

 Here we present to you Kummi and this dance is inspired by Space

              

5. Thappatam :  And this is what Mihika said about Thoppattam.

 Thappatam / Parai Attam is a special type of dance in Tamil culture in which folks beat parai and dance to its rhythm.  Parai  or Thappu is one of the oldest drums used in India, especially in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It consists of a circular wooden frame with one end closed with cow skin membrane and the other end open. Thappu is played with two sticks, one being larger and thinner than the other. It is performed in dances, funerals, temple festivals and sport events. In ancient days, this instrument was used as a communication mechanism to convey messages to people and alert against danger.

 

 This is a dance inspired by Fire!

6.  Puliyatam :  And finally, as the men folks tightened their veshti mudichu (waist knot),  Suhana got on air with an explanation on Puliattam the Tiger dance !!

And then she let loose a wild number.

 And that galvanised all the Pulis into action!!

 Puliyattam (means Tiger Dance) is an old folk-art dance of Tamil country. A highly exuberant and cultural festival, this dance form usually comprises a troupe of 6 performers aping the movements of the majestic, predatory tigers. Their bodies are painted by the painstaking efforts of local artists in vibrant yellow and black to resemble an exact replica of a tiger.  The paintings include the ferocious looking fangs and convincing headgear replete with ears, paws with claws and a long tail that conjures an accurate picture of the savage beast’s graceful movements.  The thunderous roars of drums beating wildly along with several local instruments reproduce the snarls of the regal predators and complete the picture.  Apart from the tiger, the dancers are often adorned in the beautiful spots of a leopard or the eerie dark shades of a black panther.

 This is a dance inspired by Earth!

And while people converged around the Pongal table, 

Uri Adi got started. And the children guided and lustily cheered the blindfolded participant on their way to the suspended Uri and make a strike.

Only one lucky Som got to crack the suspended pot and get away with the bounty!!

And finally the Palladian Music Club got into action with some nice songs!.

And On behalf of the Sobha Palladian community, my sincere thanks to all the organisers, the contributors, the participants and the attendees for making this event a very memorable occasion.

To Sri Venkataraman his wife Mrs. Rajalakshmi for gracing the occasion. Mrs Rajalakshmi inaugurated the Pongal making ceremony by lighting the fire under the first Ponga Panai.

To Nivedita and her famous dance troupe for putting up a fabulous performance. And to the brave Pulis (Tigers) – you guys are just awesome!!!

To KK & Nirmala, Saran & Leela, Raja & Freeda, Mohana & her entire Family, Venki & Ahila, Jovial, Vikas, and Jayashree & Sukanya.

And a special thanks to Gayatri for keeping a strict eye and monitoring the garbage disposal mechanism.  

And to the many other folks  who pitched in enthusiastically to make this event a wonderful evening for all of us.

And my personal thanks to Nivedita for providing me with subject matter expertise to write this blog and to Manoj for his brilliant photos.  
Manoj, Tussi Gr8 Ho !!!

Thank you, folks, once again for your encouragement & wonderful support!

Krish..