… pings from pongal
Actually when I’d heard that Pongal was on its way to Tamil Nadu, my first thought was that it was that someone was having me on. Just go down to Marine (pronounced ‘marriner’) beach … pongal is always here (Marine beach is a favourite place for folks living rough to have a morning crap … when you add that to the fact that has a good sized fishing community and the inevitable left over fishy bits … plus car and diesel fumes from Marine parade …).
Actually, Pongal is the traditional Tamil harvest festival, starting around the 15th January. It is the time the sun starts moving northwards. It is considered both incredibly auspicious, and an even more fantastic excuse to party than New Years Eve. Tamil Nadu has a two day holiday and three nights of silliness. It runs close on the Hindu religious festival of Ayappa … this year the two days of Ayappa celebrations ran straigh into Pongal. But Pongal is more of a celebration of Tamil folk traditions.
Marine beach was of course utterly jam packed: food stalls, photo booths, small juice stalls, heaps of cheap plastic crap, beggars, hustlers, pickpockets, families, small hand drawn merry go rounds and ferris wheels (these are hysterical, typically about 3 metres diamater, with little seets and/or plastic cars and horses), air rifle balloon popping games, and even more people. Boys on the beach being sleezy (sometime too sleezy … what they call ‘eve teasing’ and we would call ‘sexual harrasment’). A wonderful collection of beautiful, amazingly detailed, and simply huge Rangoli that covered a large area of the beach car park, begun in the early morning, and of course parked on and driven over within hours.
But there are special events. My highlight was the concert of Tamil folk music and dance … much of which was clearly a strong roots music for the carnatic tradition, but which at the same time had strange ties to harvest/folk music the world over (bouncing group and couple dancing in 6/8, reminiscent of Irish jigs). Many unaccomanied songs as well, in a more modern usage of raga, blends of melancholy and optimism.
And the piece de resistance, at least for Chennai, was the marching of the harvest goddess arount Triplicaine at about 12.30 in the night on the first day of Pongal. Accompanied by every marching band that the area could muster (I counted about 15). Most of the bands were 10-15 strong, with marching drums, trumpets, alto saxes, clarinets, and keyboard players and singers following behind in open cars and tray trucks toting very loud generators, very bad sound systems, and wonderfully dodgy light shows. Most of the bands were about 30 m apart, so there were madly chaotic patches in the spill between groups. Lots of young single guys dancing (I think this would be a relatively uncomfortable place for girls).
But there were so many details to take in on Pongal, I needed assistance. Fortunately, my mobile prepaid provider, Hutch, was at hand. Here are selections some from the words of wisdom sent straight to my mobile ….
Hutch says … Recipes for Pongal. Rava Dosa. 1 cup rice wheat flour with salt chillies water, season with mustard cummin, Heat griddle make Dosa.
Hutch says … Surya Pongal is celebrated by boiling rice with fresh milk and jaggery early in the morning and letting it boil over.
Hutch says … Pongal is here to shower blessings upon us to maintain peace and prosperity n well being. Greetings on this auspicious day.
Hutch says … on surya Pongal the moment the rice boils over and bubbles out of the vessel, it it offered to the deity Surya or the sun god.
Hutch says … beautiful Kolam designs everywhere n sweet scents fill the air with songs of prosperity for everyone to share! Happy Pongal.
Hutch says … the gesture of offering rice to Surya symbolises thansgiving to the sun for providing a good harvest leading to prosperity.
Hutch says … Recipes Rajma Fry onions n capsicum Add tomato-carrot paste 1tsp chilli n garam masala powder solt water n boil
Hutch says … On the first daqy of the Tamil month of Thai the sun leaves Saggitarius n enters capricorn … this is the first day of Pongal
Hutch says … Recipes – Upma Kozhatai Saute 1 tsp mustard seed, chenna dal, hung ginger, chilly, boil in water. Add salt n grind rice rava.
Hutch says … There is a a Tamil saying Thai paranthal vali perakun. The month of Thai will bring peace, happiness prosperity.
