'Let Thai Pongal usher in a new era of peace, justice and equality'
 

BY KALABHOOSHANAM Chelvathamy Maniccavasagar

IN an agriculture based civilisation the harvest plays an important part. The farmer cultivating the land depends on cattle, timely rain and the sun. Once a year he expresses his gratitude to these during the harvest festival.

With the end of the wet month of Margali (mid December to mid January) the new Tamil month of Thai beginning today heralds a series of festivals. The first day of this month is a festival day known as 'Thai Pongal Day'. Pongal means the boiling over of milk and rice during the month of Thai.

According to the calendar based on the solar system the year is divided into two halves following the apparent movement of the Sun Northwards and Southwards.

The former is termed 'Utteranarayanam' and the latter is 'Dakshinanarayanam'. On the first day of Thai, the Sun leaves the zodiac sign of Sagittarius and enters that of Capricorn. The latter is known as Makaram. This event thus is celebrated as Mahara Sankaranthi.

In fact, it is a day of triple celebrations, the beginning of Uttaranasayanam Mahara Sangasanthi and the Pongal. The Pongal marks a period of plenty, peace and happiness.

There is a Tamil saying, "Thai peranthal vali perakum". This paraphrased means, "with the dawn of the month of Thai there will be peace, happiness, prosperity, brightness and harmony in the life of everyone."

Thai Pongal which is observed by Hindus today generally includes rites and ceremonies that are the expression of mortification, purgation, invigoration and jubilation over life's renewal.

The Sun is the main object of worship and the Pongal made of coconut milk, rice and jaggery is offered first to the sun.

As the Mahara Sankaranthi coincides with the harvest season the farmers also express their gratitude to the Sun by worshipping it and offering fruits, sugar cane and boiled rice with milk.

The Pongal rings in a year of warmth. The cold season ends, the flowers blossom and the songs of the birds fill the air. It is therefore no wonder that the ancients attached great importance to the Sun and its movements.

All auspicious events such as weddings and festivals are conducted during 'Uttaranarayana' season.

During Thai Pongal Day Hindu homes are cleaned, colourwashed and decorated. Usually the villagers cook the rice in the open in a pot at noon when the Sun is directly overhead. It is believed that the direct rays of the sun falling over the mouth of the vessel will bring peace, harmony and prosperity.

The day after the Thai Pongal is devoted to thanksgiving to cattle. The farmers pay great attention to the animals which have ploughed the fields and drawn the carts throughout the year. To show their gratitude for this invaluable service the animals are bathed, their horns are painted in red, blue, yellow and green.

Their foreheads are smeared with turmeric and kumkum. Their necks are adorned with colourful garlands. Pooja is offered to them and Pongal is given in plenty. This is called 'Mattu Pongal'.

Further, the Pongal is also an occasion for family reunion and get-together. Old enmities, personal animosities and rivalries are forgotten. Estrangements are healed and reconciliation effected.

Indeed, Thai Pongal is a festival of freedom, peace, unity and compassion in the last hymn on unity in the Indian spiritual text the Rig Veda: "Let your aim be one and single. Let your heart be joined in one, the mind at rest in unison at peace with all so you may be".

Even the Athasva Veda pronounces that, "Peace be the earth and to the air. Peace be to the heaven, Peace be to the waters. By this invocation of peace, may peace bring peace".

Love and peace are the central theme of Thai Pongal. As the ancients have said, "Whatever you love you are its master, whatever you hate you are its slave".

Besides, man's inner being is resplendent with peace, love and compassion. If one possesses the ability to drive away the contaminating darkness of ignorance and arrogance from within, one could bear witness to our calling.

Indeed, we have in our midst the brilliant light of the sun, the mellow light of the moon and stars but in everybody's heart and mind a different light burns - the light of knowledge and the warmth of human love and compassion.

The clear beauty of purified wisdom which we carry in our hearts will undoubtedly strengthen ourselves for sacrifice, service and greatness and will dispel the gloom of poverty, superstition, darkness of ignorance and egoistic arrogance.

Indeed this year's Thai Pongal festival is significant to one and all since everyone is endeavouring to bring about peace, ethnic harmony and reconciliation.

Sri Lanka is supposed to be a paradise, but it has been torn apart by ethnic disturbances. It is very often said that "more flies can be caught by honey than my vinegar". Even great Emperor Asoka abandoned war after the battle of Kalinga and became Dharma Asoka.

Even in Ramayana and Mahabharatha the great kings Rawana and Duriyodana realised the futility of war. Even in Purana the Narakasura was killed by Lord Krishna with his divine powers and saved mankind.

Further, Suraparman who caused tremendous problems for the people and gods of the celestial kingdom was destroyed by Lord Muruga.

In fact, the Thai Pongal festival makes us realise that, "Hatred will never cease by hatred, but will cease by love along". Even Lord Buddha has wisely said, "Mind is everything. The way you think you become". Mahatma Gandhi put it differently: "Man is the product of his thoughts and what he thinks be becomes". Sri Lanka which was described by great men as the "Pearl of the Indian Ocean", "The Paradise isle of the East", "The Island in the Sun", is passing through the most critical and crucial period in history.

As such, the need of the hour is a profound and abiding love for the country and greater sacrifice for the sake of our children, the future generation.

As such, all communities irrespective of caste, creed and religion should co-operate and solve their problems through negotiation, persuasion, consultation and compromise for the sake of peace and prosperity of Sri Lanka.

On this Thai Pongal Day let me conclude with the soul-stirring words of the great poet Rabindranath Tagore:

"Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,

Where knowledge is free,

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreamy desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into everwidening thought and action;

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake".