Indian Association Marks Pongal Festival
ByZa'imZaini

Bandar Seri Begawan - Bandar Seri Begawan Indian Association last night held its "Pongal Kalai Vizha 2007" at the International Convention Centre (ICC), Berakas.

Present as guest of honour and initiating the event by lighting the lamp was Mr MP Singh, Acting High Commissioner of India.

This was followed by a welcoming address from Mr Ravichandran, Chairman of Pongal Vizha, and various performances.

Pongal is celebrated on the first day of the "Thai" month of the Tamil calendar. Pongal is a harvest festival Tamil's equivalent of Thanksgiving. Pongal in Tamil means "boiling over". Traditionally, it is celebrated at harvest time.

It is also a celebration of prosperity associated with the harvest.

Tamils refer to Pongal as "Tamizhar Thirunal", meaning "the festival of Tamil".

The saying "Thai Pirandhal Vazhi Pirakkum", meaning the "birth of the month of Thai will pave way for new opportunities", and is often quoted in the context of the Pongal festival.

The festival is celebrated by one and all as it is not relevant to any particular religious faith. It is a festival to encourage social cohesiveness and unite people, bringing them together in a common function.

The four-day celebration of Pongal marks a period of family reunions and get-together. Old enmities, personal animosities and rivalries are forgotten, estrangements are healed, leading to reconciliation. Thus love and peace are the central theme of Pongal.-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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