Keeping the Ponggal tradition alive

 

Sweet harvest: (Left) P. Bhanupriya choosing stalks of sugarcane for Ponggal at a sundry shop in Little India, George Town. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: G. Kogeeladevi is a mother who loves it when her son shouts – at least on Ponggal day.

Ponggal, the first day of the Tamil month of Thai, is also the harvest festival and Kogeeladevi is glad to see the younger generation keeping traditions alive.

Tomorrow, Tamils will cook milk rice and celebrate when it boils over as it signifies an abundance of joy.

Today, which is called Boghi, Tamils, especially those in India, burn old things they no longer want as a sign of moving on.

Kogeeladevi, a 39-year-old businesswoman, said she loves it when her 11-year-old son shouts “Ponggalo Ponggal!” when the milk rice boils over.

“He now shouts louder than my husband and I,” she said.

Kogeeladevi takes pride in how her son embraces Indian culture and traditions.

“If we do not show them how we celebrate, they will not learn and may lose touch with our culture.

“It is up to us to teach the younger generation.

“These days, they want an explanation when we expose them to our culture, so it is best to show them the relevance.

“When he grows up, hopefully he will practise it,” said Kogeeladevi who was at Little India yesterday to buy a pot for the Ponggal festival.

“Every year, I buy a new pot for Ponggal. I use the old ones for cooking, as decorative pieces and as pots for plants.

“There is always some use for it,” she added.

Pots of good fortune: Workers arranging Ponggal pots at a store in Little India, Klang. —KK SHAM/The Star

Kogeeladevi will cook the milk rice on her kitchen stove.

“We pour the milk first and wait for it to boil over, and that’s when we shout ‘Ponggalo Ponggal!’

“Then I add the rice, sugar, cashew nuts, raisins and ghee to make it tasty,” she said.

After offering it for prayers, she will cook vegetarian food for her family.

“I cook some dishes, including mango pachadi, tofu sambal and payasam for dessert.

“It is a full banana leaf meal and we sit down together to enjoy the food,” she added.

At a popular sundry shop here, a large variety of vegetables imported from India were for sale.

Its owner P. Adaikalaraja said there are eight types of vegetables people usually cook during Ponggal.

“These vegetables are brought in usually for the expats who cook them daily, and locals buy them during Ponggal to make traditional Indian dishes.

“They use eggplant, young jackfruit, broad beans, cluster beans, ivy gourds, drumsticks, green bananas and palm tree roots,” he said.

Adaikalaraja said while these vegetables are standard fare in India, locals are not exposed to them much.

Ponggal, meaning “to boil over” in Tamil, is celebrated from the last day of the Tamil month of Margazhi (December to January) to the third day of the Thai month (January to February).

Farmers in India celebrate it on the first day to represent the year’s first harvest.

The second day is known as Mattu Ponggal and is devoted to cows, which are regarded as sacred animals.

Young women are celebrated on the third day, which is known as Kaani Ponggal.

It is also celebrated as a form of thanksgiving for an abundant harvest. - Star