Dear Dhiwakar was in this group about 2 - 3 years. Kind of poet / orator. With Spontaneous outburst of powerful feelings.
Jovial & Brilliant. And capable of being Serious too. His mails on Bharathi ( Patriotic Tamil poet of Pre-Independence era ) Vivekanda are remarkable ..
On a similar occasion - about 2 / 3 yrs back - members raced to touch about 500 mails a week - of which about 60 / 70 exchanged on the same day ... minute by minute basis !!
that is about target 500...
Here in India, particularly now in Tamilnadu - it is harvest Festival .. celebrated on ethnic produces..
Cows milk - raw rice - sugarcane cake - tarmerine etc are used .. It is more a community celebration .. In Villages families assemble in groups - using mut pot PONGAL (sweet rice) is made and offered to Nature Gods - Sun God - in particular - and distributed to all !
Of late even Christians and Muslims celebrate this festival ..
PONNI is the word meaning CAUVERY (River) or perinneal water - so much essential for good and beneficial Harvest...
A child (later turned Rajaraja) is supposed fallen in this river and was saved by Mother Ponni (River) and this the name Ponniyin (Cauvery's) Selvan (son) ! This is a Fiction written by one Tamil Writer Kalki - who has also written so much on the need of Independence. The Fiction was published in about 1950 - within 3 years of Indian independence and the same year of it becoming Democratic.
Astonomically SUN god enters the 10th house (Zodiac) MAKARAM... thus Makara Sankaranthi... and this is how it is celebrated in other parts of India.
Sun's Northern travel does commence from this period - which is considered auspicious.. (Recall Bheeshmar holding on to pass away in Uthirayanam)... Southern travel from Tamil month Aadi.
Present TN Government advised this be celebrated as Tamil New Year too - Commencing from Tamil month THAI - though earlier practise was to calculate such commencement from CHITHIRAI (Tamil month)..
Therefore we have reasons to be joyous and it is festive mood all around..
Thus Greetings are exchanged. The Pongal festival is celebrated on the 14th Jan - Thursday.
dear sps, I enjoyed a wonderful Pongal celebration near SamanarMalai, [still don't know the name of that charming town with lotus pond] in '07, & got to stir the Pongal pot. Delicious. Thanks for all the info. Kathie
the Samanar malai is none other than NARATHAMALAI ... near Between Pudukottai and trichy.
Your Article in our PS Group Souvenir is pertaining to this... with the photos furnished by our dear Banglore Ganeshkumar..
I still remember the golden reflections of Vijayalayacholeeswaram @ Pazhiyleeswaram.
Our dear Vijay and Arvind recently visited these places again.. and more such places too ... and hijacked enormous treasures through their Digital Cams..Our Group is awaiting huge share soon from them.
The first seed of Chola temple is supposedly put within 15 KMs around this area .. in the East.
About 15 Kms west is Kodumbalur ..
Arumozhi became rajaraja later. Had another 10 wives too.. But gave birth to only ONE SON. Rajendra ( I).
The ALL-TIME MIGHTIEST RAJENDRA was born to this couple : Raraja - Vanathi @ Bhuvanamdevi. She hailed from Kodumbalur.
If a seeker wanders in these area during Pradosham (a day prior to Full / New moon day) - cant miss seeing broad shouldered dark complexioned large mush man with equally impressive lady !
We can breethe the 1000 yr old air in that atmosphere even now.