Members of the Kiwi-Tamil diaspora in Waikato braved the bad weather on Sunday (29 January 2023) to come together for Pongal celebrations.
The event, organised by the Tamil Society Waikato (TSW), took place at Hamilton Gardens, Hamilton, and saw around 350 people in attendance.
Many dignitaries, including Mayor of Hamilton Paula Southgate; Ethnic Development Advisor Jovi Abellanosa; Regional Relationship Manager (Waikato Region) for Ministry of Social Development Jenny Nand; Auckland Tamil Association President Vai Ravindran, Linda Gee, Community Advisor at Department of Internal Affairs; Hamilton’s Sri Balaji Temple Chairperson Nagan Suppiah and Waikato Multicultural Council’s Vice President Jeevan Matthews, among others, graced the occasion.
The guests enjoyed Carnatic singing, Bharatanatyam performances, Chinese dance and Karaoke singing, among others. Food stalls serving authentic South Indian dishes were also a big hit.
Sharing her experience of attending the event, Southgate said, "It was lovely to attend the Tamil Pongal Festival, a harvest festival that has been going since 200 BC. I enjoyed the entertainment and sampling delicious and authentic South Indian food.”
Hamilton City Councillor Kesh Naidoo-Rauf seemed delighted to be part of the celebration. She took to social media and wrote, "Well done, Tamil Society Waikato, for a successful Pongal festival held at the Gardens. There was good public support even though the weather didn't play its part. It was really good to see plenty of curious non-Tamil people as well who were watching the performances and trying out the yummy food!”
Organisers, too, seemed overwhelmed by the turnout at the celebrations.
Srinivasan Jaganathan, President of TSW, said, “Despite the awful weather on Sunday, it was great to see so many people turning up for our event.
We endeavour to give our community members a feeling of being at home while away from India. Such events also allow us to showcase our culture, tradition and values to the community, which helps build healthier relationships with other communities.”
One of the guests, Nityanand Jayaraman, who recently arrived in Hamilton recently from Chennai to pursue a Ph.D. in Political Science, said, “I was very excited to hear about the Pongal celebrations and walked 25 minutes (each way) in the rain to be with there. The event including its festive atmosphere and the wonderful music was totally worth it.”
Pongal is a Hindu festival celebrated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and by the Tamil diaspora worldwide. It is a harvest festival that marks the start of the agricultural season and is typically celebrated in the month of January. Pongal is a four-day festival that involves a range of rituals, including preparing and offering special dishes to the gods, decorating cattle, and participating in games and sports. The festival is seen as a time of thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest and is also a time for families to come together and strengthen social bonds. Pongal has significant cultural and religious significance for the Tamil people and is widely celebrated as one of the most important festivals of the year.