Out of Sync: Maddy's Blog

Wishing everyone a very happy and prosperous Diwali! 

 May the festival of lights pave the way for a bright future!

Today is  Pongal, the main festival of Tamils which falls on the first day of the month of Thai.  It is basically our equivalent of  Thanksgiving.  This day is celebrated all over India under various names as the significance - the end of winter and start of spring is the same across tropics.

This month is considered very auspicious and most new ventures are deferred to start this month.  There is a saying that when the month of Thai arrives,  new opportunities arrive.  Needless to say, the calendar is full of marriage/engagement ceremonies.

The celebration is marked by a very distinct ceremony of cooking Pongal and then chewing sugar cane.  The Supreme court of India has banned the traditional Jallikattu  (more like a local version of bull run) , which is a sport long associated with the festival since time immemorial.  It is believed that in ancient times, the young men who could tame the bull were considered the most eligible bachelors.  Raising the bulls was equivalent of  raising pedigree horses and a matter of prestige for the feudal lords. Sometimes, local customs are trampled without much thought in this era of globalized sensibilities.  I wonder what the Supreme Court feels about using animals for pulling heavy loads mercilessly in the Indian conditions.  Why not ban that as well ?  That is definitely more cruel.

Hope this day paves the way for Happiness and Prosperity for everyone!

Wishing all the blog readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!