5 months ago
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Suba Veerapandian, president of the Social Justice Monitoring Committee of the Tamil Nadu government, connected Saturday (December 20, 2025) made a beardown lawsuit for including Pongal successful the database of festivals recognised by UNESCO.
Participating successful the merchandise of the coffee-table book, Fairs and Festivals: Traditional and Ancient Customs of Tamil Nadu, jointly produced by The Hindu Group and the Tourism department, Mr. Veerapandian requested DMK Rajya Sabha subordinate Tiruchi N. Siva to marque efforts to unafraid UNESCO designation for Pongal.
“Navarathiri, Durga Puja, Kumbh Mela, and Deepavali person been recognised by UNESCO, but not Pongal,” helium said, recalling DMK laminitis C.N. Annadurai’s letters from 1956 to 1969 highlighting the value of Pongal.
Mr. Veerapandian said that astir Tamil festivals were primitively linked to changes successful seasons but aboriginal acquired spiritual overtones.
Mr. Siva, successful his address, said helium felt arrogant arsenic a Tamil aft speechmaking the contents of the book, adding that it would beryllium of large assistance to radical from different States and countries arsenic it was successful English.
“The civilization and past of Tamils should beryllium celebrated. People are funny successful visiting overseas countries and different States, but however galore Tamils person visited places of humanities value wrong the State? Tamils constructed the world’s archetypal dam. They built monolithic temples erstwhile determination was nary exertion to determination immense granite boulders. They created fantastic sculptures,” helium said.
Beyond spiritual practices
Sinthanai Selvan, level person of the VCK successful the Assembly, said that Tamil civilization and customs had a agelong past and that their festivals originated adjacent earlier the emergence of spiritual practices.
Citing Pandit Iyothee Thass, helium said astir festivals had their origins successful ceremonial ceremonies. The book, helium added, would shed airy connected Tamil civilization and assistance radical determination towards a consciousness of individuality beyond religion.
Congress person A. Gopanna said the publication would promote readers to sojourn assorted places successful hunt of their taste roots. “Urbanisation has ushered successful galore changes successful the mode festivals are celebrated. The publication volition assistance readers recognize the flavour of these festivals,” helium said.
Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artistes Association president Madhukur Ramalingam said the publication had proved that a photograph could convey what thousands of words could not. “Even a documentary cannot seizure the powerfulness of quality frozen successful a photograph,” helium said.
Pointing retired that festivals from different countries had assumed section flavours, Mr. Ramalingam said the publication had captured changing taste practices, specified arsenic caput shaving astatine the Velankanni religion and the Kurutholi festival observed by Christians.
Tourism Minister R. Rajendran, who released the publication and handed implicit the archetypal transcript to L.V. Navneeth, CEO of The Hindu Group, said the Tourism section was organising galore festivals to pull tourists.
T. Christuraj, Director of Tamil Nadu Tourism and Managing Director of TTDC, and A. Sivapriya, Deputy Director of the Tourism Department besides spoke.
