Pongal is a harvest festival that

marks the start of the spring.

It is a thanksgiving celebration for

the year of bountiful harvest.

Pongal is one of the most important

festivals celebrated by Tamil people.

This festival is a multi-day Hindu

harvest festival of South India.

The first day is called Bhogi,

the God of thunder and rain.

Pongal is called Makar Sankranti

and it signals the end of winter.

The families carry out rituals such

as lighting oil lamps and they are

decorating the floor of their

homes with colorful designs.

The families cook a traditional

sweet rice with cow’s milk and

they serve the same sweets

to their relatives and friends.

                                                                                                ~ Bhupesh Chandra Karmakar

                                                                                                    New Delhi, India