On Sunday morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Pongal celebrations in the national capital at the residence of Union Minister Dr. L Murugan in New Delhi.
He took part in the festivities during the celebration. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was seen adding rice and jaggery in a pot to make the ‘sweet Pongal’ or ‘Sakkarai Pongal’ and then feeding it to the holy cow. Various cultural performances were presented by talented artists during the celebration.
While addressing the public gathering on the auspicious occasion of Pongal in Delhi, PM Modi emphasized upon promoting millet grains, he said, “More than three crore farmers in the country are involved in the production of Shree Anna (millet grains). If we promote Shree Anna, then it directly benefits these three crore farmers,” He further says, “The festival of Pongal depicts the emotion of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.’ This emotion of unity will give strength to the ‘Viksit Bharat’ of 2047.”
He further extended his warm wishes to the people of India for the festival of Lohri, Makar Sankranti and Magh Bihu. “The country celebrated the festival of Lohri yesterday. Some people are celebrating Makar Sankranti today and some people will celebrate tomorrow, Magh Bihu is also coming, I extend my greetings to the countrymen for these festivals,” PM said.
About Pongal
Pongal is a four day festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu and other parts of Southern India. The first day is known as Bhogi Pongal. The second day is known as Thai Pongal or Surya Pongal, the third day is known as Mattu Pongal and the forth day is known as Kannam Pongal, that bring an end to the festival.
The “sweet Pongal” or “Sakkarai Pongal” is a traditional dish which is prepared under the sun. Sakkarai Pongal is freshly made using recently harvested rice, pure ghee, and jaggery. The infusion of flavors comes from spices such as nutmeg, saffron, and cardamom. This dish is classically presented as ‘naivedhyam’ – an offering to Lord Vishnu in Hindu temples, subsequently shared as ‘prasadham’ among the devotees.
