Pongal is one of the most important festivals of the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is basically a four-days-long harvest festival. This four-day festival is basically thanksgiving to nature. It derives its name from the Tamil word meaning 'to boil' and as it is celebrated in the month of Thai (January-February) according to the Tamil calendar, it is also called as Thali Pongal. During this season, rice and other cereals, sugar-cane, and turmeric (an essential ingredient in Tamil cooking) are harvested and that is why, this occasion is considered very auspicious and prosperous. Tamil people express their joy on this occasion through various means like singing and dancing. Few of them have also expressed it through poems. Here are some impressive expressions on Pongal Festival in verse. You can also use this as your greeting message in your Pongal best wishes card.
Pongal Poetry
Pongal Poem
Pot Rice to Sun God
Sugarcane to cow and ox
Sweet rise to you and me
Good milk to friends and family
Thai pongal! To wish or not to wish?
Pongal is overflow in abundance or with heat
Abundance is aim but not abundant Eelam heat!
Neither sacrifices today for tomorrow nor tomorrow for today
Off the heat in Tamil Eelam life must go on
On this joyous day let thoughts be translated to deeds
Weed out the unwanted speed up the wanted
So that next year Pongal Festival will be real.
Ageless Tamil
Long before metamorphosis of rocks
We matured Tamils have lived some say
Rice with farming appeared in the land
Life with a code of conduct man founded
Was looking for green pastures
Journeyed on foot then - later
Words and language appeared in the world
Tamils provided culture and made the world glow.
Harvest Feast (Thai Pongkal)
Milk Rice the Golden child came - granting
Immeasurable ecstasy in her cooking
Farmers with the beauty of lion dream
a picturesque memory this new year gleam.
Elevated threshing floor courtyard the face-where
Month of January gave love's kiss with rice share
Abundance in red rice and charity - sweet
to the tongue January child glad to meet.
With the plough he tills the land - the ploughman
is the old man ladder of progress of all human.
Dark clouds and sun our life - milk rice
is dream field's harvested crop of rice.
Red sugar cane and saffron aplenty - flood
of happiness to sweep our country.
Rise, rise milk rice - bring smile
to the face of the poor, so rise milk rice.
Several poets have expressed the spirit of Pongal in their poems. Explore here, some interesting Pongal poetry in English.