Pongal Vizha in Tamil Nadu transcends religious boundaries

Kuyavankudi: 1,500 people took part in a community Pongal Vizha in Tamil Nadu's Kuyavankudi on January 12. On the occasion, the women traditionally cooked sweet Pongal on firewood stoves.

In the event, the unique thing was that people from different religions participated in the event. Most of the participants were from the village Mandapam Panchayat union.

“Pongal is a secular festival that transcends religious boundaries. It unites people under one umbrella,” said Seeni Mohammed, who cooked Pongal along with her friends at the event held in a temple at the village.

“Any festival is about togetherness and sharing. We all brought the items needed for making Pongal, pooled in and shared it amongst us. Around 100 kg of Pongal was made by mixing rice, jaggery and ghee brought by people from various walks of life. The same was also offered to everyone,” said S Selvaraj, another participant.