Will Pongal couple up as Tamil New Year’s Day from 2022?

Is the Tamil Nadu government planning to change the Tamil New Year’s Day to January 14 from April 14?

“Happy Pongal and Tamil New Year’s Day wishes to everyone.” This phrase on cloth bags containing 20 grocery items to be distributed to over 2 crore ration cardholders in the state on Pongal has triggered frenzied speculation on the subject.

Tamil New Year’s Day is usually celebrated on April 14 at the beginning of Tamil month Chithirai, but the then DMK government under M Karunanidhi had in 2008 changed it to January 14 to coincide with the beginning of the Tamil month of Thai, celebrated as the harvest festival or Pongal.

Though Karunanidhi said he was only fulfilling the demands of scholars that Tamil New Year’s Day should be celebrated on the first day of Thai, his arch-rival J Jayalalithaa, who stormed to power in 2011, repealed the law that the previous DMK government passed and reverted to observing the New Year’s Day on April 14.

Ever since the DMK came to power in May this year, there was intense speculation on the change in Tamil New Year’s Day. But things seems to have been sorted when the holiday list published by the state government mentioned April 14 as Tamil New Year’s Day.

However, the phrase printed on the cloth bags with Chief Minister M K Stalin’s name has renewed the debate. Officials were tight-lipped on the issue and refused to speak when approached for their comments.

Even as there is no clarity on the issue, Paatali Makkal Katchi (PMK) on Wednesday asked the DMK dispensation to pass a law to ensure that Tamil New Year’s Day is celebrated on January 14 instead of April 14.

“PMK firmly believes that the first day of Thai is the beginning of the Tamil New Year. There is numerous proof to establish the fact that Thai is the first month of the Tamil calendar including in the age-old Sangam Literature,” PMK founder S Ramadoss said in a statement.

He also recalled that over 500 scholars led by renowned Tamil scholar Maraimalai Adigalar had in 1921 resolved that Tamil New Year’s Day should be celebrated only in January and not in April. The proponents of changing the day say Chitirai (April) was made the first month of the Tamil calendar due to the influence of Sanskrit scholars.

BJP warned the DMK against changing the Tamil New Year’s Day. State unit chief K Annamalai said the DMK was trying to “cheat” Tamils by trying to change the New Year’s Day from April 14 which has been the tradition “for long.”

The DMK has already decided to change Tamil Nadu to July 18 from November 1, which was announced by the previous AIADMK government. DMK’s contention is that though Madras state came into being on November 1, the state was renamed on July 18, 1967, and hence the State Day should be observed on the day.