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Drought has ruined crops, fails to crush Pongal spirit

Subdued festivities in Cauvery delta districts this year.

Thanjavur: Amid the shadow of a severe drought and demonetisation blues, people of Thanjavur district have nothing much to cheer about for this year’s ‘Pongal’ festival.

Farming community’s spirits are visibly down, but they are not totally out. The festivity tradition is still something they wish to keep alive, despite heavy personal crop loss this year. Hence modest preparations for celebrating the festival on a subdued note are on.

‘Pongal’ being the festival of harvest, may sound a misnomer this year with farmers not having the ‘samba’ paddy crop to reap. “But then tradition of celebrating Pongal cannot be given up” said a cross-section of people spoken to by DC.

The youth in the villages around Thanjavur are sore that the Supreme court has also banned ‘Jallikattu’. But they hope that some arrangements will be made either by Central government or State government for allowing the sport this year.

Sugarcane bundles have arrived in Thanjavur. A ten-cane bundle is sold for Rs 150. Besides Thanjavur town, vendors have put up sugarcanes on roads leading to other towns like Mannargudi, Tiruvarur and Pattukottai for sale.

“Sugarcane from sugar mills is cultivated separately from chewing sugarcane used for Pongal festival. The yield is not good this year due to the drought.
But we have some quantity of sugarcane to sell for Pongal,” said Arumugam, who is selling them on Thanjavur-Mannarudi road. “I brought three bundles of ten each. I hope they will be sold by the evening,” he said on Monday.

People are also purchasing sugarcane as they feel that prices may go up towards ‘Pongal’. Pavunu Thai is a potter. She has brought clay pots, clay stoves and other clay made utensils used for ‘Pongal’ festival by the people from Karanthai near Thanjavur and displayed them for sale on Medical College road.
“I come every year here. (Medical college road)”she said. She sells a clay pot for Rs 150 each. Clay stoves are priced at Rs 125 each. Utensils, black in colour (which is made by overheating) are priced more than the brown colour utensils.

Meanwhile, distribution of Pongal gifts (rice, sugar, cashewnuts, etc and two pieces of sugarcane) by Tamil Nadu government begins here on Monday.
R.Duraikannu, state Agriculture minister inaugurates the distribution of the gift hampers.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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