Special Articles Tamil Nadu

The Hidden Agenda Behind DMK’s “Samathuva Pongal”

January 18, 2024
Hydra

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam tries to secularize the Pongal festival every single time. Right from encouraging the so-called “Samathuva Pongal” to addressing the first day of the month (Thai) in the solar calendar as New Year, it seems as if the DMK is indeed implementing the agenda of missionaries by de-Hinduizing Pongal and giving it a secular color. 

Every church in the country participates in celebrating Pongal and there are special masses that are conducted as well. Here are a few instances of these church gatherings. But one must understand why are the Churches in Tamil Nadu trying to celebrate Pongal. There is a reason.

How Vatican “Approved” Pongal Celebration In Churches In TN

Here’s a speaker at a church who states that the Second General Council of the Vatican of the Roman Catholic Church has qualified the Pongal festival as good enough to be celebrated by the church. 

The speaker says, “Today we are celebrating the Pongal festival with much fanfare. Culture is intertwined with society, culture in a society is always closely tied to the religion prevailing in that society. That is why, in the Second Vatican Council, this is the continuation of number 53 in that book which in today’s world is called the Church. When we look there, we see aspects of purity and truth outside of the system of being there. Therefore, the Second General Council of the Vatican exhorts us that whenever the festivals that are customary in other months or religions coincide with the Christian burial, then we should also celebrate those festivals. Similarly, when we think that this Pongal festival, which is a special feature of Tamil culture, is worthy of being accepted in the Christian ministry, it is considered a worthy festival. That’s why today we celebrate this Pongal Festival in our holy church along with the Tamils.”

How A Preacher Brainwashes People To Just Hold On To Pongal For Their Benefit

A video from Angel TV where the preacher Sundar Selvarah, who dresses up strikingly similar to Jesus and preaches on the channel says, “Indian culture, the Indian society is made of two things – one is culture and the other is the ritual of the worship of their gods. Let us keep the worship of their gods aside. Why must we skip/avoid culture? Let us hold on to their culture. Let us stay away from the things that involve the worship of their gods. We can avoid that and we can just take their culture, right? For example, Pongal. Pongal is a harvest festival, isn’t it? For the harvest festival, I read that Hindus would dedicate the harvest to the Sun god and thank him. You can remove/skip that part. It is a harvest festival only, right? We can prepare Pongal and eat it, right? Is that right or wrong? This is our culture. Why should we throw away our culture?”

Approved By Catholic Church

Back in 1996, the Catholic Church endorsed the predominantly Hindu festival of Pongal, citing its relevance to local Christians. As per a report in Union of Catholic Asian News, the Catholic Church in Tamil Nadu embraced Pongal as a way to promote “Christian values” of gratitude and sharing, emphasizing unity with others in the community.

The Tamil Nadu Catholic Bishops’ Council’s liturgical committee officially included Pongal in the missal in 1993. The report also says that despite differing opinions, many view the Christianized celebration of Pongal as a means for the Church to connect with local culture, fostering acceptance and growth. Advocates argue that celebrating Pongal does not conflict with Christian beliefs and provides an opportunity for the Church to engage with the community in a “meaningful way”.

Jallikattu – A “Secular” Festival

Another report in February 2023 in the Times Of India states that the traditional bull-taming sport of Jallikattu has been added into churches’ festival itinerary, particularly during celebrations for St. Antony, St. Sebastian, and St. James the Great. This integration is attributed to a process known as ‘inculturation,’ where Christian missionaries, particularly Jesuits, adopted local practices, including “secular events” like Jallikattu held during harvest festivals. Pongal, celebrated by Hindus, came to be embraced by Christians as “St. Antony’s Pongal or St. Sebastian’s Pongal.” During these Christianized Pongal celebrations, livestock, a crucial aspect for local farmers, are brought to the church for prayers, seeking protection from animal attacks and diseases. Following the blessings by the priest with holy water, the Jallikattu event takes place.

Jallikattu in churches is seen as an example of “communal harmony”, cutting across religious lines and fostering cooperation between Christian and Hindu communities. The events are said to be often organized with the involvement and consent of local Hindu leaders, emphasizing shared responsibilities and contributions to the festivities. The church-organized Jallikattu is similar to temple Jallikattu events, with the only “notable” distinction being the presence of a Catholic priest overseeing or coordinating the event.

Pongal Is Pentecost Day

Mohan C Lazarus, a Christian preacher from Nalumavadi, Tuticorin district, who is known for his rabid Hindu hate that he spreads during his sermons had also spoken about Pongal a few years ago. In such a public gathering held in Avadi, Chennai in 2016, he said that Tamil Nadu has more Satans than any other state in India.

In the video, he said, “Pongal is a harvest festival. It is called the festival of harvest in the congregations. This harvest festival is called Pentecost Day. That harvest should be shown to the lord on the day by taking a bundle of rays. It is our God who blesses the land and increases the harvest. We are the ones who should celebrate the harvest festival. We should thank the Lord and pray for the protection of agricultural lands. But, we do not do that. We have given too much too much space to the foreign culture and we have forgotten the Tamil culture. That is why we are unable to understand its repercussions. Even those who do not believe in God are celebrating Pongal. Even athesists celebrate Pongal because this is not a festival related to any religion. Many Christians do not know this because we have been brought up in this tradition. This is a festival to be celebrated by all Tamils. Even in schools and colleges they celebrate it as Samathuva Pongal. They just prepare Pongal and sit together and eat it. They don’t bow down to any God there because it is not related to any God or any Purana. It is a harvest festival. It is a festival for the Tamils to celebrate. It is mentioned very clearly in the Bible about it.”

A Preacher Who Questions Inclusion Of Pongal

In another instance, a speaker who is delivering a “Tamil Christian Message” questions how Pongal and indirectly Sun worship became a part of Christianity.

In an undated video, the speaker says “Do we have Sun worship in the church or not? Come on tell me. Some evangelists are encouraging this saying it is not wrong to make Pongal in the church, Pongal is a Tamil festival, and beyond that, Pongal is a Christian festival. Where is it written? What reference are they giving for this? 23rd Chapter of the (unclear) book. They claim that the festival to celebrate the first harvest is only Pongal. They offered their first harvest to God. And that is Pongal. Is that so? From the books (he names a few scriptures), the first harvest is when Jesus resurrects from the dead. Today, without knowing the history of Pongal nor that of the first harvest, they are saying to prepare Pongal in all the churches. Say Pongalo Pongal instead of Hallelujah. How will you say Hallelujah after preparing Pongal? When the food boils over, will you say Hallelujah? Preparing pongal in church – that is Sun worship. What is the truth of the Pongal festival? They celebrate it for 3 days. On the first day, the reason for the prosperity/fertile soil (harvest), the Sun is worshipped. On the second day, the cows/bulls are celebrated. On the third day, the farmer is celebrated. The festival is for 3 days. How did this enter into our books? Why should we celebrate it? Are you celebrating the Festival of Tabernacles? (he names a few other festivals and asks if Christians celebrate those). You don’t celebrate them, then why do you celebrate this? Because we want Pongal. This is a disguise for the world. The fake wolves are ruining the Church. This is what Kappar says, “Abominations will enter the congregations/Church”

This contradictory statement from a Christian himself exposes the duplicity of the missionary Church in secularizing and de-Hinduizing the Pongal festival while being ably aided by the ruling DMK by calling it “Samathuva Pongal” (Equality Pongal). 

Hydra is a freelance writer and columnist.

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