Rulers Propose, People dispose

This article though appeared a year ago is still worth reading. Team Temple Project wishes all its readers and followers (!!!) a Happy and Prosperous New Year... Let us all strive to to achieve a culturally awakened country this this year. Happy reading.

In political theory, the definition of democracy is : By the people, for the people and of the people. A satirical description of democracy that is often doing rounds is ‘bye the people, far the people and off the people.’

This description of democracy was at display when the Tamilians across the world pooh-poohed the much-boasted Tamilnadu Government Order reducing the Tamil New year’s Day, to the nominal Chithirai Thirunaal. But the celebrations that were on view last Sunday proved beyond doubt that the government’s move to change the Tamil New Year was off the minds of the people, far from the hearts of the people and bidding bye to the scientific tradition followed for centuries will take a lot of doing.

The Tamil New Year (unofficial) this year was similar if not grander than those in the previous years. The major difference being the use of Chithirai Thirunaal in most television and radio programmes instead of Puthandu.

‘Chithirai Thirunaal may be inferred as an important day in Chithirai. What importance does Chithirai hold without it being the first month?’ asks a visibly agitated Tamizhvanan, a school teacher. The TV channels seem partial to Chithirai else why celebrate only Chithirai Thirunaal and not Panguni Thirunaal or Avani thirunaal. Most of the Tamil magazines and dailies published ‘Fortunes’ in tune with the Sarvadhari Tamil New Year that began on Chithirai 1st day.

The corporate world in fact heralded the new year celebrations this year. A popular GSM provider had provided full TT (for those who are new to the mobile lingo TT means Talk Time) and also had advertisement stating ‘Tamil New Year! New happiness and luck coming your way. SMS to ....’. The happiness and luck were quite cheap, priced at Rs 3 per sms. If it was Rs 3 in the previous case, it was Rs 300 at a popular star hotel at T Nagar for happiness through a traditional New Year lunch.

The retail market players had their own slew of offers. A popular shopping mart had announced 50 per cent off for the occasion. Even those selling tiles to textiles and calculators to computers had a discount to offer. If discounts were the trademark for a New Year celebration in some sectors, a hike in others proved the same. The prices of vegetables, fruits and flowers had shot up (forget the inflation, we have got used to it) on the eve itself.

Marimuthu, a vegetable seller says ‘it is the usual scenario of prices rising before every festival being celebrated. It is nothing new’. Coming to temples, many of the famous ones had special poojas and other rituals. The devotees flocking temples from early morning sent a crystal clear message. Muthuvel, a devotee says ‘the New Year is based on scientific facts propounded by our rishis to whom neither the past nor the future hold any secrets. But to our rationalists the past is a mystery and their future itself murky’.

People from all walks of life celebrated the New Year. Prior to the occasion, when asked about the celebration plans, a popular cricketer of yesteryear said that a prayer in the house and going to the temples just like any other New Year.

If all this was the scenario in the Dravida Nadu, it would be worth knowing the status of the Tamil New Year celebrated by our brethren at Sri Lanka for whom most of our politicos have been vociferously campaigning. The Tamil New Year was celebrated with great pomp and fanfare there with special rituals and all the other attendant events. In Singapore, the government’s Hindu Endowment Board played host to the celebrations. Similar was the case in America, Australia, England and Malaysia.

The Canadian Prime Minister had greeted all Tamils in Canada on the occasion. So what ? Our leaders will greet us happily for the English New Year, which they even dare not touch. For us, Anglo-Saxon is Tamilian and the so called Aryan is alien.

Anyway, Tamilnadu is sure to enter into the Guinness Books of World Records for having two Tamil new years, every year ! One for the people (in Chithirai), the other for the Government (in Thai) and of course, both for the advertisement-savvy channels including those owned by the rulers. Three cheers, Tamilians!

Source: Newstoday