PONGAL PROCESSIONS & EXPLOSIONS

Like all Indian festivals, Pongal is a sensory overload: the sounds, smells and sights engulf your entire being. What is so special about observing these festivals is the unexpected: indeed, I often do not know what to anticipate, especially in regards to the music. To be honest, I am not really sure how to share all of my Pongal experiences; so, here are just a couple short stories and observations from the festival. My apologies if there is a serious lack of transitions paragraph to paragraph…

During one of the afternoons of Pongal, I was walking with a Dutch fellow around Marina Beach. As I was telling him the single most valuable lesson I have learned from traveling throughout India – never, ever be surprised by anything – a procession with fireworks and a band came from out of nowhere. And yes, the explosions of the fireworks were too close for comfort…



Throughout Pongal, there are buses that go from the city to the surrounding villages. Many people actually leave Chennai to visit their families outside of the city. Not surprisingly, the public buses are packed with people; and many of these people are the festival musicians. So, quite frequently, a bus with drive by and there will be musicians onboard that are practicing…



On each night of Pongal, I watched the festivities in my neighborhood, Royapettah, which is in central Chennai. On all three nights, there was music; and while on all three nights, the drumming was the same, the accompanying instruments were different. The drums were rather interesting, as one side was played with fingers and the other a stick. The drums themselves have a very sharp, distinct sound, as the heads are made froma very thick oxen skin.

I was a little surprised to see a Western saxophone played during one of the religious processions; yet, as I already have written, I have learned to never, ever be surprised by anything in India. Even if traditionally a saxophone has no place in a Hindu temple, India, more so than anywhere else in the world, has a profound ability to adapt and absorb aspects of contemporary culture. On the most basic level, music is music; what does it matter what instrument is used in a religious ritual or ceremony?

I readily admit that the former sentence somewhat undermines the foundations of my research; yet, there is a certain truth that music does change with the time. Of course, it seems that the percussion instruments used in the festival still are “traditional” Indian instruments…



As you will witness in the videos, this procession, filmed in Royapettah, simply goes from the temple to the main road; only about three blocks or so. Throughout the city, I would imagine that there are dozens of similar displays: remember, Indians always seize the opportunity to partake in a festival!

While I would have liked to have seen the evening celebrations in other neighborhoods, it was really neat to see the same one three nights in a row. Often, for many obvious reasons, I feel very much so an outsider to these religious rituals and musical performances; yet, as I had been living in Royapettah for almost a month, to a minimal but existent degree, I did feel a part of the community. I knew several of the children and adults that were organizing and participating in the event.



On the last night, I actually was invited to perform the puja – wafting the smoke above my head three times and eating the prashad. It was a refreshing change to no longer feel like I was just an academic looking in, but instead a participant in the Pongal festivities.



Enjoy the videos; while many are similar, they do have their differences. Furthermore, Pongal is a visual and audio experience, so my descriptions admittedly provide little insight…