How many Dolo jokes is too many? That’s been the question this past week as everyone continued to swap home remedies and stay firmly inside. Pongal wasn’t ignored, with pictures of everyone in saris flooding our timelines. Many of these lovely ladies admitted to dressing up ‘just for fun’ when I asked them for details about how they celebrated the festival. “The mood’s been so low,” one of them said, “So I thought, why not dress in one of my mom’s handloom saris and take some nice pictures for Instagram.” “Did you make Pongal at home?” I asked. “Nope. This year, a few of the five-star hotels were delivering packed pongal home meals. So, all the fun without any of the work!”
Well I guess there are no rules to celebrations with everyone doing things their own way and with a mix of traditions. I chatted with a few more of the city’s popular faces to see how they celebrated Pongal this year. Make-up artist Sringa, better known on Insta as Kabooki said that this year was just the four of them. Herself, her husband, her baby Tulya and her dog. “We got up really late unlike the usual, dressed up to go nowhere — only to take pictures, and Tulya tasted pongal for the first time.” Of course, technology played its part with video calls to the family as part of the small intimate celebration.
For event planner Sai Lakshmi, this year was a lot quieter with just immediate family, but with a sense of happiness and gratitude. Of course I had to ask about the star of the show — the pongal! “Apart from normal Pongal and sweet chakkarai pongal, we had a special dish made with all the vegetables in one called ‘Mandi’, which is very popular in the villages.”
Corporate executive Ranjana Ramakrishnan says that this Pongal, it felt safer to be in the company of trees (oxygen supply was guaranteed). “It was a Pongal celebration at home with family, enjoying the riot of kolam colours. We had a full saapad including both varieties of pongal... vada sambar, the works!”