Traditional Pongal celebrations- January 13, 2017
Pongal, the harvest festival was celebrated in a traditional way in our campus on the 13th January, 2017. Colourful rangolis were put up by the students and staff and everyone were dressed in their best traditional attires.
The students got to witness pongal being cooked in an earthen pot. Meanwhile, they also got to watch a variety of traditional songs and dances performed by students of both Saraswathi Kendra and The Grove School. The surprise element for the day was a team of professional folk dancers who performed “karakattam”, “poikkal gudhirai aattam” and “puliyattam”, some of our traditional folk dances. Our institution never fails to impart traditional values and culture to our students. The children were taken back in awe during “puliyattam” when a human dressed up as a tiger danced amongst them. The program was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone and also brought alive the festival of pongal. The students later joined the dancers and had their own share of fun and celebration.
When the pongal started rising in the pot, everyone chanted “Pongal-o-Pongal” in unison. Following this, a small prayer was offered to the Sun God as a token of gratitude and also for a successful harvest.
Towards the end of the program, traditional sweet pongal was distributed to all the students and staff. On the whole, it was a day filled with the festive spirit of pongal. 
The Grove School Magazine 