Crops, farmers and villages are at centre of most festivals: PM Modi

New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took part in Pongal celebrations at the residence of Union Minister L Murugan in New Delhi.

Conveying his best wishes on the occasion of Pongal, the Prime Minister said that the festive fervour can be witnessed emanating from every home in Tamil Nadu.

Modi wished for a continuous flow of the stream of happiness, prosperity and contentment in the lives of all citizens. He also noted Lohri celebrations taking place on Saturday, the festive occasion of Makar Uttarayan on Sunday, Makar Sankranti to be celebrated on Monday and the onset of Magh Bihu very soon. Modi conveyed his best wishes to all citizens for the ongoing festive period in the country.

The Prime Minister expressed delight in recognising similar faces and recalled meeting them during Tamil Puthandu celebrations last year. Thanking L Murugan for the invite, Modi said that the feeling is similar to celebrating festivities with family and friends.

Quoting great saint Thiruvalluvar, the Prime Minister highlighted the role of educated citizens, honest businessmen and good crop in nation-building and said that during Pongal, fresh crop is offered to God which puts ‘Annadata Kisans’ at the centre of this festive tradition.

He underlined the rural, crop and farmer connection of every festival of India. He recalled how last time, he talked about the connection between millets and Tamil traditions. He expressed happiness that there is a new awareness about the superfood Shri Anna (millet) and many youth have taken up startup ventures on millets. He informed that more than 3 crore farmers doing millet farming, are directly getting benefitted from millet promotion.

Observing the tradition of drawing Kolam outside the houses by women from the Tamil community during Pongal celebrations, the Prime Minister dwelled on the process and noted that the design is laid by making multiple dots on the ground using flour, each one having a different significance, but the real look of the Kolam becomes more magnificent when all these dots are joined and filled with colour to create a big artwork.

Drawing similarities to India’s diversity with Kolam, the Prime Minister said that when every corner of the country connects emotionally with each other, the nation’s strength appears in a new form. “The festival of Pongal reflects the national spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat,” Modi remarked.

He also noted that the same spirit can be witnessed in the tradition started by Kashi-Tamil Sangamam and Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamam which records enthusiastic participation by people from the Tamil community in large numbers.

The Prime Minister said, “This feeling of unity is the biggest force to build a Viksit Bharat by 2047. The main element of the Panch Pran that I have invoked from the Red Fort is to energise the unity of the country and to strengthen the unity."

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