Pongal in Dubai – when spirits and emotions soared

It was only fitting that the spirit, emotions, Tamil history, moral values and laughter overflowed in the Royal Chef-organised Pongal Vizha, conducted by the Tamil community in the UAE at Shaikh Rashid Auditorium recently.

Karthik, a person of determination, rendering one of his two songs, A.R. Rahman’s En Kathale from Duet

Emotions ran high when Karthik, a person of determination, sang. Spirits soared when students of Kavitha Prasanna danced and there was a song sung by playback singer Ravi Shankar from the Shivaji Ganesan-starrer Balae Pandiya.

The packed audience, young and the old alike, was kept spell-bound when Kaliyamurthy, an IPS officer and former Superintendent of Tamil Nadu Police, spoke about the rich history of Tamil Nadu and laced it with personal anecdotes. Kaliyamurthy, who is also a motivational speaker visiting many colleges, strongly advocates the limited use of smartphones. He highlights the perils of it among the youth. He also spoke at length the importance of hard-work, education, especially among women, and the single-minded focus to succeed in life.

Kaliyamurthy was given a standing ovation when he concluded his one-hour speech by saying “one needs to run like a horse to succeed, but run faster than a horse to retain the position.”

Professor Ramachandran, the head of the talk show, arrives at the Rashid Auditorium

Last but not the least, the much-awaited talk show with stalwarts such as Professor Ramachandran, Arul Prakash, Shivakumar and Mohanasundram enthralled the audience to cap an eventful day.

Due to the paucity of time, as the event was nearing the midnight hour, speakers cut short their usual rhetoric, leaving UAE fans waiting in anticipation for the event next time around.

Consul General Vipul and Kaliyamurthy before the start of Pongal Vizha

Vipul, Consul General of India Dubai, was the chief guest of the event. He spoke about the importance of Pongal, also the name of the harvest festival held in honour of the farmers. He stressed how so many communities in the UAE have different a name to one theme - celebrating the farmer’s role in Indian society.