The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Community pongal, a grand celebration

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Saturday, Jan 19, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Community pongal, a grand celebration

Staff Reporter

Distribution of new vessels, clothes and sweets to villagers marks festivities

SWEET TASK: Women engaged in cooking pongal in new pots at Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited’s Kagithapuram facility near Karur recently.

KARUR: Pongal festival is all about sharing — not just the feast but also happiness and goodwill.

In line with the thought, the Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited (TNPL) organised a grand celebration of the harvest festival this year, inviting people from neighbouring villages to join the festivities held at its Kagithapuram facility.

More than 300 families belonging to Moolimangalam, Onavakkalmedu, Pazhamapuram, Punjai Thottakurichi, Ambedkar Nagar, Masakoundanpudur, Semmdu, Kongu Nagar, Pechipparai, Adhiyam Kottai, Punjai Pugalur and Karaipalayam participated.

The highlight of the event was the distribution of new vessels, clothes and sweets to all participants.

Inaugurating the function, TNPL managing director V. Murthy said his company was pleased to celebrate Pongal with its neighbours.

Recalling last year’s event, he said the company had invited casual workers employed in civil construction sites and hailing from northern States.

The TNPL was engaged in social activities such as setting up a career development centre, computer training centre, typewriting training institute, besides a corpus of Rs.1 crore for community development programmes, he added.

A nagaswaram programme, folk dances, including Silambam, Karagattam, Oyilattam, Mayilattam and Thappu, and other cultural events were put up by artistes from various districts.

A sum of Rs. 30,000, which was collected by way of donations from TNPL employees, their family members and voluntary organisations, was handed over to K. Vijayakumar, a 17-year-old student from Kodumudi, towards meeting the expenses for his cardiac surgery.

TNPL general manager R. Mani welcomed the gathering, while deputy managing director A. Velliangiri, chief general manager T.V.V. Satyanarayana took part.

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