Bhubaneswar, Jan. 20: Pongal may be over elsewhere, but not for the members of the state’s Tamil community.

Tamils from various parts of the state gathered at Nayapalli on Sunday to celebrate the harvest festival under the aegis of Bhubaneswar Tamil Sangam, their umbrella organisation. The day-long cultural function, named Pongaloo Pongal, was attended by both Tamils and Odias.

The day began with women preparing the sweet Pongal, which is dedicated to Sun God for good harvest. The rendition of Tamil and Odia songs enthralled one and all. The recitals of Karagattam, a folk dance of Tamil Nadu and Odissi, represented the harmony between the two communities.

Kids recited poems of Tamil littérateur Subramanya Bharathi and revelled in games such as musical chair, balloon-blowing competition, breaking mud pots and others. Pongal is also known for the colourful kolam or flowery patterns made on the floor that adorn every Tamil home on this day. Tamil scholar Thiru K Lakshmanan from Salem, enlightened the audience with his talks on moral thoughts, culture and significance of Pongal. In the afternoon, everyone feasted on rice and rasam.

“We organised the function on Sunday so that our friends from different districts could come and join us. It’s just not an occasion to pay our respect to our farmer brothers who toil throughout the year, but has deeper objectives. The younger generations, living away from their hometowns, get a glimpse of the Tamil culture. We want our friends from other communities to join us in our celebrations,” said TBT Ansari, vice-president of the sangam.

“I have been attending the function for several years. While we enjoy Tamil delicacies, a lot of Tamil women ask me the recipe of Odia pitha. Our children enjoy Odia festivals such as Raja and Kumar Purnima,” said Kadambini Das, an Odia.

More than 250 Tamils from all over the state, especially Cuttack, Kendrapara, Paradip and Balangir, assembled to celebrate the occasion with fanfare and fervour.