Perplexed. Baffled.

Why are Malaysian Indians calling our Tamil New Year as Chitirai Puthandu? Why do mainstream media TV and radio NOT mentioning Tamil New Year instead it's only mentioned Chitirai New Year?

What is the resistant mentioning Tamil New Year, and what are you afraid of asked MIRA Party President Datuk A. Chandrakumanan?

Chitirai is referring to the MONTH. Perhaps, a little bit of enlightenment would help solve this dilemma.

Every new year promises to usher in prosperous new beginnings. Even as one says farewell to the previous year, now is the perfect moment to start new ideas and projects. Puthandu, the name of the New Year in Tamil Nadu, is a festival that takes place in the middle of April. People participate in lavish ceremonies to mark the start of the Tamil New Year or the Vedic New Year.

On the first day of the month of Chithirai, Tamil Puthandu occurs. (mid-April- mid-May). The customary date is April 14. Other regions of India also celebrate the New Year, including Kerala for Vishu and northern and central India for Baishakhi.

The origin story of Tamil New Year

The traditional 60-year cycle is used in the Tamil calendar. Chithirai is the first month of every year. The spring equinox, which falls on April 14 according to the Gregorian calendar, is followed by Tamil Puthandu. Tamil literature makes reference to this day's significance.

The movement of the Sun through the 12 zodiac signs, beginning with Aries, takes place on this day. This is according to a statement made by Nakkirar in his old poem "Nedunalvaadai" from the Sangam era in the third century. The oldest extant Tamil grammar text, Tolkaapiyam, divides the year into six separate seasons, and this day marks the beginning of the summer or Ilavenil season said Chandrakumanan.

As such, for us to it Chitirai Puthandu is ridiculous. Are we celebrating the birth of the month of April i.e. Chitirai or the beginning of a new cycle of the Indian calendar?

Many may lack the knowledge to understand political implications behind this name change from Tamil New Year to Chitirai Puthandu.

When it was in power in Tamil Nadu in 2008, the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) proclaimed that the Tamil New Year should fall on the first day of the Tamil month of Thai. (14 January). This decision was made to make the Tamil New Year to coincide with Pongal celebrations.

It was enacted as a state law as well – the Tamil Nadu New Year (Declaration Bill 2008).

Despite the 2008 law, many Tamilians had continued to celebrate the Puthandu festival in mid-April. Many Hindu priests and Tamil scholars had vehemently questioned the law. In fact, many Tamils were against it. Due to the pressure of the Tamil people, on 23 August 2011, the AIADMK government rescinded the law by bringing a separate act of legislation.

The decision by AIADMK to revert to the April date created a new problem where, it was announced that Tamil Puthandu day would be celebrated as a new festival under the name, “Chithirai Tirunal”, or the festival of Chithirai.

That is what transpired in Tamil Nadu. But it is a surprise that most Indians here have forgotten their roots and are conveniently following what Tamil Nadu does without understanding the implications of their politics to our culture and tradition.

In a nutshell, it is Tamil New Year. Not Chitirai Puthandu. 

Chandrakumanan A is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!

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