Pongal At Sengat Estate In the 70’s

A hand-drawn Kolam, a feature of the annual Pongal harvest festival..at Sengat Estate in the 70's

In the seventies I did not know what Pongal was much less why it was celebrated. But I had just got hold of a camera and I wanted to document life around me. So when my driver friend Sritharan invited me to attend his village Pongal celebration at his home at Sengat estate I said why not.

Pongal is a harvest festival. According to Google info “on this day, a special ritual is performed where rice and milk are boiled together in an earthen pot  along with this, sticks of sugarcane, coconuts and bananas are also offered….Another important aspect of this day is the kolam, the traditional design hand-drawn at the entrance of houses with lime powder..this auspicious drawing must be done early in the morning and only after a bath”.

Sengat Estate in the seventies was in an area that is now a sprawling housing estate known as Taman Botani. 

Workers quarters in Sengat Estate..note the size of the Kolam in front of each home

... and a families living there. Was the pair of containers used for carrying latex 

It was an acres wide rubber plantation with several blocks of workers quarters. It resembled our low cost housing nowadays but the difference was it was located in the open space in the estate, rubber trees all around and there were no fences between the neighbors.

The entrance to the estate was several km in from Gopeng Road / Jalan Nazrin Shah where the entrance to Taman Botani is now. But Sengat estate is no more and has been replaced by housing estates.

Other than the traditional kolam design event the Pongal I attended had a lot of competition and games. It looked as if the whole village participated in the events.

Girls drawing the Kolam on the morning of Pongal 

The many events at Pongal ...big walk ? ...

.. cross country ...

.... note each runner had an accompanying motor cycle rider 

My friend Sri (pictured above, running)  always took part in cross country runs 

..spectators came in all ages .....

....healthy and confident looking youth .. 

Officials of the Pongal event / Estate officials ...

Bicycle race ...with a difference

... no feet touched the ground 

..cycle without pedalling 

....like so ...

 .. pushing it along 

... an event for the girls 

.. brought out the entire estate to watch

.. a glimpse of life in the estate in the 70's .....and wide bell-bottom pants

Compared to the Pongal nowadays celebrating the event at an estate was an eye opener of a culture long changed by progress and only the basics are remembered.

My Pongal experience of the 70’s.

JAG