Pongal in Mumbai: A harvest celebration through music and memory

An attendee sings live during a previous jamming session. Pics Courtesy/Pooja Ashokkumar

Mumbai, a melting pot of different cultures, has something for everyone. This time, there is something for the migrant Tamil community that has called the precincts of this city their home for decades. Tamil Nadu's multi-day harvest festival, Pongal, which marks new beginnings, will be welcomed on January 14 with a jamming session, organised by Pooja Ashokkumar, a third generation Tamil-born. She grew up in Mumbai, and is a public historian and researcher who documents the lives and subculture of the city's Tamil community.

Members of the community cook Sakkarai Pongal (Sweet Pongal) during an earlier celebration at 90 Feet Road in Dharavi

The upcoming session is titled, Vaanga Kekalaam (Come, let's listen), and is the third of a series of jamming and listening sessions organised by Ashokkumar and her co-organiser, Pallavi Pillai. "We want to offer a space to revisit the songs many of us grew up with. Playlists span generations and appreciate artistes from legendary musician Ilaiyaraaja to AR Rahman," she tells us. Beyond music, these sessions tap into the collective memory of the Tamil community, as participants co-curate the playlist and share personal stories connected to their favourite tunes.

Dr Chandrasekhar Ramamoorthy from Hyderabad shares some trivia during an earlier jam

Ashokkumar shares some of them, "A participant once spoke of an Ilaiyaraaja composition that served as a lullaby in his life; another man recalled being deeply moved by Kalyana Maalai while listening to it alone in his car as a youth. At the most recent session, Dr Chandrasekhar Ramamoorthy travelled all the way from Hyderabad to participate." Additionally, there will be an open mic and trivia session. Ashokkumar recounts the context behind Pongal and music, "Growing up in Jari Mari, a Tamil-dominant neighbourhood in Andheri, I remember Tamil songs blaring from every other house and at an audio cassette shop down the lane. Even today, listening to Athanda Ithanda from the film, Arunachalam (1997), starring Rajinikanth takes me back to my childhood Pongal celebrations." We learn that, back in the 1980s and 1990s, Tamil Sangams in Mumbai neighbourhoods would organise cultural programmes, bringing performers together on stage. "For example, Dharavi would commence festivities with Tamil Thaayi Vaazhthu (Tamil Nadu's state anthem). My event is a different form of cultural programmes from the past," she explains.

Pooja Ashokkumar

Simple as the session is, it is deeply intertwined with the identity of a Mumbai-based Tamilian. "It is how we unite as a collective and honour our homeland and ancestors, even while living away from home. However, this jamming session is open to all. As they say: ‘Music has no language'," she signs off.

ON January 14; 3 pm onwards
AT Gracias Granny Cafe, Swami Vivekananda Road, Santacruz West.
LOG ON TO @bombaytamilhistory (to register)
ENTRY Rs 350