When is the Tamil New Year? Depends on who is in power

In their constant power struggle, arch political rivals the DMK and AIADMK, even celebrate the Tamil New Year on different dates. This has meant that the official date has changed depending on who is in power.  J Jayalalithaa's ruling AIADMK celebrated Pongal as a harvest festival ushering in the month of Thai. But the DMK also celebrated it as New Year's Day, with food, fun and folk art.

Ms. M. K. Kanimozhi, DMK MP and party chief M Karunanidhi's daughter, told that, Tamil People have been fighting and asking for this. This is very important for them and for the DMK. We do what people want. Historically Tamils have celebrated the first day of Thai as New Year. But the AIADMK and many others do not agree.

For ages now, the Tamil month of Chithirai - which coincides with April on the Georgian calendar - is celebrated as the New Year in Tamil Nadu. A builder in Chennai said that, these are based on planetary and astronomical positions followed for thousands of years. We can't change the New Year like this. In 2008, the DMK, then in power, declared that Pongal in January would mark the beginning of the year. Three years later, when Ms Jayalalithaa returned to power, she reversed the decision and the state was back to officially celebrating New Year in April. The state has witnessed many such sweeping changes in the power battle between the two parties.

In 2003, the DMK scuttled Ms Jayalalithaa's plans for a new assembly complex at the heritage Queen Mary's college campus on the Marina Beach Road. But eight years later Amma struck back, converting the 1200-crore assembly complex of the DMK tenure into a multi-speciality hospital. Andthe assembly returned to the Fort St George. She is said to have similar plans for the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai, another pet project of DMK chief M Karunanidhi.