Couples who found their matches through the Suyamvaram programme cooking traditional sweet rice at the Rokkumalai Sri Muniswarar Bathrakaliamman Temple in Air Itam, Penang. -Photos by ZHAFARAN NASIB and RONNIE CHIN/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Engineer P. Gunashareene was about to leave the Suyamvaram Hindu matchmaking programme when she received a call asking her to return to meet her match.
The 32-year-old was paired according to the Tamil horoscope with P. Sughanth Sarathy, 33, a Grab driver from Kuala Lumpur.
Within half an hour of meeting with their families, the match made on Sept 16, 2023, was sealed.
The couple, who married in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 19 last year, were among 10 couples successfully matched through the Suyamvaram programme organised by the Penang Hindu Association (PHA) since September 2022.
For the first time, PHA jointly organised a Thala Ponggal celebration with the Rokkumalai Sri Muniswarar Bathrakaliamman Temple in Air Itam for couples brought together through the programme.
Sughanth said celebrating their first Ponggal as a married couple with others from the programme made the occasion special.
Another couple at the celebration were technician N. Loganathan, 43, and nurse M. Meenambal, 39, who met through the programme in 2024.
Although it was their second Ponggal celebration, they were excited to celebrate with other couples.
“By holding this event, it encourages other singles to find their life partners through the programme.
“I recommended Suyamvaram to a friend who found her life partner and is now settled in Johor Baru,” Meenambal said.
Other couples at the event included supervisor M. Anandaraj and his wife T. Rinishaa, both 33, who now have a son.
Newlyweds D. Jaggen, 30, and D. Sharmmila, 29, also took part in the celebration.
Programme coordinator Dr K. Ponnei said couples cooked traditional sweet rice and were presented with seer (special gifts), symbolising new beginnings and stronger family ties.
A vegetarian feast and a surprise bullock cart ride were also part of the celebration.
“In villages, bullock carts are used to carry harvest goods such as sugarcane and symbolise gratitude for the harvest, honouring the connection between farmers, their cattle and the Sun God,” Dr Ponnei said.
Despite the ease of modern conveniences, many families in Ipoh, continue to celebrate Ponggal the traditional way, keeping age-old customs alive.
Retiree K. Jothinathan, 69, said cooking sweet rice over firewood in clay pots remains central to the harvest festival.
“These were the ways of our ancestors. Preserving them allows the younger generation to experience our traditions,” he said, adding that his family gathers early each year to prepare the dish using rice, milk, jaggery and other traditional ingredients.
Goldsmith S. Prakash, 46, said space constraints mean his family now uses a gas stove, but they still cook Ponggal in clay pots.
“We no longer have a landed home, but we keep the essentials of the tradition,” he said, adding that his children are eagerly looking forward to the celebration.
“My mother, 65, and my wife, 42, will prepare the ingredients while I explain the celebration to my three children, aged between two and 10. It is a very meaningful festival for us.”
Meanwhile, traders in Little India reported brisk business.
Uma, with one of the colourful Ponggal pots for sale at the shop in Little India, Ipoh.
Shop assistant S. Uma, 55, said sales of clay pots, priced between RM12.90 and RM16.90, rose about 20%, with many customers opting for colourful new designs and convenient ingredient mixes.
Fellow trader P. Prabhu, 32, said customers prefer clay pots as a way to stay connected to their roots.
Ponggal, celebrated in mid-January, is the Tamil harvest festival symbolising gratitude, renewal and the enduring value of tradition.
