Times may change, but that air of expectancy never dims
Goodwill, happiness and a sense of expectancy fill the air and the hearts of the Hindus and Buddhists as they await the dawn of the traditional New Year. It is observed with great reverence, a sense of duty and loving kindness towards all, stimulating society, enlivening the nation and fostering national consciousness. ‘Pudhu Varudam’ or New Year marks the Hindu Solar New Year beginning on the first of the Tamil month of Chittirai.
Observances of the New Year differ by some days in certain countries owing to differences in calculations. Pudhu Varudam or Chittirai Varudap pirappu is indeed an auspicious occasion for the Hindus.
Modern research has shown that the concept of the solar cycle was not unknown to the Indus valley people. Four or five millennia ago, the people of Mohenjo-Daro have had a calendar stone, based on the solar cycle which indicated the days of the year in the agricultural cycle of the Indus valley. This was prepared by the agricultural community perhaps for the preparation of sowing, irrigating and harvesting of crops. With more light being shed on the Indus valley people and with the decipherment of the inscriptions on the seals, research has revealed inter-alia, historical facts that these Dravidians had made use of the Zodiac long before it reached the Sumerians.
The first symbol in the Zodiac is the ram (aadu inTamil) and the fish (meen in Tamil) is the last zodiacal constellation of the year – both being used as a unit of system reckoning time. An ancient Tamil composition, the Paththuppaatu, speaks of the ram being the first constellation of the year and that the fast moving Sun goes from the horned ram to the other houses.
The Vedic rishis of ancient India studied the movements of the Sun, moon, stars and planets in order to unravel the mysteries of nature and realised that there was a rhythm and an order in nature and that the Sun influenced the total life of the Universe. They worshipped the Sun as the Supreme God Brahman, ‘Tat Savitur”, the centre of the universe, the regulator and maker of time, the sustainer and nourisher of all.
According to the ancient Dravidians and Aryans, the dawn of the New Year ushering in the debut of spring in the month of Chittirai, is marked by the transition of the Sun from the last house of the Zodiac (Pisces) to the first house (Aries) which takes place every year at a precise moment. The Sun, in traversing the 12 houses of the Zodiac covers a period of one year. Religious observances and celebrations seem to have been associated with the advent of the seasons and the spring festival of the New Year was perhaps one such observance. And the very same New Year that was established by the ancient Indians is perhaps being celebrated today by the Hindus as the new year.
From time immemorial Hindus have considered the transition as an auspicious event, for the Sun is the presiding deity of the planetary system and the entry from Pisces to Aries is significant, marking the beginning of the year. The Hindu almanac known as the Panchalingam, substantiated by astronomical calculations, gives us the exact time of the dawn of the New Year.
The New Year originated as a pastoral festival and did not really form an organic part of urban civilization. It is basically a time when all the members of a family get back to their ancestral milieu with a sense of nostalgia. And so one should understand the rituals against the backdrop of the village.
Unfortunately today the pastoral milieu which supported the New Year is steadily crumbling and the festivities have been separated from their basic roots. Be that as it may, as the New Year draws near, one is imbued with a sense of eager expectancy which never seems to dim.
In April, the rains come after a spell of hot dry weather ushering in spring when the plants burst forth into a riot of colour with blossoms of flowers, fruits and grains portraying the benevolence of nature. The air is resonant with the sweet chirpings of the birds and the singing of the cuckoo. It is natural that the farmer looks upon the beneficial effects of the golden rays of the Sun for the luxuriance of his crops, the ripening of the grain and a reaping of a plentiful harvest. The bounteous gifts of nature call for celebration and is an occasion for gratitude. Homage is paid in a symbolic sense but it shows man’s concern for his environment and nature, the resources and bountifulness, a concern that is all important today for his very survival on planet earth.
(Extracts from the book ‘Remembering Hindu Traditions’)
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