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Newsletter of Bal Sabha of Columbia, MO May 2005 Summer Issue EDITOR’S NOTE President: Leena Pattarkine Four Bal Indian Wildlife as Vice President: Sandesh editors, Arthi, well as a top ten list, Bharath Srinivasan Indu, Anand and movie review and the Secretary/Tresasurer: Adithya are graduating continued poets Sudhashree Garimella this year, and this will section with several Cultural Secretary: leave Bal Sandesh poems. Surya Mantrala severely short-handed! Please enjoy this Bal Sandesh Coordinator: Anyone who wishes to issue of Bal Hema Srinivasan be an editor should Sandesh! speak with Hema Srinivasan. We look forward to many new ! Ashok Cutkosky recruits. In this issue we have a tribute to the graduates in Bal Sabha, articles on pongal and Six Bal Sabha members graduated this month from High Rajni Adithya School with great honors and are on their way to colleges Northwestern all over the country. Minnesota Anand Arthi Vellore heads west to be freshman at the University Yale ( CT) of Southern California. Indu Chandrasekhar is heading to Washington University in Saint Louis. Columbia Indu Rajni Chandrasekhar will be in Northwestern University in Wash. U. Chicago. Sunny Kantha is taking off to Duke University. Anand Palaniappan will head east to Yale University. Adithya Srinath will be going up north to the University of Arthi -USC Minnesota. Sunny (California) The pictorial representation to the left is by Maya Duke (NC) Cutkosky. 2 Bal Sandesh Tri-Yearly Newsletter of the Bal Sabha of Columbia, MO Pongal by Ashwath Kumar 3rd grade Ridgeway Elementary and girls dance traditional dances the farmer in that order. This is the Pongal is a festival celebrated called kollattam and kummi. only day of the year the farm workers mostly in Southern India. I am going Thai pongal are served first before the farmers. to tell you about what happens during They end the ceremony by the boiling the Pongal and how people celebrate Thai pongal is celebrated on of milk in pongal it. In the middle of December, people the first day of the Tamil month Thai get ready for Pongal. Pongal is cele- [about January 14]. Thai day is dedi- This last day of Pongal is also brated for four days. The men of the cated to the sun god. It is celebrated called Kannum pongal. The mar- house have to get their farmland ready at home. Immediately after sunrise the ried women go to visit their brothers for harvest time. They clean their farm- pongal is made outside the house, nor- and make pongal in their brother’s land by cleaning and moving hay, mally in the backyard. The pongal pot house and pray for their brother’s well checking cow ropes and sharpen farm is decorated with kolam. The sweet being. The brothers give gifts to their equipment. The women of the house pongal [sugar pongal) that is made on sisters. The teenage boys take part in clean the storeroom and also get ready that day is given to the people who are sports like jallikattu [basic modern ro- for the harvest season. They also at the house. This is also called Manai deo] and a bullock cart race. Children white wash [paint] their house. The [house] pongal. Women and men plant will take snacks like murruku [a women put cow dung water in the front new crops and make pachai mavu crunchy swirl), ladoo [a round yellow of the house that acts as insecticide. other wise called as maa villakku sweet], puffed rice and some candies The girls draw kolams [designs made [mixer of rice flour and jagrey]. Chil- and go and play. They also take the out of rice flour] as a welcome gesture. dren and teenagers enjoy the day by Pillayars made during the first day of doing to traditional dances. pongal and throw them into the river. The girls will also make an odd They feed fishes and exchange snacks number of Pillayars [Ganapathy] every Maatu pongal with their friends. This day women and day for the well being of their brothers. children get new clothes. That evening At the end of the day they put these Maatu pongal is the third day pongal celebrations are rapped up and Pillayars upon the roof to dry. While of pongal. It is a special day for the pongal will come again the next year. the men and women are working they farmworkers, farmers and cattle. They sing songs and in the evening they decorate the farmyard. They paint the Thus the relaxing time for the practice kollattam and kummi (a form cattle horns and decorate them with farmer during pongal is over. The very of folk dance). All these things happen colorful ropes and belt. Farmworkers next day they will be busy working in in the month of Markazhi. get new clothes on this day. Before their farm. sunset, the farm workers’ and farmers _____________________ BHOGI ‘families make pongal. The first and biggest pongal is called pattiyar [cow] Moon The first day of Pongal is pongal. There are always an odd num- called Bhogi. It is celebrated around ber of pongal pots. They make a rec- By Suryanshi Rawat January 13. The women give away tangular puddle called thepakullam. 3rd grade, Mill Creek old things like clothes to the needy. They decorate it with a banana plant, The girls draw kolam [a design] around turmeric plant, neem leaves, mango Moon, Moon... the house. People keep kappu, which leaves, sugar cane and some flowers. Where do you go? is made out of mango, and neem Nine rocks that are picked from the When the Sun Lights up leaves. In the farm, farmers take old farm also represent the nine planets. In the beautiful Sky things made out of wood or rubber and All the special foods cooked are burn them in a fire. They also keep served in three banana leaves I go to the other side kappu. They tan leather in the born- [padaippu] and are placed on three of the world fire. In the house they make dinner sides of the rectangular puddle. The to light up and keep some food for Goddess small girls and the calf will circle the other people's quite nights… Shankaranthi. They do that because of thepakullam with maa villaku. They a myth that the goddess Shankaranti say some prayers for the well being of will come and see how much food is the cattle and farm. The padaippu is -- left to give away. In the evening boys given to the cow, farm workers and Tri-Yearly Newsletter of the Bal Sabha of Columbia, MO Bal Sandesh 3 Balsandesh Poets: Music Shells... Suryanshi Rawat, 3rd grade By Maya Cutkosky, Mill Creek Elementary 5th grade Fairview elementary Shell in the deep reef I listen to a song, On the ocean floor... Tears fill my eyes, The shell had sunk down so I feel so vary sad. quietly As I listen to the next, quietly I feel so happy, quietly! I run around the room in joy. The giant ocean waves How can something, Took the shell far away Not anything but a sound, Washing it up on the beach shore... Create such emotion. gently How does music, gently Reach us so, gently! I just don’t understand. The shell felt a touch A lucky kids hand... *** *** *** picking it up and bringing it home far far away from the ocean floor.... Rishav Choudhury Age: 6 years *** *** *** One beautiful morning .... A Lucky Little Shark Suryanshi Rawat, 3rd grade Mill Creek Elementary There was a happy little shark. The Sun is shining One day the bigger shark ate the happy little the Flowers are blooming shark. and the Grass is growing The bigger shark sneezed, the happy little shark came out. The Birds are flying Another day, the bigger shark ate the happy little the Bees are buzzing shark. and the Crickets are chirping And the bigger shark sneezed, the happy little shark came out. The Wind is blowing Something went BOOM! the Trees are swaying It was a happy little man jumped into the sea. and the Leaves are falling The happy little man never got by the bigger shark. The Kids are playing Cause, the happy little shark protected the Soccer, Kickball, Basketball happy little man Or catch all. The happy little shark, was a lucky little shark. All in one beautiful shining morning... 4 Bal Sandesh Tri-Yearly Newsletter of the Bal Sabha of Columbia, MO Top Ten Indians Meghna Srinath 10th Grade, Hickman High School Indian Americans are any of the following: electrical engineering and computer science at MIT. American-born citizens of Indian origin (second generation Indians) #6: Amartya Sen Naturalized U.S. citizens (originally born in India) Amartya Sen was awarded the Nobel Prize Indian-born citizens permanently residing in the for Economics in 1988 for his contributions to U.S. welfare economics. He was also awarded the Senator Giovanni Agnelli International Prize in I chose my favorite top ten Indian Americans, keep- Ethics in 1990 and the Rank E. Seidman Distin- ing in mind that there are many other well-qualified guished Award in Political Economy in 1986. people who could also make this list. He has lived for several years in the U.S. in California. He is currently teaching at Trinity #10: Norah Jones College in Cambridge, England. Norah Jones is the daughter of the ac- claimed sitar maestro, Ravi Shankar. She is a fa- #5: Har Gobind Khorana mous modern jazz/pop singer who won 5 Grammys Har Gobind Khorana became a naturalized in March 2003, including Best New Artist.