Tamil Nadu is a land of celebration. Whether it is birth, engagement, marriage or the 60th or 75th birth anniversaries, Tamils celebrate all these evets with jubilation and gaiety.
Tamils also celebrate the attaining of puberty by their daughters. What stands out in the Dravida land is the way they celebrate death. The departed souls are given a royal send off with song, dance and merry making. Next time, when you are in Chennai or anywhere in the State, do not be shocked if the traffic is held back to facilitate the passage of a funeral procession. The funeral procession is not a sombre occasion for the Tamils. It is unique because of the dance, music and bursting of crackers. One will not see the usual scenes like tears or sobbing or wailing in the funeral processions. In some of the processions, the dead body is decorated and dark goggles cover the eyes! You will feel that the dead body is staring at you with that message “See you soon”.
While in the rest of the country, the girl coming of age is a purely internal affair which is dicussed in hush-hush volume by the mother and other female members of the family, Tamil Nadu is an exception. It is an occasion for celebration and that too in exuberant style. One will come across larger than life billboards and posters of the girl, her parents and siblings all over the cities.
“It is a time of celebration for us because we love our daughters more than anybody. She is our Amman (Goddess) and the one who sustains the family lineage. So isn’t this an occasion to rejoice,” asked GK Nagaraj, educationist and community leader from Coimbatore. He said the celebrations were there for centuries. “In olden days we used to send messengers to relations and friends to inform the news that out daughter has come of age and is of marriageable age. Preparations for marriage begin with the girl coming of age” said Nagaraj.
Indumathi, eminent danseuse, turned nostalgic when asked about her memories. “Oh, it was the most memorable days in my life. We had celebrations for ten full days. I became the cynosure of all eyes and was accorded the status of a VIP. My grandparents showered me with gifts and gold, lot of gold,” said Indumathi. She said billboards and posters were new entrants to the festivity.
Tamil Nadu was in the news for high rate of female infanticide as well as foeticide. “But that was long back. With the introduction of schemes like Amma Cradle by Jayalalithaa, these things are fast disappearing from the society . It was because of the fear of dowry and the costs associated with bringing up a female child that forced many parents to opt for such dastard actions. But not any more,” said Nagaraj.
T Nathamuni, general manager of Neyveli based public sector giant who is well familiar with the rural life of Tamil Nadu says that such celebrations also underscore the significance of family bonds. “The girl’s maternal uncle and his wife are given prominent place from the day the former comes of age. Her marriage is erformed under the auspices of the maternal uncle,” said Nathamuni.
“We don’t have any dilemma or inhibition associated with these celebrations. This is an occasion to tell the world that girls occupy important status in our families,” said Annadurai, based in Neyveli.
Annadrai was busy making the arrangements for the celebrations of his daughter attaining puberty.