Tamil New Year ---- Is Goverment playing with Public Sentiment ?

The Hindu Astronomical Significance of the Tamil New Year that Earth travels in an eliptical path around the Sun through 360 degrees (Paakai in Tamil), and the time period for one such complete travel around the Sun (Suriyan in Tamil) is called an Year (Aandu in Tamil).

The circumferance of the eliptical path traced by the Earth having the Sun as the central point - are divided into twelve arcs, and the angular segments traced by each arc measuring 30 degress is called a House (Veedu in Tamil or Rasi in Sanskrit). Thus the earth passes through twelve Houses in an year.

The Tamil Seasonal Significance of the Tamil New Year. We have divided an year in to six seasons based on the climatic conditions in Tamil Nadu. They are namely the,

Ilavenil Kaalam : mild sunny period : Chithirai, Vahasi - Thingal
: mid April to mid June
Muthuvenil Kaalam : intense sunny period : Aani, Aadi - Thingal
: mid June to mid August
Kaar Kaalam : cloudy rainy Period : Aavani, Purataasi - Thingal
: mid August to mid October
Kuthir Kaalam - cold period : Iyppassi, Kaarthihai - Thingal
: mid October to mid December
Munpani Kaalam - early misty period (evening dew): Maarkali, Thai - Thingal
: mid December to mid February
Pinpani Kaalam - late misty period (morning dew): Maasi, Panguni - Thingal
: mid February to mid April



The beginning of the Ilavenil Kaalam of the Tamils coincides with the beginning of the Sun moving into the Meda Veedu or Rasi, which falls in mid April, and is the time of commencement of the Tamil month of Chitirai.

The dawn of the month of Chithirai is the dawn of the Ilavenil Kaalam, a period of mild sun with much light and less humid wind known to be very soothing and refreshing and was known as "Thentral Kaatru" to Tamils.

This might be the very reason the Tamil Saiva Saint of Tamil Nadu namely the Thirunaavukkarsu Nayanaar of the mid seventh century, equated the pleasure of being at the feet of God Siva - is as good as the "blowing Thentral Kaatru during the extended Ilavenil Kaalam", showing the great delight the Tamils had during the Ilavenil Kaalam.

Being very significant that the age old Tamil New Year is being shifted from April 13th or 14th to January. Does the goverment has thought the significant of changing age old practice followed millions of tamils. It has been understood that present Chief Minister has the way to hurt the feelings of Hindu since he has been the chief Minister of Tmailnadu. He is being praised by the so called great leader Ramadoss, Thirumavalavan, etc., These are the people who say that they will die for TAMIL. Do they understand the age old writings of Great Saints who they proclaim that is ignored in the Temples..is it not the double standard.

What will happen to Tamil Panchangam ? Its a tradition that on Tamil New Year Tamil Panchangam will be read out in public. This has been the following and ritual followed even before the birth Karunanidhi. All of a sudden Goverment of Tamilnadu issued a GO asking the temples to stop reading the Tamil Panchangam on the eve of Tamil New Year. It was sad to see people's feeling being trashed by the present goverment. in spite of this TV channels like Jaya and Vijay had special programs to commerate the Tamil New Year.

“I suspect that those who endorsed the government’s renaming quest must all be DMK supporters. If this government can do this, it can also announce new names for all the 12 months after Periyar, Anna, Stalin, Azhagiri, Kanimozhi and so on,” - political commentator Cho S. Ramaswamy.

April 13 is the Tamil New Year i.e. Chitterai 1. Karunanidhi can not do away with 1,800 years of Tamil high tradition in the name of his allegedly secular Dravidian myth. He is trying to move the New Year to January 14 or Makara Sankranti/Pongal to make it closer to January 1 - the start of the church year. I suspect the matter would now be referred to court because an allegedly secular state can not legislate on the traditional calendar just as it has no right to legislate on the calendar of Islam or Christianity.

The Burmese, Cambodians, Lao, Sinhalese and Thai had adopted the April New Year due to South Indian Pallava influence. It is ironic that so-called Dravidian nationalism under Christian missionary influence now seeks to jettison this to bring the New Year closer to January 1 and the proposed new names for the days of the week and the 12 months are more in synch with Hellenic culture.

Karunanidhi should focus on infrastructure and poverty alleviation, not engage in puerile gimmicks at his senile old age. This would come to haunt the political career of his son who is expected to succeed him.