(Standing from second right) Sri Letchimi with her mother Santha and staff members offering prayers while the Ponggal dish is being prepared for sharing. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
AYURVEDIC beauty products company owner P. Sri Letchimi decided to celebrate Ponggal this year at her company headquarters in Sungai Pinang, George Town in Penang, for the first time.
Alongside her staff, she expressed gratitude for a bountiful year while seeking blessings for continued prosperity.
Although she moved business operations to the headquarters three years ago, Sri Letchimi had previously observed the four-day harvest festival Ponggal at home with her family.
“This year, I wanted to share the celebration with my 12 staff members, who are like family to me, so that they too will be blessed with a bountiful year.
“Celebrating at the company premises also helps bring my employees of all faiths closer and be grateful for the things we have been blessed with.
“To make it more meaningful, I brought along my mother S. Santha, 74, and my son N. Jiveshant, 21, to be part of the celebration,” she added.
Sri Letchimi, 46, trained in south India and has 21 years of experience in the beauty products and services industry.
When she founded her company, she faced challenges in promoting her brand.
“I persevered, and today, I have some 100 beauty products under my company brand.
“My head-to-toe care products are mostly sold online via various platforms,” she said.
For this year’s Ponggal, Sri Letchimi looks forward to creating 1,001 women entrepreneurs by providing them with six months of training on investment, product knowledge, marketing and other business-related matters.
She is also thankful that her company products are in the process of obtaining franchise business licensing from Perbadanan Nasional Bhd (Pernas).
“Ponggal is very meaningful to me.
“Just like farmers who toil on their land for some time before they see the fruits of their labour, I too have gone through many struggles in life to achieve success,” she shared.
Sri Letchimi and her staff started shouting “Ponggalo Ponggal!” once the milk in the heated claypot started to overflow.
She then added in rice, jaggery, nuts and raisins to complete the traditional dish.
Sri Letchimi, a devout Hindu, later presented the dish as an offering to the Hindu sun deity Lord Surya.
Afterwards, the dish was enjoyed by all those present.
Earlier, her staff members set up decorations that included sugarcane stalks, turmeric plants, mango leaves, kolam designs, and flowers.
This year Ponggal falls in the Krodhi year, on the first day of the Tamil month of Thai.
Tamils worldwide celebrate the festival which spans four days, each with cultural and spiritual significance.
It begins with Bhogi on Jan 13, which is the last day of the Tamil month of Margazhi.
On this day, the old and unused household items are discarded in a bonfire, symbolising the discarding of the old and the welcoming of the new.
Homes are thoroughly cleaned and decorated with sugarcane, turmeric plants, mango leaves and folded young coconut leaves.
Kolam designs are drawn at the entrance to symbolise prosperity and positivity.
The second day, called Thai Ponggal, is the festival’s main day which marks the celebration of life.
On this day, Hindus express gratitude to Lord Surya who is regarded as the ultimate source of energy and sustenance.
The third day is Mattu Ponggal which is dedicated to honouring cows, considered sacred in Hinduism.
The final day, Kanni Ponggal is a special day for unmarried women who pray for a prosperous future and a suitable life partner.
