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Over 4000 Students Participate in ‘Aadi Perukku’ Celebration at Dr MGR
Janaki Women’s College
● Highlighting the theme of Save Water, students staged various music and
dance performances rooted in Tamil tradition
Chennai, 02 Aug. 2024
Over 4,000 students of Dr. MGR-Janaki Women’s College celebrated Aadi Perukku,
a Tamil festival observed on the eighteenth day of the Tamil month of Aadi to
express gratitude for rivers. Donning half-sarees and sarees, students performed
many traditional practices, capturing the essence of the occasion.
During the celebration, students participated in the ‘mulaipari’ worship, carrying
earthen pots filled with sprouts from nine different types of grains and legumes. The
girls floated lamps in a small pond, in a symbolic reenactment of the traditional
practice typically performed in rivers. They enjoyed ‘chitrannam’, which included
different varieties of rice such as lemon rice, tamarind rice, and coconut rice.
Highligting the theme of ‘save water’, students performed several folk dances,
including ‘kummiyattam’, a dance done in a circle while holding each other’s hands
or waists; ‘thappattam’, characterised by the rhythmic beats of the ‘thappu’, one of
the oldest percussion instruments in the world; ‘oyilattam’, another popular form of
group dance; ‘mayilattam’, the peacock dance; and ‘kaavadi aattam’, a dance
offering to Tamil God, Lord Murugan.
In his comments, Dr. Kumar Rajendran, Chairman, Dr. MGR Janaki College for
Women, “Rivers are the sources of prosperity especially for the farmers. Functions
like Aadi Perukku are celebrated to thank and honour rivers in Tamil culture, from
time immemorial. However, the reverence for rivers and other water bodies is
needed today more than they did in the past, considering the widespread
environmental deterioration across the world. Hence, at our college we organise
Aadi Perukku and encourage our students to participate in cultural activities
associated with the function to promote awareness about water usage and
conservation and revival of water bodies.”
The event also featured experts discussing the social, cultural, and environmental
significance of Aadi Perukku, as well as traditional practices, music, and dance forms
of Tamil culture.
