Kanum Pongal, also called Thiruvalluvar Day The fourth day of the three-day Pongal celebrations is called Kaanum Pongal. In few places this day is also known as Thiruvalluvar Day. It is dedicated to the sun god, Surya On this day, people travel to see other family members and the younger members of the family pay […]
Mattu Pongal The third day of Pongal is dedicated to cattle and is called Mattu Pongal. People offer prayers to the bulls, cows and other farm animals. Cows and bulls have always held a special place in India. Cows give milk while bulls and oxen help plough the fields. Thus, on Maatu Pongal the farmers […]
Surya Pongal The second day of Pongal is known as ‘Surya Pongal’ and is dedicated to the Sun God. It is the day on which the celebration actually begins and is also the first day of the Tamil month “Thai” Women wake early on this day to create elaborate ‘kolam’ on the grounds in front […]
Bhogi Festival Bhogi is the first day of Pongal, celebrated in honor of the rain god indra. He is worshipped because he gives good rain, which in turn gives good harvest. On Bhogi all people clean out their homes from top to bottom, and collect all unwanted goods. This day is meant for domestic activities […]
Pongal Pongal is the harvest festival celebrated by the Tamil people all around the world. It is a State Holiday in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The festival is celebrated on January 15th every year and is also one of the longest celebrations in the Tamil calendar, spread over four days. The festival of […]
In India we have a tradition of sharing home made special Snacks and Sweets with our friends and neighbors for every religious celebration. Being Christians and Christmas being our biggest festival Sheeba made some Rava Laddu, Murukku, Achu Murukku and Adhirasam. We shared these with our neighbors around the Guest House. Rava Laddu – Rava Ladoo is a […]
India Country Manager Stephen Raja Chinnappan What is your perspective on the Global Volunteers organization in your community? Over 13 years of service to the community, I fully believe short-term volunteers have had a huge positive impact on each of our community partners. Especially for the children, Global Volunteers are a motivational and encouraging factor […]
Monday, Oct 15, 2012 Behind every cloud is a rainbow The start of another week—a hearty breakfast by Rani of hard boiled egg, chutney, and we were ready to face the day. Today, I spent the morning at St. Thomas Hospital helping Sister Metilda and the other staff working with children with a variety of […]
Volunteers in India help care for orphaned and abandoned children, teach in the classroom, and paint, repair and construct facilities for impoverished children. Four Indian staff facilitate the volunteers’ work. The following quote from Asha Phillips is representative of what volunteers say about our India Country Manager, Stephen Raja Chinnappan: “ I cannot say enough […]
Did you happen to see our EarthBox photos from India on our Facebook last week? If not, please check out some of the amazing images below!! In early January a team of Global Volunteers brought the first Earthboxes to Chennai to be cared for and used by the children at the SEAMS Childrens Home. Volunteers will […]