Multitudes of Pupils Attend 'Aadi Perukku' Festivities at Dr MGR Janaki University for Women
Dr. MGR Janaki Women's College recently played host to a grand Aadi Perukku celebration, with over 4000 students participating in the festivities. This major Tamil festival, celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month Aadi (August 2, 2025), is deeply rooted in agricultural and spiritual traditions, particularly those tied to the monsoon-fed rivers like the Cauvery.
The celebration at the college was a vibrant display of Tamil cultural heritage, featuring traditional folk dances such as Devarattam, Karakattam, Puliyaattam, Oyilattam, Sakkaiyaattam, Poikaal Kuthiraiyaattam, Mayilattam, and Dance Drama. The performances not only showcased the richness of Tamil dance forms but also highlighted the festival's core significance of honoring water's life-giving power and fertility.
In addition to the dance performances, students also engaged in the mulaipari worship, offering prayers near water bodies and using earthen pots filled with sprouts from nine different types of grains and legumes. This ritualistic worship, accompanied by the traditional folk arts, underscored the festival's historic significance.
The Aadi Perukku celebration at Dr. MGR Janaki Women's College also included special activities to preserve and nurture cultural heritage. For instance, students prepared and shared customary dishes, such as rice varieties and sweets made of jaggery and rice flour. Furthermore, the 'sandhai' concept, featuring stalls managed by students, was introduced to foster their marketing and entrepreneurial skills.
Dr. Kumar Rajendran, Chairman of Dr. MGR Janaki College for Women, underscored the importance of preserving tradition and understanding roots for human progress and peace. He stated that events like the 'Aadi Perukku' celebration help younger generations learn about 5000-year-old Tamil traditions and pass them on to future generations. Dr. Rajendran considered the celebration at Dr. MGR Janaki College for Women as a small attempt towards preserving Tamil culture.
The event also included discussions by experts on the social, cultural, and environmental significance of Aadi Perukku and traditional Tamil practices, music, and dance forms. Special children also performed a dance during the celebration, further enriching the cultural experience.
Students from Agaram took part in the celebration, and the event's website, www.mgrjanaki.ac.in, provided more information for those interested. The celebration concluded with students floating lamps in a small pond as a symbolic reenactment of the traditional practice typically performed in rivers.
The Aadi Perukku celebration at Dr. MGR Janaki Women's College was a replication of indigenous village celebrations, preserving and promoting Tamil cultural heritage while fostering communal harmony and reinforcing respect for natural resources.
Traveling to the Dr. MGR Janaki Women's College during Aadi Perukku, one can appreciate the fusion of home-and-garden, cultural-travel, and lifestyle, as the festival celebration offers a deep immersion into Tamil lifestyle and cultural heritage. Besides dance performances and traditional rituals, this event also promotes the learning and preservation of age-old Tamil practices, such as cooking traditional dishes and marketing skills through the 'sandhai' concept.
