Pongal may not be so sweet with rising prices

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Chennai: With the delta farmers hit by drought, following the failed monsoon and Karnataka's refusal to release Cauvery water, preparing pongal for the coming festival will be costlier than ever.
 Consumers say that all the ingredients for the traditional delicacy, particularly rice, are already getting dearer even as some traders resorted to hoarding in the hope of reaping bigger profits as the festival time nears.
“Everything has become so expensive, from buying new clothes for the festival to making the traditional delicacy, pongal. Spending more money, just a little pongal on the plate along with few pieces of sugarcane, and, of course, the power cuts; that's how Pongal this time is going to be celebrated,” said Ramakrishnan.
Grocer A.S. Lingam in Ramapuram said Pongal festival this time could be a low-key affair as almost all the Chennai households are hit by skyrocketing prices. “Jaggery costs `55 per kilo while pasiparuppu is sold at `85. Ghee is priced at `43 per 100 gm,” he said.
One sugarcane piece costs `25 at the Koyambedu wholesale market, while a turmeric sapling, another Pongal pooja requirement, will be sold for `10-15, according to Mr S. Srinivasan, a Koyambedu trader. Teacher Sivasankari of Anna Nagar said she would buy prepared sweets instead of making them at home.
“With the ingredients costing so much, I do not want to spend big money and waste time making pongal sweets at home for fulfilling the ritual,” she explained.
Realising the growing divide among the people around them, youth groups in Chennai have decided to spend their Pongal in the villages.
“While farmers are paying their tribute of tears to the drought-dried crops, how can we celebrate this Pongal? My friends and I have decided to share our Pongal with a farmer's family in Tiruvallur,” said 24-year-old S. Vignesh, English literature student in Chennai.