Little India awash with light, colour for Pongal

Little India is awash with light and colour, as celebrations for the harvest festival Pongal kick off this week.

The lights were switched on Friday night.

This arrangement continues every night for the whole of January.

Pongal marks the harvest season, and is mainly celebrated in Tamil Nadu, in South India.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said being able to celebrate Pongal in Little India has added significance this year, after a riot in the neighbourhood took place last month.

Dr Balakrishnan said Little India continues to be a special place for the Indian community, including migrant workers.

He said: "They have sacrificed so much to work so hard, so far away from home to provide for their families. This celebration of the harvest, this celebration of provision for your family is one which I think the Indian foreign worker community can very much identify with."

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