Not oxen, Nal Er Pootuthal ritual in Delta commences with tractors

TIRUCHY: Nal Er Pootuthal event to mark the commencement of the new cultivation season with early kuruvai was held in Thanjavur on Monday unfortunately with tractors instead of oxen due to the shortage of abled animals.

As per the tradition, the Delta farmers used to organise Nal Er Pootuthal event during the first week of the Tamil month of Chithirai in which the ceremonial attaching of ploughs would be made with the oxen.

During the day, the farmers used to perform a special puja for good harvest and wellbeing of their cattle and decorate the oxen used for ploughing.

As a part of the ritual, the farmers would worship Bhooma Devi, make pongal and offer them to the Goddess earth. Subsequently, they would worship the ploughs and the tools and the cattle and pray for a good harvest for the entire season.

On Monday, however, the farmers from Paruthikudi village near Tiruvaiyaru commenced the event with more than 10 tractors. They decorated the tractors and the ploughs and worshipped them and paid a floral and seed tribute.

“Unfortunately, we had to use tractors in place of oxen as there is a shortage of able-bodied oxen nowadays and the farmers have replaced them with tractors for faster cultivation,” said K Saminathan, a farmer from Tiruvaiyaru. He also said, despite the government supporting the farmers to rear oxen for ploughing, the farmers are hesitant, as it demand care and cost.