Residents, councillors, and community representatives gathered on Sunday, 12th January, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Harrow’s Thai Pongal Festival at Harrow Arts Centre.
The event included music, dance, and speeches from members of Harrow’s Tamil community.
The festival, which began in 2010, was organised by the Harrow Tamil Community Association with contributions from Labour councillors Krishna Suresh and Sasi Suresh.
Performers from local Tamil schools, sports clubs, and organisations, including the Bharatha Dance Organisation and the Tamil Elder Centre, participated.
The event was attended by several notable figures, including the Mayor of Harrow, Cllr Salim Chowdhury, Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas, Police Superintendent Zubin Writer, and other councillors. Former mayors of Harrow and Brent, as well as London Assembly Member Krupesh Hirani, were also present.
Councillor Krishna Suresh, one of the event organisers, said: “Thank you to all who attended our Thai Pongal event on Sunday. Our vision is to promote Tamil language, culture, arts and values to the wider community in Harrow through events like these.
“It is an honour and a privilege to immerse ourselves and our guests in such a fabulous display of Tamil culture, and we hope that the celebration of Harrow’s Tamil community will encourage us all to take pride in our unique cultures and Harrow’s diverse and ever-expanding community.”
Another organiser, Cllr Kuha Kumaran said, “It was great to have organised a Thai Pongal Day event at the Harrow Art Centre on Pongal Day, 14 January 2025. It was well attended by local people, the Mayor of Harrow, and councillors.
“A variety of cultural programmes were performed by the local Harrow artists of all ages. The organisers would like to thank the sponsors, participants, artists, councillors, and all the volunteers who made the community event a success.”
Leader of Harrow Council, Cllr Paul Osborn said, “I would like to wish our Tamil Community a Happy Thai Pongal which took place this week to celebrate the harvest season. It was great to celebrate this special occasion with the Mayor at the Thai Pongal event at Harrow Arts Centre.
“There are still events taking place at our libraries to celebrate Tamil History month as well as an exhibition at the arts centre – please do take a look.”
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