- 15/01/2025
- Posted by: Valerie Vaz MP
- Category: Local News, News
January marks Tamil Heritage Month, and I attended the Thai Pongal celebration in Parliament on 15 January 2025, hosted by the British Tamils Forum.
Thai Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated in colourful fashion- we were treated to folk dances, musical performances and Tamil traditional food, including the sweet pongal dish- rice boiled with milk and jaggery. It is traditionally dedicated to the sun deity, Surya, and marks the end of the winter solstice.
We also took the opportunity to remember the atrocities Tamil people faced during the genocidal war in Sri Lanka, including the Mullivaikkal massacre in 2009. It is said that those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it, and I have pledged my continued support for justice for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and paving the way for a permanent political solution for Tamil people in Sri Lanka to live in peace and harmony with equal rights.
British Tamils have strongly contributed to culture in the UK.