Tamil Sangam Moreh, an organisation of the Tamil traders at the India-Myanmar border town of Moreh organised its 50th Pongal festival on January 14. It will continue for three days. People from other communities too took part in the festival.
Though there were over 15,000 Tamil traders in Manipur, most of them had left the State after a legalisation on restrictions on border trade. The once thriving businesses came to a halt with freelance traders becoming redundant for various reasons.
A prominent trader at Moreh said that today there are a little over 1,000 Tamils.
Also read: Tamil businessmen at Moreh forced to look for greener pastures
On the last day of the festival, a lunch will be being arranged for thousands of people from across all faiths at Kondong Lairembi temple near Moreh.
A South Indian-style Hindu temple had also been constructed at Prem Nagar in the Moreh. Tamil leaders say the Angala Parameshwari Muneeswarar temple is the second largest Hindu temple in the entire northeast.
A Manipuri resident of Moreh said that people from all communities take part in the Pongal festival. "We have no differences based on religion or languages."
