RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday participated in Pongal celebrations here and made a surprise visit to the house of a functionary of the organisation where he recited a couplet from Tamil classic Tirukkural.
He also performed a 'gau puja' (cow worship).
Pongal is one of the most important festivals in the Tamil calendar and ushers in the birth of the auspicious month 'Thai' during which marriages are held and new business ventures initiated. It is celebrated grandly by the people.
Mr. Bhagwat taught a couplet on possession of self restraint from Tirukkural, authored by Tamil savant Tiruvalluvar, to a girl of the RSS functionary's family to whom he paid a surprise visit.
The RSS chief recited the Kural meaning "the wound burnt by fire may heal but not the one by the tongue." And the girl responded to him by quoting a couplet on gratitude from the Tamil classic.
Videos posted by a senior RSS functionary in this regard went viral on social media.
Earlier, Mr. Bhagwat clad in dhoti and with sacred ash (vibuthi) and vermilion (kumkum) smeared on his forehead in lines with the Tamil tradition, offered prayers at Sri Kadumbadi Chinnamman Temple in Ponniammanmedu here and participated in community Pongal celebrations.
He performed a gau puja (cow worship) before kickstarting the Pongal celebrations, during his two-day visit to Tamil Nadu which concludes on Friday.
Bhagwat will later review the organisation's work with local functionaries.
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