A viral video showing a few men and women enjoying a traditional Pongal meal in banana leaf went viral recently. It was claimed that the video was of the Pongal feast UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosted for his office staff.
Source- Moneycontrol
However, this claim is false. The video is actually of a Thai Pongal celebration organized by the Tamil Cultural Association of Waterloo region, Ontario, Canada. . The men and women in uniform seen in the said video were from the police force, reports said.
Rishi Sunak in a video message, wished people on the occasion of Pongal. “I want to send my best wishes to everyone celebrating Thai Pongal this weekend. I know how much this festival means to families across the country. Let me wish everyone here and around the world health, happiness and prosperity this Thai Pongal,” he said.
The original video was uploaded by the Tamil Cultural Association on Facebook that got just over 500 views but the viral claim that it was organized by Indian-origin UK PM Rishi Sunak grabbed more eyeballs and was wrongly shared on social media.
A tweet by the mayor of Waterloo, Dorothy McCabe, posted on 15 January with the caption that said , “Thank you to the local @waterlootamils community for a wonderful evening of entertainment, enjoyment and delicious food! was also discovered by The Quint.
Pongal is a four-day harvest festival celebrated mainly in south India especially Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, and marks the end of the winter solstice.
