Happy Vishu to all!

Today is one of the most favorite days of mine. Its Vishu, the day we celebrate our new year! Being a Kerala Iyer, I have had the best of both worlds, i.e. we celebrate both Malayalee and Tamil festivals. Out of all of them, I love the day we celebrate Vishu.

I love the very concept of Vishu, the day when you open your eyes to see all the good things that nature brings to us, the day you open your eyes to an auspicious start.

A very beautiful description of the day and its significance has been written by Gauri of http://tiny-tidbits.blogspot.com/. This post however, is about my personal experiences around Vishu.

My earliest memories were of when I was around 7 or 8 years old. I remember being woken up in the morning by my mother and her asking me not to open my eyes but to hold her hand and go along-with her. I remember the feeling of being a little skeptical, wondering if I would hit myself somewhere with my eyes closed and wondering what this was all about. Then opening my eyes to the portrait of God, a mirror, vegetables and fruits, rice and pulses and some coins- gold, silver and normal currency; the entire area being adorned with yellow flowers or the konnapoo. I was asked to take in the beautiful sights and then bow down to nature and God and thank them for providing us with all these wonderful things in order to lead a good life. I remember a sense of calm and peace that settled in on me (the realisation probably came in during the later years) and lasted throughout the day.

We then bathed and wore new clothes which were bought for this ocassion and lined up to take our vishukaineetam (a token amount given to symbolise distribution of wealth) from our father. I remember the amount of joy that a Re.1/- (later became Rs.10/- and then progressed to Rs.100/- as we grew older) would give us. We were asked to preserve that coin carefully and not spend it for as long as we could. And I remember resolving to spend it as soon as I could get out of home that day.

Given I was brought up in Goa and I had no mallu neighbors or friends to share the day with, that was the end of the festivities for us. But this day stayed with me throughout my life and wherever I went after that, for my studies, work in Mumbai and then Bangalore, and later in my married life, I ensured that this was one festival I would celebrate religiously every year. Even if it meant coming home early from work the previous day to buy all the required vegetables, fruits and flowers, staying up late to arrange all the things near the puja area and waking up early in the morning to see the Vishu kanni.

And people around me have appreciated my need to celebrate it in the traditional way and have even been a part of it in many ways. Be it my roommates in Mumbai and Bangalore or P, who even though it isn’t his festival, wakes up in the morning and walks towards the puja room with his eyes closed to view the Kanni. Very sweet of him, I say!

Of-course, the day also makes me feel enormously homesick with me wishing that I was with my mother who would lead me by holding my hands and eyes closed to the puja area, ask me to open my eyes and sit with me while I pray. I miss her very much and I wish I didn’t have to stay so far away from her. Oof! what is it about mothers and the bond they share with their daughters?

So, here’s wishing everyone a very happy Vishu and happy new year. May this year bring you lots of happiness and prosperity!

Leaving you with a picture of Vishu Kanni from last year (was busy hurrying up for office to click this years snaps)