Festive special: Onam!

Onam is a keralite festival. It has a great mythological story behind its celebrations and some interesting activities involved. I am not a malayali but in my college every year during Onam we wear a traditional Onam saree and take loads of pictures with fellow classmates and try as much as possible to make the lecturer not to take any usual classes. So, that’s the type of celebration we have on this festive occasion.

My day began with the saree draping session. It was a white cotton saree and with simple golden border and small designs was made on it using embroidery with various shades of colourful threads. With the help of my mom and my eager enthusiasm we succeeded in the draping part until it fell apart. My mom hates to do same work twice. She was in the verge of becoming grumpy but still she carefully draped the saree again. I was happy that the activity (the art of draping a saree) which sometimes takes Indian women more than 5 minutes to forever was over for me.

Then it was time to the second challenge, the horror of walking in a saree. I am not a regular user of sarees. So, it felt like I was walking by wearing a burrito or a shawarma. I daily walk to bus stop of 1km distance and it was becoming late for me to catch the right bus on time and I had to rush. But the draped cloth was making sure I was walking as slow as possible. Like each footstep per second. But I tried to stroll as fast as I could and reached the bus stop. I didn’t get a seat in the bus I took. In normal attire itself there is a 100 possible ways to get hurt while standing in a moving bus, but to make my probability of getting hurt even more I was not wearing my usual clothes. Thankfully I managed not getting hurt with lots of cringes especially at the turns and speed bumps.

I got down from the bus and reached my college. Sarees are like headphones, both need to be adjusted often. I am a bit too conscious about revealing my body to the outer world other than myself. But turns out many girls of my age are like that when they wear saree. We check whether we look fat or anorexic? Is the folds aligned correctly? Is someone mentally judging us because we did a fashion blunder? And so on. After all this, the next challenging task for me was to reach my class which is in 5^th floor. By the time I reached 1^st floor in that saree I wore half my breakfast energy got expended.

I reached the 5^th floor and saw my classmates looking pretty and feminine in their sarees. We took some pictures of ourselves. Then, the horror started. First hour was started with Accounts subject. I absolutely hate anything with numbers and have a mild form of memory loss towards anything associated with numbers like maths, cash, time, date, etc. Only few of my classmates were present and we were half asleep when my lecturer started her accounts lullaby. Post graduation life is a serious business I guess. Whenever each student entered the class we were staring at her to see how she paired it up with the blouse, what sort of accessories she used, what make up style she did and so on. Seeing this, lecturer was staring blankly at our faces I guess she got the idea that we were super distracted. But lecturers always act like lecturers. She proceeded to teach and we proceeded to sleep.

After that we were requested to attend an event about music and dance competition in the auditorium. We all went there, saw bunch of people sitting on the stage one with mridangam, one with violin, a few with mike set up parallel to their faces. It was similar to katcheri set up. They sang devotional songs. Then the dance performance started. We discussed about their selection of songs, dance moves, their team execution and all. Then it was time for speeches and announced about the chief guest, who was an eminent carnatic singer with many accolades. She also spoke about her life, career path and passion. She later sang a few lines of the Tamil song “Kaatrinile varum geetham” as a tribute to M.S. Subbalakshmi who was also a great singer. That song and its lyrics have a way to intoxicate its listeners.

Then again went back to our classes and started taking photos. I was hungry and started to eat lemon rice my mom made for my lunch. It’s funny how people can flawlessly smile to a non-animate object like camera than to the living person next to them. It does makes sense that it captures their memories, moments and it remains with them forever as long as they wish to keep it. But it made me thinking millennial youth is spending more time with their technological buddies than the actual person being with them. So, many things around them are missed, in this process. But I was enjoying the moment to see their funny poses, their funny (horrible) singing, Funny dancing and many more which might not be the same if something I wish for happens.

Suddenly my Head of the department barges into the class and asks “where is the rest of the class?” She took attendance, a senior came and informed her something and she used a swear word (sh*t). She gave a completely out of box punishment to the people who weren’t inside the classroom. She told them to interview the teachers and students in the college who are wearing an Onam saree in terms of styling, beauty and many other ways where in reality no teacher appreciates to be asked these questions. But they did go, interviewed and accomplished to know that they need to take the interviewee’s photograph and do a Presentation on it tomorrow. I was glad I was inside the classroom and away from this unpredictable trouble.

Then, another lecturer came who always tries to make us happy. She gave bunch of good compliments to others and said I look completely different in a good way I guess. Later, another lecturer came who teaches us Organisational behaviour. She is a malayali, and we made sure we don’t let her take class. We asked her what is Onam is all about? And she gave us this broad smile which looked sarcastic in my point of view. Then, she made a Malayali girl in my class to answer that question. She mentioned they don’t celebrate Onam extravagantly. She said they do this sadhya which is a festive meal served in a banana leaf with a variety of foods served with rice, Pookalam or flower Kolams which are done using flower petals in different designs on the floor, and that’s all she knows. My lecturer gave the same sarcastic smile back at her and told us about the reason and story why they celebrate it.

The story goes on like this. There was a King named Mahabali. My classmate pronounced it back as mahabalu (means big bear in Hindi) and we laughed. That king was an asura but was good king. Asuras supposed to be the villain or the evil people. But Mahabali turned out to be a genuine king. He ruled heaven and earth. All the gods saw him as a threat and wanted to annihilate him. Mahabali has a weakness to help anyone who asks for his help. So lord Vishnu goes in the form of a Brahmin named Vamana and asks for a favour. Mahabali’s guru tells him not to agree as it feels suspicious but he agrees to help.

Vamana asks for land equal to the three paces of his feet. Vamana grew big, First footstep was all over the earth, second footstep was on all of heaven and there was still one territory left Mahabali owed Vamana. Mahabali requested Vamana to keep his third step on his head as he does not have any more land left. Vamana keeps his third feet on his head and sends Mahabali to the underworld. But due to his genuine sincerity Vamana grants his wish to visit his people for 10 days and these are the days which are celebrated as Onam. Then she correlated some organisation behaviour theories with the deities of different geographical regions and the Onam mythology story she mentioned. (For proper story use Wikipedia this is just a story which my lecturer knows)

After that, same vicious circle followed, I had to catch a bus in saree and walk as fast as possible to reach home. Surprisingly there was no scorching sun and the weather was good. But I was eager to remove the saree and wear my comfy clothes. Later I felt like cooking something but whenever I cook it never turns out well. So I saw some recipes which are quick with fewer ingredients. I got inspired and did a 2 –Ingredient dessert. I took dried bits of coconut and was hitting it with a mortar and pestle at first to get it into fine pieces. This usually works for spices but not for dried coconut pieces I guess. Like I said even though I did 3 Year Degree in Food Science I am poor at cooking but good at experimenting.

I told my mom what happened and she told me to use a blender. I have seen her giving the blender jars for repair for using it with certain ingredients and I was hesitant to use and spoil the Equipment. Life is incomplete without being able to take risks I guess. So, I blended few chunks of dried coconut pieces and added deseeded dates into it and blended again. The dessert is finished. I usually hate the sharp sweetness of dates but the coconut bits helps to adjust it. It tasted good until my mom suggested to add ghee to it which suppressed the true flavours of the coconut and dates. But still it was quick and easy dessert and my hunger was fulfilled.

The dessert - Date 'n' coconut stuff!

That’s how I celebrated Onam and Happy Onam! 

Pongal 2016!

Boghi!!!

The end of marghazhi season and start of celebrations about farmers, agriculture, lives, etc. Living in urban area means less chances of viewing actual Pongal celebrations in my neighbourhood. Usually, the only way of enjoying Pongal for me is through watching Television, celebrations at college (for some their schools or offices), messages to greet the near and dear ones. But this time it was something different.

Boghi is a festival celebrated by throwing old things from the home into the fire set up using fuel/oil and few sticks of wood. On the day of Boghi, I woke up to the kaleidoscopic view of smoke. Which was something new and I have never seen my house filled with so much smoke. For a while I enjoyed the way how the smoke moved. It was like watching the movement of clouds with greater speed. It was astonishing to know that smoke is unpredictable but still makes a move. Even though obstacles like walls, doors, windows, objects were present the smoke somehow manages to move steadily. It felt like a life lesson. Our thoughts, aims, efforts should be like a smoke; it must be spontaneous and constant. Even under difficulties or arrival of obstacles one must never get ceased but to overcome/tackle them.

I had college that day. So quickly, I snapped out of the smoke admiring moment and started to get ready for college. I picked my bag and was walking on the streets of my neighbourhood to reach the bus stop. Every porch of the house had colourful, intricate designs of kolam and rangoli. The view of the street was a mixture of smoke, fog, amber streaks of sunrise, and bonfires at each house. After, a long period of research works at college. I got really tired. I slept like anything.

Pongal – O – Pongal!!

Well, my family are not that much into celebrations. And floods made further damage to their tiny celebration spirit. I for one always love to take part in any activities related to festivals. But today I was too tired. Kids outside my house were cheerfully shouting Pongal-o-Pongal. I greeted back to all who showered me with their creative and happy Pongal wishes. I am glad festivals are a reason to evoke people into greeting and remembering they have human friends other than their gadgets. I took some chalk pieces and drew some amateur patterns on the porch in an attempt to draw a kolam. My brother started nagging that a 3 year old can draw better than me. Well I don’t care if they are imperfect patterns, as long as it makes me happy and hurts none; nothing wrong with doing it imperfectly.

My kolam/ Rangoli/ whatever it is that made me happy!

So, that’s how Pongal 2016 began for me.

Hope it is a prosperous year ahead for you!!!

Wish you a Happy Pongal!

Festival special: Karthigai deepam

Today, most of the Tamilians celebrate Karthigai deepam i.e. festival of lights. My mom wasn’t that much into religious practices; she says god has to be prayed from within. But she never restricted me to lit a lamp or go to temples. 

When I was a school kid, I used to collect broken chalk pieces on the floor after last class of the day ends. Then carefully I put those tiny chalk pieces into my pencil box. I used to draw beautiful... okay somewhat creative murals on the floor of the porch at my home. These abstract yet wonderful patterns/drawings on floor are called as “Kolam” in Tamil Nadu. I always find tranquility whenever I do kolam. Traditionally, Kolam are made using rice flour so that it also acts as food to birds. And the patterns are also filled with different shades of contrasting colors.

The best part comes when the clay lamps a.k.a Vilaku are lit in the evening. I won’t say to lit a vilaku is an extremely difficult skill to acquire but the way it is lit is somewhat fulfills the soul with satisfaction. We had three lamps at house, i used to clean them properly with a wet cloth then use it. Adequate amount of oil is poured into the lamps and then a small amount of cotton is taken from the First aid box and rolled into wicks. The wicks are dipped into the oil and one end is kept ready to be lit.

I always insist my mom that only I will light the lamps. So, she turns the gas stove on, where the luminous blue flames arise. She lit the candle and gives it to me so that I don’t burn my hands. I keep the fire near the wick until the wick gets lit. Sometimes the November weather is cold so the wick doesn’t gets heated up soon and this used to test my patience but still if there is interest the level of patience increases.

Then we keep these lamps on the porch. I used to break a small piece from the broomstick and use it whenever to adjust the wick and have spare oil to pour over the lamps whenever I feel like the oil is less until i get tired and drowsy. I also enjoy the view of neighbor places filled with tiny specks of lights. So, that’s how I used to celebrate my karthigai deepam. 

Hope today is also awesome and happy karthigai deepam!!