Vishu is right round the corner and apart from channeling all my energies into recreating a little bit of the Kerala magic and spirit in our home, it is also time for one of my nostalgic trips.
Having spent most of my childhood in the arid desserts of the Middle East, my first real experience of Vishu celebrations occurred when I was well into my adolescence. Not that it diminished my enthusiasm for a festival, which was to prove to be the biggest revenue grosser in an entire year.
I remember as a kid, I would first carefully draw up a list of potential victims and then, in the days leading up to Vishu, would drop carefully considered hints about my monetary expectations. There would also be prolonged and heart wrenching discussions with my friends about the right amount to be bequeathed to my younger brother and cousins.
It was only recently that I realised how much of our wonderful festivals I had taken for granted as a child...The excitement of stumbling forward with my eyes shut tight in the wee hours of the morning to start my day with the sight of my face in the Vishu Kani....The thrill of the chase as we determinedly stalked our quarries and dove unceremoniously for their feet to claim our Kai Neetam....The fun and camaraderie shared with our families and extended families...And the delicious food which we would stuff ourselves with till we lay about helplessly gasping for breath...Oh, Vishu was so much fun!!! And back then, I thought it would never change.
Looking back, I realise that Vishu was one occasion which brought the extended family together and helped them bond better. It taught us the invaluable lesson of Give and Take, which are two faces of the same coin and without which, our lives would remain incomplete. We also learned to reach out to each other spontaneusly and across distances, without inhibitions, preconceived notions or envy, and with this bonding, we enjoyed the day better.
Unfortunately, the fun and spontaneity went out of the window as we grew up and life took us our separate ways.
Today, all of us in our corners of the world try celebrating Vishu to the best of our abilities. But often, all that remains of the camaraderie of the past is a succinct 'Happy Vishu' mail to the whole family. Some phone calls. And a few stolen moments on chat for a quick update.
I don't know how the rest of my loved ones fare, but for me in a strange land, far far away from the people who matter, Vishu has become more of a forced experience. -something that I do, year after year, with the vain hope of recapturing the lost magic of the Vishus of my youth. Despite the careful planning and the best of efforts, the food is never as good...There aren't too many people to plague or for that matter, very many diving for my feet and hounding me for kai neetams...There is less laughter and bonding....And with many hotels and malayali associations getting into the act, Vishu seems to have become more of a commercial experience than a family one.
Even so, there are many of us who religiously maintain, if not the festivities, then atleast the Vishu Kani in our homes. Is it a habit which has waned in strength, but continues to live nevertheless? Or is it an conscious attempt to preserve tradition in a world beset with change and speed?
I, for one, believe it to be an effort to keep the happy memories going and to draw strength from it in the current day. For when 14th April dawns and I open my eyes to the sight of my face surrounded by bounty, bathed by the golden glow of the flame of the Lakshmi Lamp, I feel peaceful, calm and aware of a sense of well being which pervades my entire being and the space around me. And in that moment, I know the magic, though weak, is not entirely gone.
