Divya's Vishu
Divya scrunched her eyes and shut them tight in an effort to go to sleep fast. She could not wait for this night to be over and the sun to rise. Then it would be Vishu, the day she was waiting impatiently for, ever since school closed for summer. Divya loved all festivals, but Vishu was her favorite. This year she was going to miss her father who had gone to Dubai for a job interview. Divya felt sad that her father would be missing Vishu. She wondered if they celebrated Vishu in Dubai. She should remember to ask him.
Divya's excitement started earleir that day when her mother and her uncle Venu came back from market armed with bags of vegetables and fruits and packets of fire crackers.
"I can't wait for vishu, for vishu...." Divya had chanted.
Venumama went to the backyard and broke off bunches of Kani Konna flowers from the Konna tree. The tree was in full bloom with large bunches of golden goblets completely covering the leaves. The Konna tree bloomed only during Vishu time. Her grandmother said that the tree in their backyard bloomed for the first time the year Divya was born six years back. So she felt a special connection towards the tree.
After dinner that evening, her mother and grandmother got busy getting the Vishu Kani* ready for the next morning. The pooja room was swept and mopped and all the pictures of gods were wiped down. The large brass lamp was cleaned and polished. The picture of Guruvayur Appan* was placed in the centre on a small wooden base covered with a gold and white cloth. Mother made a paste of rice powder and water and made a design joining dots, in the center of which the lamp was placed. She poured oil in the lamp and placed five cotton wicks, ready to be lit first thing in the morning. Grandmother brought out the bell metal 'Uruli'* from the store room and washed and polished it till it shone like gold. In that was arranged the Vishu Kani consisting of pineapple, coconut, mango, jackfruit and cucumber. Along with that she also placed a folded Kasavu Mundu*, a mirror with a handle and a bunch of Konna flowers. In another brass plate, she placed some rice, a gold chain, some crisp new rupee notes and shiny new coins. Divya arranged flowers on the altar. Her grandmother made a garland with red hibiscus petals and tulasi leaves to put around Guruvayurappan's picture.
Her mother asked Divya to go to bed soon so that she could wake up at the crack of dawn. Though she complied, sleep was eluding her. She started whispering a mantra that her grandmother had taught to recite when she could not fall asleep or woke up from a bad dream. Finally her eyes grew heavy and she drifted off to sleep.
She woke up with a start when her mother whispered her name in her ears. She opened her eyes, but realised that her mother's fingers were covering them.
"Is it Vishu already, Amma?" She asked.
"Yes, come with me and don't open your eyes," Her mother said. She took Divya by her elbow and walked her to the pooja room. Divya could smell the agarbatti and sandalwood. "Now you may open your eyes," her mother said.
Divya opened her eyes and gazed at the scene in front of her eyes. All the five wicks of the lamp were lit and in their light, the Vishu Kani seemed to be even more spectacular than it was the night before. Guruvayurappan seemed to be smiling at her. Divya put her hands together, closed her eyes and prayed to be a good girl and to get good marks in school. Her mother held a mirror in front of her face and Divya saw her reflection. Then she turned and looked at her mother. She looked beautiful in her Kasavu Mundu set*. Her long hair was still wet from her bath and she had a red dot and sandalwood paste on her forehead.
"You better take your bath fast if you want your vishukettam*", her mother told her.
Her grandmother brought her a glass of hot milk while her mother got her ready for bath. After bath she wore a new silk long skirt and blouse and her went to the veranda where her grandfather was sitting in his easy chair. Divya's mother handed her vettila pakku* that she gave to her grandfather and bent down and touched his feet. He touched the top of her head to bless her and then gave her a fifty rupee note and a one rupee coin as Vishukaineettam. She repeated this with her grandmother, mother and uncle and they blessed her and gave her rupee notes and coins.
"What about fire crackers," she asked her uncle.
"You can light up a sparkler now, the rest we will keep for tonight," he said.
Later when they were all having breakfast of Idlis, chutney and boiled ripe plantains, Divya said how much she loved Vishu. "But I wish Achan* was here," she said. "I miss him so much."
Her grandmother commented rather sadly that perhaps Divya's next Vishu will be in Dubai.
"Ammumma*, whereever we are, we will always come home for Vishu," Divya said confidently.
"God bless you, my child," said her grandmother.
* * * * *
Note: Vishu is a festival celebrated all over Kerala on the first day of the month of Medam in the Malayalam calender. This used to be the be the first day of the new year till the calender got revised and now Medam is actually the nineth month. But Vishu celebrations continued and the farmers still consider it as the beginning of the new harvest year.
Vishu Kani - An arrangement of fruits, vegetable, flowers and gold, God's picture, lit up lamp etc. It is supposed to be the first thing you see when you wake up on Vishu day as an auspicious start of the new day.
Guruvayur Appan: The deity of Krishna at the temple of Guruvayur in Kerala
Uruli - a round bell metal cooking vessal in which Vishu Kani is arranged
Kasavu Mundu - Off white handloom dhoti with gold zari, worn in Kerala. Women wear a two piece set
Vishukaineettam - Offering of money to children on Vishu day
Achan - father
Ammumma - grandmother
Guruvayurappan:
Kani konna (CassiaFistula) tree in full bloom:
Vishu Kani in the Uruli:
Photographs have been taken from the web
© Sue Menon., all rights reserved.
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