VISHU IN JOHANNESBURG
“Are you travelling just before Vishu (the Malayali New
Year)?” The same question popped up several times just before we were leaving for
Johannesburg on the 12th of April. I wish I could have recorded an
audio message explaining how onerous it was to get a visa to South Africa and
how we had lost money twice in the process. So, Vishu or no Vishu, there we
were, five intrepid folks (my better half, our daughter, her two little
ones and yours truly), all set to move to another continent.
Vishu had always been an event over the decades when our daughter was
growing up with the whole rigmarole of setting up the Vishu ‘kani’ – the puja space
where the most auspicious objects were displayed. The fun part was leading
in the family, blindfolded towards the spot the moment they woke up in the morning
so that when they did open their eyes, the first sight they would take in would
be auspicious.
Of course, it was always easier in Kerala where the bell-shaped
yellow ‘konna’ flowers would begin blooming well in time for the occasion. These
would be placed along with articles like rice, coconuts, fruits and vegetables,
silk, gold, money, ‘kum kum’ (vermillion), a mirror – all items of daily use.
The lustre of the lit lamps and the fragrance of the ‘agarbatis’ (incense
sticks) would waft around, adding charm to the whole display.
Once we were in Jo’burg, the celebration of Vishu took on a whole new meaning. There were two major impediments in the whole early morning blindfolding routine. One was that the two little ones were reluctant to go to bed, given that they had just come back after a vacation with absolutely no stringent timings. Waking them up early would not only leave them unhappy but unwilling to go back to sleep after, something that was unthinkable.
The other reason was more amusing and included a madcap of a dog, Bronn, whose mental age has not evolved with his age. He is in the habit of chewing up everything in sight. On our last trip, we had picked up an Ayurvedic oil supposedly a miracle remedy for burns, cuts, aches and sprains. Bronn got at it and drank up three quarters of it before he realised that it was not doggy food. Needless to say, he has never shown signs of any ache or pain thereafter!
This time he attacked
Hence, once everyone was bright-eyed and bushy tailed, I shooed them out to the lounge so that the Vishu ‘kani’ could be set up inside. The lamp was lit, the whole
family stood at the door, eyes closed, to be ushered in to take in the divine
sight. As the two little ones prayed along with the rest, eyes aglow with wonder, my heart skipped a
beat. These were the precious moments we would take back with us to India, the
music we would hear long after it was heard no more.
Nana handed over the customary amount of money, for the
first time in rands instead of rupees. The next moment, we found ourselves driving
to the stores so that Zo and Sam could spend it immediately.
As my little Zo asked me, “Mooma, how many days are you and Nana here for?” When I replied that we had 48 days left, her eyes lit up. In my heart, I knew that these days would fly and hence, every moment needed to be tucked away deep within, to be taken out and savoured from time to time.
https://sixtyandme.com/grandchildren-quotes/
Hi,dear, welcome to RSA, where dogs are mostly not kept in locked up cages as guard dogs😀 You explained it well in getting adjusted to new life situations. That is true and real. It's just another day, of whatever importantance they hold in our minds. When we get time to meet, that is vishu or onam. Wish you a belated Vishu.
ReplyDeleteIs this you, Prasanna? Thank you so much for your warm comment. Yes, hopefully we will meet some time in the future. 😃
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