Vishnu Sadhya…..

It’s the evening of 13th April, 2009 before the vishu day..keralite’s new year day (first day of Malayalese month of Medam )….I was frantically trying to find some kani konna (photo courtesy : Internet)…to keep for the kani the next day early morning, the D day (14th April 2009)…Hardly any tree around my place….Searched searched lane by lane……. efforts turned out to be fruitless and returned back home .. ….satisfied half heartedly that we got vellarikkiya (yellow cucumber) atleast and other fruits…other types of flowers…..(photo courtesy : Internet)…In the pooja room, in an ottu urulli, rice is spread out first…..we kept mirror, vellarikkiya , some gold coins…..all denominations of Indian rupees and coins…...Gold necklace….silk saree…. …all fruits…apple, orange, grapes, banana, mango, coconut …some dhaniya varieties….then Vellakku…coconut cut into half…filled with oil …and a thick thiri lit inside it…all deities photographs are decorated with fresh mallippuvu malla…
(photo courtesy : Internet)…
It reminds me of my childhood days… I had spent most of my Vishu celebration in my mother’s home…I have 5 uncles (mammen) and 3 aunties (ammayi), Velliama, memma (mother’s younger sister), ammama (grandmother), my 12 cousins (3 younger to me) …It was a huge crowd …ho…a big joint family….there….with lots of noise around ….every room, kitchen, and mittam (front yard)…and backyard…lots of cows…chickens, ducks….We, bunch of kids, will chase these ducks continuously making their throat to come out…running around the parambu…and chetans (big brother’s) dragging us from one side……sitting on a pala (at one side)…scratching our backside….collecting mango’s early in the morning whatever has fallen in the night….., gathering cocunuts to one place after a thengukayarel…..lots of work….then cleaning of jackfruit…..humongous task…aunties will drop down couple of jackfruit…not so ripe one…for the chakka mazhukkuvaratthi preparation….which goes with kanji…. We, bunch of cousins, after applying some coconut oil on the hand gets involved in plucking the jackfruit chola… remove the chavana and chandi and kooru…. Aunties cut these chola’s into small pieces for preparing kuttan…or if the fruit turns up to be apt for the chakka upperi, then they will cut into elongated strips...They make chakka varati too in a big urulli……Then it is also mango season…So both mango and chakka makes our stomach churn and we end up in vayar-illakkam (loose motion) making frequent visits to parambu…pieing here and there……landing up in problems when our adorable Vellimammen (big uncle)..when he unknowingly stamps on one of our dropping…”Dya, iyi pizhleru avidey ividey thoorivechiunndu….da, thenghindey choovatill thoori ya madi..nalla vallamma…chey, njan ariyadey chavitti…nasam”… those days were fun and enjoyable...Ah..those days were memorable…..Sorry for the digression as usual….

So on the early hours of Vishu morning, team of people would come and place the “Vishu Kani” (a stand with god’s pictures …and the whole package itself) in front of the main door and knock, knock us and quickly go and hide themselves by the side of the house….We open the door and open our eyes to see the first sight of kani… They give us the bhasmam (ash powder which we apply it on our forehead) and sometimes kaineetam…..my uncle would give them some kaineetam too….In one of the occasion, my brother got 25 ps coin while he was given the bhasmam and my ammama was happy and said that he will become rich in future!!!! Ah, what a implication!!!....

The times when we don’t go to Kerala for vacation, my amma assemble the “kani kanal” in the pooja room the previous night. In the morning, my acchan wakes me up and blind fold us with his palm and escort to where this whole decoration is done…We open our sleepy eyes to see the well lit pooja room with Vellakku ..and “Lord Krishnan’s photo”…and “Kannada”…My acchan would say “Mukam kannadillu nokku…cherikku…”…We’ll look at each item displayed with wide eyes…pray.....Believe is that the fortune of the rest of the year depends on the first object they see on the Vishu day …whatever we experience and taste the first day, will be carried forward throughout the year…So they say “Kannu narachhu kannanam”…(see everything in abundance)….. …..Then we will be asked to take bath..and visit the nearest temple wearing new dress…Kodi…then the much awaited program of the day..”Kaineettam”… this custom will ensure prosperity for their children in future....it is a 1 Rs. Coin from Acchan..or if it is in Kerala, from each and every uncle and aunty and ammama…We will get a huge collection by the end of the day to buy some mittai from the nearest petti kada or colorful bar-ice which comes on the road in a ice-petti….In the evening, we burst some fire crackers, Patassu, to mark the day.

Then amma will be busy with her endless sadhya list….sambhar, mooru kuttan, olan, avyial, kalan, kuttu karri, puzhi-inzi or inzipuzhi, pappadam, payasam, upperi, etc etc….and we ate on banana leaf with everything spread on it…sitting on the floor…and running our hand here and there to avoid payasam from running out of the leaf….burping to glory….and after that a sound afternoon nap….Go for a malayalam movie that will be screened by the “Kerala Samajam” …..and dinner will be the left overs of the lunch preparation…..Ah! those days……

Thanks to my cook. She turned up early in the morning…I helped her with couple of dishes....Had plenty of time to watch couple of shows on Asianet and Sun TV…juggling between the two…My lilliputs hampering in between with Pogo…..My hubby’s cheriamma and his son visited us…We enjoyed the vishu kani in Asianet…they were screening it for sometime...Having got up early in the morning to see the kani, my children went for a second round of siesta in the morning…they slept for solid 2 hours…which helped me in many ways to finish off the remaining household chores…..Around 1 0’ clock, we had our sadhya and my children were delighted to have their lunch on banana leaf which my hubby was lucky enough to grab few pieces from the market…..Funny part is, my children enjoyed the sadhya with cheetos aur “Chotta bheem”…!!!! What a modernization….

Coming to my part…
Here are my Sadhya …….

Sambhar….with mango slices and drumstick….



Morukuttan …..with elavan and lady’s finger…


Bean’s thoran


Mango pacchadi




Brinjal puli kozhambu



Vermicelli Payasam




Paruppu Vada



Happy vishu…