Happy Vishu.

Vishudina Ashamsagal to all my mallu folks, both genuine and like me, fraud.

I am a pucca fraud mallu and I proclaim that proudly and pretty loudly. Proudly enough to state that I had no clue of what exactly the significance of this day was till I read a wiki about it earlier today. And I must confess; my quest was purely driven by the itch of finding the correct answer to the question - ‘What if my growing up son, Kevin posed me a question on the significance of the celebrations that we were having at home today?’ and not necessarily to augment my database.

I harboured a faint belief that Vishu Day was the day when the state of Kerala was formed. I was wrong. Vishu is actually Kerala’s New Year Day, which is in fact the first day of the Malayalam Calendar. That was some gyan!

As a kid, I remember celebrating Vishu. The celebrations were usually on the succeeding weekend. Elders would dress up in typical mallu style and the celebrations primarily included devouring some very veggy mallu food + payasams (the sadhya) served on a banana leaf. Drinking payasam off a banana leaf required special skill, and as a kid I really struggled with it; but had to endure it to preserve whatever was remaining of my mallu identity. We never had a Vishukanni or Vishu Kaineetam paripadee at home, and due to the similarities in celebrations, I was always confused between Onam and Vishu. It is only much later that I discovered; through comic shows on Mallu TV channels that Onam has something to do with a certain King named Mahabali’s return and, from a certain Malayalam movie named Meehsa Madhavan, the significance of Vishukanni. Kaalam poya pok-kke!

Our Vishu celebrations in Doha have been good so far. Every year during this time, it rains and transports us back to our damp malluland. Qatar, like other Gulf countries is very mallu friendly and Doha is actually like an extension of Kerala, so celebrating mallu festivals has not been difficult. I remember how tough it was for us to find certain exotic mallu vegetables or even a banana leaf in Baroda; whilst out here local groceries even sell packets of ready cut vegetables for making Avial and Sambar; special Vishukanni kits and even those golden yellow kanni flowers. Yesterday, due to the huge demand, Doha’s busiest hypermarket had to ship in additional loads of coconut on urgency basis by air and further impose a rationing at the rate of two coconuts scrapping per person to check the huge demand. Whoa, we are majority here!

It is Friday today, and sadly, by the time I wake up, most of my mallu folks would be having their uccha orakku (siesta) after savouring a sumptuous dose of Vishu Sadya. Anyways, here’s wishing everyone a very happy Vishu.

My day and celebrations start late, but it starts apt with a large peg of brandy and the kallushaap style beef cooked specially for the occasion. For the late lunch, we have a non-veg mallu platter comprising of Rice, Sambar, Pachadi, Thoran, Meen Vettichadu, Meen Porichadu, Naii, Papadams and Kadalaparippu Pradaman, all served on a banana leaf. Kudos to my very mallu wife, Thaara for all the cooking.

My mouth is watery and my boys are waiting. Can’t prolong this wait any longer, am going to grab my Vishu Sadhya.

Bye and enjoy the day. HAPPY VISHU!!

PS: Smart Alec, Gyan says "It is not Banana Leaf. It is a Plantain Leaf". Who cares!