Vishu Celebrations

It’s my 5th year living abroad and I have tried as much as I can in celebrating festivals in my own little way. At first, I thought it would be challenging to truly feel the festive cheer and spirit living in a country that bears very little resemblance to my own. However, I realized that you just need to adapt yourself a little bit to what is available and how much you are willing to contribute to feel that personal satisfaction.

In this post, I will talk about Vishu – the Tamil/Kerala new year, celebrated on the 14^th of April that signifies the beginning of the Malayalam new year. As a child I watched my parents go to the market on the eve of Vishu, to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables including seasonal fruits like jackfruit and mangoes along with the Vishu Konna flowers that blossom only during this month. The same night, Amma would remove the silver and gold coins that she received at the time of her marriage and set them along with fruits, vegetables, lentils on a silver plate, placed in front of a mirror. This entire set up is called the “Vishu Kani”. After covering these with a new piece of cloth, we would go to bed eagerly waiting to be woken up the next morning. The tradition holds that the elders would wake up early and see the Vishu kani before leading the younger ones, with their eyes closed, only to be opened to the ‘Vishu kani’. Seeing the Vishu kani first thing in the morning of a New Year implies that the New Year will be full of abundance and good fortune. Once this is done, we would hurry to have a bath and seek our elder’s blessings which would be rewarded with cash known as ‘Vishu kaineetam’. And as all Indian festivals, a lip smacking feast could only be the kaju on the payasam, if I may say so.

Cut to 2009 when I was in France in a small town with barely any Indian population. So here I was eager to celebrate this festival but had never done this on my own. So with some encouragement from my parents, I decided to do it in my own special way. I went to the nearby supermarket and got some common veggies and some uncommon ones like zucchini, avocado and strawberries. I borrowed a mirror off my Mexican hostel-mate and set all of this next to my bed. I even managed to convince a friend from Abu Dhabi to follow this custom. For lunch, 2 other friends joined hands to cook a feast complete with payasam , needless to say I made myself and my parents very proud of my efforts.

The next year I was confident enough to follow the same in Paris and then the 2 following years in Dubai. Although I miss celebrating Vishu with family, I try to make the day as close to as it would be at home. This year I added some gold into my Vishu kanni, isn’t that mandatory living in the Land of Gold? I attempted to make Kesari following Amma’s instructions over the phone and it turned out pretty good for a 1^st attempt. For a change, I got invited to a delightful lunch at a family’s next to my building. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it felt like I was back home.

I do miss the Vishu ‘money’ blessings ;) but I did make it count even more by calling my extended family and conveying my wishes. After all isn’t this why we celebrate festivals? To come together as a family, celebrate happiness and share food and laughter. Today, as we live in different time zones, we forget to connect with our close relatives and it is festivals like these that remind us to re-connect and share our stories, well being and warmth.

You know when you hear these stories on TV about tourists/immigrants being harassed by airport officials because they looked or behaved suspicious. It always seems so distant to most of us, come on these things could never happen with us... well so we think and so I thought. Until I landed at HK. The huge airport helped me get lost for a while,then I found my way to the long queue of immigration, where I was to get my visa stamped.


I thought of being pleasant. Offered a cheerful good morning but the grumpy chinky did'nt even lift his eyes from my passport. He looked from the photo on the pp and then at me. This went on for 3-4 times. I thought of giving me an explanation, even wanted to say I like short hair like the one in the photo but my mom ...blah but wait he was calling up this woman who then escorted me to a small enclosure with 3 more asians (maybe indians, its difficult to say who is who when you are not in India) and 3 police officers. I am asked to sit down and wait. Why? how long? for what reason? they didnt find it necessary to tell me. I said to myself,be calm, you have'nt wronged! But there is this elderly Punjabi women sitting in front of me, weeping and hollering, saying that it was a mistake and she was'nt aware.....WHAT mistake? She had shoplifted at duty free(what a nut case). So were all these people here for some offense? If so, why was I here, I did'nt do anything. I even rewinded to double check. I did'nt press the steward call button too many times, did not bother my co-passengers for giving me way to go pee, did'nt ask for any alcoholic drinks, didnt complain about the horrible food, bad seats, uncle on my right snoring with his mouth open!! Did not stop at any duty free (I marked it for my return flight), did not jump lines or fret at the long lines....No no this was a mistake, I was going to be questioned for being the most innocent traveller? For doing nothing? I should have got 100,000 brownie points and more!!!


Unfair- I walked up to the officer and asked her in a serious tone without sounding authoratative," May I know why I am asked to wait her?". She answers as she sips her green tea, without even looking at me, " it is for record checking, please sit there". I stood there wondering if I heard her right, record checking? my record checking? but I have not even harmed a Hong Kong fly till now? I turn and go back to my seat. I hear another police woman tell the Punjabi woman that she has to go to the police station! WHAT??!!! Could that happen to me too??? I start to pray, God- you cant do this to me, to go through all this for being the superlative of innocent?? As I am reeling in all kinds of wierd thoughts, a different officer comes up to me in a crisp white uniform, asking me to follow him to a room. The thought of posing for a picture with a number plate in different angles flashes in my mind as I take my seat front of Mr.Policeman. First, he looks at my passport photo and then at me, like the other guy he does this for quite a few times. He asks me questions on my job, place of residence, reason for visit etc. and noting my responses on a paper. At the end he says ,"Thank you, please go to the counter for your visa stamp". Phew!! finally, but hang on, I had a question for him. Why was I made to go through all this? "First time visitor" he says simply and walks away.
I hold my breath as my visa is at last stamped on my passport and then go hunting for my luggage which by that time is left abandoned on the floor, obviously I am the last person, damn- its been 2 hours since I landed!!
I walk eagerly looking for my B, I deserved a big hug! Left,right, front back, scrolling my eyes on elevators, mid levels.....no B! No! I thought my ordeal had ended back in that tiny room. I walk back and forth till I caught sight of a tensed looking big guy. There he was, I smiled, he did'nt. He had obviously lost his cool waiting for me and even went to the extent of blasting the immigration guys! I could'nt help laughing wickedly for that, serves them right. B was so stressed that even Ma and Pa were'nt spared back home, coz they all thought it could have been all those magic masalas which could have got me into trouble!!
We take a train towards HK island. The sky scrapers start coming into view choc-a-bloc, no empty space between them, looks dark and almost suffocating. We make way to B's appartment by taxi from the station. WOW! This is brilliant, perched on the last level of the mountain overlooking the HK stock exchange, which by the way is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L at night when its lit up every evening after 7.
Its been an eventful 24 hours, I sink into the bed for some sleep, the evening better make up for everything.
B and I walk down the steps to SoHo for some good 'spirited' sessions and meet up with B's friends at a bar where they serve unshelled peanuts! Round 1: Mojitos. I get some tips on travelling in HK, must see places. Round 2: Tequila shots. Some discussions on how many rounds it would take to get each one of us wasted. Luckily we didnt go there!! Make some plans with Paulina to visit MongKok the following week before we head back in different directions. Picked up some falafel and egg burji for dinner. Streets already crowded with people from restaurants and bars.The drinks have done some good and I feel peaceful. It's going to be great!

The Day before...
I have learnt something in this week, planning vacations does not really make much sense, well atleast for me.
Ever since B moved to Hong Kong, its been on right on top of my must visit places and I just want to be silly brilliant by planning it well. What was I thinking coz while I was still trying to figure out when,how,how many days,bookings....I didnt quite believe that I would be writing this from HK!! and to think that it took less than 3 days to make those questions marked thoughts to loud lets say screeching exclamations!
The day of my departure was far from hassle free, had truckloads of things to do and a three truckloads of people to please. I find it funny, dont mean to be mean, but why do friends and family insist on meeting you just before you leave for the airport? Is it that they don't expect to see me again or don't want to? How much sense do conversations make at this time anyways, actually its the other person conversing, I just say yes,ok or smile/giggle works great when you want to shut yourself from pointless conversations :)Especially when you are still trying to reason with yourself about whats to be taken and whats not, reasoning it with Ma about why the sniffer dog at the airport does not like the smell of her secret masala or mysore pak or molaga podi! Appa is trying to add some sense to the chaos, chiding me for doing too many things at the last minute. But you know you never plan to do things in the last minute they just choose the last minute to screw you up bad!!
Finally got 2 suitcases packed - 1/2 with my stuff and 1 and 1/2 with not my stuff. I started wondering if I was the traveller at all, it did not matter. However, I slyly smuggled a bottle of French wine for my B's wine collection. I was still far from done becasue I now had a party to attend on the other side of town, accepting to go was not the best desicion for the evening that too towing my luggage along. It was an impulse, what to do.
Left my punch unfinished and headed to the airport, once again in an opposite direction. The traffic was the usual misbehaved self and the 365 day road repairs just added a kick to the long route.
I hate the whole drill of scanning, checking in, stamping, filling out forms, again checking, never ending lines and formalities......it somehow deflates my spirit. One reason why I prefer trains, so much more simpler. That thought was random, forget it.
I always have this constant luck with cranky kids, loud teenagers, screaming parents in my line, by this time I just want to sleep. And I did sleep in installments with a stiff back and a sore bum!
I said to myself, " few more hours sweety, Hong Kong is going to be a dream". Ahh....little did I know that I was night dreaming and I had a day mare in store for me as soon as I set foot in this new counrty.
Read in next : Cornered for enquiry, record checking, stressed B and Happy hours!

this year last year, i probably didnt have a clue of how crazily unconcious of my existence i would be in my working life. As i was saying it to my friend the other day, Metro, trop de boulot mais pas de dodo.I just ended my weekend teaching assignement last week and thought i would have a more relaxed week and had begun to look forward to the coming weekend from last sunday afternoon, but this week has just been a bitch. All of a sudden work has come crashing down, my super bitch collegue is at her dumbest best and reaches astounding heights with each passing day. Exasperation... i am keeping the scissors/paper cutter away from me. Office crime scene- Hell NO.my boss also did his best to be an asshole just the day when i had the teeny weeny chance of getting off earlier,(5.10p.m)to accompany some french collegues to Crawford, insisting that i do my social activities after work hours (hours or 20 minutes). I had good mind to ask him for all the overtime i had clocked in ortelling him that I had actually been coming early,sometimes even b4 him....obviously oblivion to that.I did stay put mindlessly surfing on google, checking mails,acting busy. Can i help it if i finish work earlier,being more efficient than my counterpart whom i catch staring at her monitor screen as though she is deciphering a hieroglyphic code series. That she comes a good half hour later,is unbelievably slow and saps me out of energy explaining the mundanest of things. Isn't it unjust for the french to have 3 vacations a year in India and 2 to France, this leaving out the regular week-end getaways to pittoresque hotspots and then narrating it all to an indian who is dying to see it all who is still working out the 'dough' and 'leave balance' -bane of the average working indian. now all i care is to get past friday and hold out my arms for the weekend. sleep,movie halls,greasy unhealthy food- here i come.

Starting off....

It's always been somewhere there at the back of my mind, I have always had ideas in my head which I wanted to put it in writing but then being the lazy bum I am(not a good thing to say about myself in my first post!) I never got around doing it and then it was out of my head.
But then I was a little apprehensive about if I could put down my thoughts,articulate well! But again how would I ever know unless I began somewhere! How would I know unless I gave this a shot! I do keep a diary but then thats very personal so a Blog seemed a good way to share my thoughts, to give my opinion, to laugh at myself and at life, to vent out my anger, to bitch about my boss,colleagues,my neighbours dog.....so voila...the beginning has been made and I hope things keep rolling now!