Vishu through the ages

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Vishu for me is of nostalgic importance. Because it brings back vivid memories of my childhood. So I am getting into the time machine and travelling back to my childhood days. 

I grew up in a joint family. The family headed by my grandmother and assisted by her eldest son (my uncle) and three daughters (my mom being the youngest), with an array of soldiers (Kuttipattalam you may call in Malayalam) comprising six brothers and four sisters (for me my cousins are also my own sisters). It was a well knit family sharing the pleasures and pangs of life together. A true example for the universal truth - Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. We had a fairly large house (using the standards of those days as a parameter) but with minimum amenities. There was no electricity, water or gas connection. Kerosene was used for lighting, water for all purposes drawn from the well and firewood used for cooking. For us, fast food in those days was the one which took lesser time for cooking. Junk food was an unknown substance as the refrigerator was not yet born. We enjoyed both summer and monsoons using umbrella as the only regulator in the absence of any other gadgets. Ice blocks were used only for commercial purposes and ice was a rare commodity in households. 

I heard about Vishu for the first time from my mom. She used to tell us about the myths and mythologies covering Vishu in greater detail. So three things were most welcome to us - Vishu, Onam and of course the school holidays as these three were the direct source of merriment. Vishu brought lot of excitement with the bursting of crackers and sparklers, as also a sumptuous lunch (which other than Vishu came only with Onam). My mom and her sisters would wake up before sunrise and decorate the prayer room with flowers, fruits and vegetables, welcoming the new year and the festive season, and paying reverence to the deities so that there will be peace and prosperity throughout the year, as it is strongly believed. Before the break of the dawn it is customary for the elders to wake the children up and make them walk in their sleep, their eyes covered, holding their hands and leading them to the prayer room. Then the children are asked to open their eyes and to their utter surprise and enchantment what they view in the prayer room gets embedded in their tiny little minds, bringing light to their lives. Our uncle being the only male head in the family then distributes coins in small denominations to all the members of the family regardless of their age. 

For the children it is a real treat as Vishu is the only time that they get a coin in their hands, unlike the children of this generation, for whom pocket money is a birthright. Things have changed over the years. The world has changed for the better. From stone-age we have travelled long and reached cyberage. But it is really exhilarating that these rapid changes have barely affected the age old customs and we continue following our culture and tradition in their original form without deviating an iota from the customs formulated by our forefathers.

So let us look forward to another Vishu which brings with it worldly peace and an era of friendly coexistence.