This afternoon, while I was helping mom to remove the steamed cooked idlies; by scooping them out from the steamer tray with the help of a spoon, thought crossed my mind. What better way to celebrate Onam :)....Having my favourite idlies!
🥰. I also recalled a chat conversation
"Him : Do you have roots in Chennai?
Me : Nope. Was here for some personal work.
Him : Oh k k, Seeing ur posts I thought you have some roots or hold in Chennai
Me : 🤣🤣 noo no. Or if I have one... I am not aware...🤷🏼♀️"
with my a classmate long ago. For one of my whatsApp status post which was from a temple surrounding in Chennai and there were few toy shops which sold miniature toys of all sorts, especially Indian kitchen equipments and I was transported to my childhood for those hours that I breathed in those lanes, carefully observing the intricate details of those miniatures and being on awe.
Back to Onam celebrations! The truth is I was totally unaware and during a conversation with a friend this morning, learned that it's onam today. For me now, I have been celebrating Onam since almost two weeks! How? Well, one week after mom arrived, we both were invited by an ex-neighbours to attend the early Onam celebrations at her apartments and she herself was participating in the traditional dance and suggested that it would be a new experience for mom. then what?
On that weekend, we arrived early at my friend's apartment and knowing she would be busy with getting ready for her Dance, we dint bother her. It was also the time of Jain Paryushan, Mom and me decided to take early dinner. We enjoyed chilled tender coconut milkshake, Podi dosas (avoiding Onion or Potatoes) and headed for the main gate of the apartment where procession was about to begin.
It was slightly sunny so we looked for some shade and sat at the elevated platforms around the entrance of one of the buildings in that apartment. Next two us were two elderly Malayali ladies who later educated us with the history of Onam when we asked about the man who was dressed as a yaksha and the role he played.
We saw kids dressed in traditional Onam attire, women's were all clad in beautiful white and golden sarees and all had donned similar hairstyles of that of buns and decorated it with white flower garland (Gajra). Few men were wearing Mundu and colorful shirts. It was a colorful, cheerful evening with a soulful musics, dance and the ambience of festivities. Thanks to the friend who invited us.
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Today, while walking back from my morning walk and vegetables shopping, I noticed bright yellow flowers, at some places Parijata and somewhere orange flowers laying all along the roads under the trees that bore them. I looked up at sky and those trees and thanked for their selfless gesture and how in true spirit of Onam they decorated mother Earth.
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Since, mom is still resting from her sprained knee, we had limited options to keep her busy and given it was weekend for me, I pulled her to the balcony to practice some dotted kolam.
I expressed that I love kolam and how I so dearly wanted to skill it by practicing it...like a true native. I also shared with her the many benefits of Kolam, how it was meant to be done using rice power to offer food to birds and ants in the early morning hours i.e. bramha muhurt and how it was great for mental and pschycial health of the women.
We both enjoyed that time (atleast, I did)
From long time mom has been asking to get some earthenware for cooking and seems she loves it. Finally, we bought a multipurpose pot with a lid last week and prepared it by soaking in water for approx 24 hours, then dried in sun and applied oil and heated them on high flame. It is believed that this way, the pores gets closed. which possibly can damage the earthen pots with cracks.
And to allow mom some rest, I cooked mix-veg green pulao as my first meal in that pot. The whole experience was soulful, I was so attuned to how the earthen pot is so accommodating and kind, it enhanced the foods flavour multifold. Just that cooking was so therapeutic and when I served the meals to mom the expression of "wow" on her face was my reward. She thoroughly enjoyed it and my soul was deeply satisfied with Mom's appreciation.
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