raag | madhuvanti { my longings };

"Ethu dhoosara sankalpangalil valarnnaalum
Ethu yanthravalkritha lokathil pularnnaalum
Manassilundaavatte graamathin velichavum
Manavum, mamathayum, ithiri konna poovum"

One more Vishu passes by. But my heart still leaps thinking about the wonderful 25 Vishu's that I have celebrated in my life. It forces me to go back in the memory lane. In the fast track life that I am leading in Bangalore, the spirit of celebrating Vishu has definitely dampened a little, much more than before this particular year owing to the riots and mishaps caused after the demise of kannada matinee idol - Dr Rajkumar.

I grew up in a small, picturesque town Shoranur - which is by the banks of the bharathappuzha in the district of palakkad - the land of palms, forts and arts. I spent the first 16 years of my life there. Vishu was big event there during those times. I still remember my mother waking me up at 4AM in the morning for the Vishu kani, which is a symbol of prosperity and all the happiness thats in store for the new year. Bursting crackers, getting vishu kaineettam from my grandparents, watching the flowering kanikkonna trees in our courtyard in the early morning sunrise... Man, It is pristine beauty of the village. It is unmatched by an of the sophistications of a city and i am sure it will staty that way for ever

I moved to thiruvananthapuram in 1997, vishu is not as big in south kerala as it is in the mid and northern parts of Kerala. But still the excitement of vishu was verymuch there. 9 years later, vishu has just become yet another day for most of us malayalees living away from kerala to make a living. For those folks who manage to get home for Vishu, the festival is now limited to watching the vishu special programmes in Asianet or Surya TV

I dream of one vishu that I could celebrate again like I did when I was 7years old with my childhood buddies...

Happy vishu all of you!

for all my tamilian friends, happy tamil new years!