Forty-three-year-old Raja Iyer reminisces his mother taking him for Vishu Kani. A ritual during the harvest festival, it involves a parent taking his/her child, with the child's eyes shut, from the bed to the spot where the idol is decorated and kept. Setting eyes on god first thing in the morning is believed to improve one's fortunes.
But this is also something the Andheri resident has missed lately as he has been living alone. Today, however, Iyer said he will make sure that the rest of the celebrations do not fall short on Vishu, the New Year for Malayalees.
"I will be going to my sister's house. A sumptuous lunch is normally planned there," said Iyer, who is into the construction business.
"In my house, it's more about enjoying the food than anything else. But we also try to educate the children about the festival. Sometimes, we take them to the temple too," said Dr Sudhir Pillai, 44, a resident of Kemps Corner. Payasam, rice, avial, papad and stew are among the many dishes that are prepared to mark the festival.
Temples, in particular, see grand decoration on this day. "The idol of Lord Krishna has been done up. A garland of money, flowers and fruits has been prepared," said S Anand, trustee of the Asthika Samaj Temple in Matunga that sees a number of Malayalees, particularly women, visiting in the traditional attire of white silk sarees with embroidery.
While Malayalees celebrate Vishu, Bengalis too make it a point to enjoy their New Year, Poila Baisakh. And preparing payesh, a Bengali equivalent of payasam, is a common thing to begin with. The other dishes include sandesh, rosogullas, kalakand and ras malai. Savoury items include fish delicacies and rice preparations, like biryani.
Powai resident Supriyo Lahiri said, "There is no particular prayer as such. Every person prays in his/her own house to his/her family god. We normally seek the elders' blessings and distribute sweets among family members."
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