Petals!

Attukal Pongala:  The year 2026 raced through with so many unexpected milestones, the most significant one being the opportunity to offer Attukal Pongala. What began as a family get-together culminated in a precious and most beautiful blessing from Devi or Bhagawathy, as we Malayalis refer to the Divine Mother. As my humblest offering to Attukal Devi, I offer this writing to Bhagawathy , with a prayer that may more and more women from all walks of life find joy and fulfilment through offering Attukal Pongala year after year. May their joy multiply! [READ: Conversations with my Mother  and  Amazing Tale of Peddabottu ] What is the Story Behind Attukal Pongala?  The Attukal Pongala festival celebrates and honours the life of Kannaki , who is said to be a real life heroine whose tragedy is documented in the Tamil epic, Silapathikaram . The story is that an angry Kannaki's wrath upon Madurai over the merciless and unjust execution of her husband Kovalan, following which ...

Happy Vishu to all Malayalis. This year's Vishu has been the saddest one ever. Not kidding! I woke up feeling yellow, with a terrible neck sprain that still hurts like crazy. My sister joked about it saying that I probably look like actor 'Cochin Haneefa' in the funny roles that he used to when he had to show a neck sprain! Yeah, right. Well, there was just no Vishu celebration at all and we had also lost elderly members of the family, which means that we are in mourning.                                                   [Image: Pixabay] Then came the news update that the lock down has been extended to May! Tough, right?  While all of us understand and respect the gravity of the deadly pandemic, I can tell you honestly that this year's Vishu festival has been the saddest one ever. It is painfully sad that everyone across the...

Winter mornings are great to read gripping novels that explore the heart's longing for the forbidden , but you need the comfort of a warm sweater, an inviting quilt and a cozy bed to snuggle into.  And lots of chai - piping hot, laced with a dash of cardamom. That is how I read the first sentence of  KR Meera's novel,  The Gospel of  Yudas , translated by Rajesh Rajamohan, and the sentence simply leapt   into my consciousness as I read the words, " A traitor can never sleep. His hunger is eternal; his thirst, insatiable. " I HAVE to say this: This blurb took my breath away - the different shades of green-blue tones and the sinking girl evoked strong emotions even before I touched the first page.  For latest book reviews, subscribe to  Svara's Newsletter ! And you feel a spark of rebellion stem from within when you read poignant sentences like this, " In our lake, dead bodies raced among themselves daily to find their way to the surfac...

To me, Kerala is an enchanting temptress, a palette of different cultural and regional experiences. The cosmopolitan culture of Kochi is totally different from the traditional, time honored traditions of Palaghat or the warm hospitality of Malabar or high business, commercial and political melodrama that is a part of Kottayam with its mostly Christian influence or the slighly rigid, no frills life that derived its sustenance from the government based structure and culture of organized life in Thiruvananthapuram. Each place has its own beliefs and cuisine that are distinct and ethnic and different from other parts of Kerala. My friends and cousins in each different city of Kerala teach me something interesting and sometimes disagreeable about the place and its people. It would be wrong to say that every city in Kerala is perfect. That is not true at all but each and every place in Kerala offers a distinct cultural experience. Of course, it could be true of all cities and places in Ind...

Tomorrow is India's Independence Day. Across India, there are celebrations, flag hoisting events, speeches and lots of things that are planned for the day. In Delhi, the focus is more about security. Delhi's most important areas, particularly the commercial centers, are cordoned off early. Big movies are releasing this weekend, global retailers are offering great discounts and deals to shoppers on Independence Day, elite restaurants are offering tricolor menus that are priced at the most outrageous prices and schools are shut as its also a Saturday. The borders are closed off early,too. About six years ago, when I celebrated Independence Day in Delhi for the first time, I experienced a total culture shock. In Kerala, which is the State where I came from, its just another typical holiday to watch blockbuster movies, meet friends, go and do chores that you need to complete, that sort of thing, not much of a big deal about Independence day as such. In Delhi, my first feeling was t...