Onam Bliss

“Maveli nadu vaneedum kalam, manusharellarum onnupole”.....

Hello my lovelies! First of all, Ellavarkum ente hridayam niranja Onashamsakal/Happy Onam everyone! I hope you've all had a very festive Onam filled with happiness & prosperity!

Onam 2014

So, I'm sure there are a number of you wondering, "what on earth is Onam?”…..

Well, we’ll get to that very soon, so do keep reading!

However, how can an Onam post be any good without some good music...? For those who didn’t know, music plays a very BIG part in our Malayalee people’s lives. So, without further ado, I'd like to share with you all a very beautiful song 'Onakkalaam', composed by Mikku Kavil; sung by a group of very talented singers. Take a moment and listen to this soothing melody by Traffic Block!  

                                        Don’t forget to like, share & support their great work! 

So as you all probably know, India is a very diverse country filled with countless numbers of festivals and traditions. And Onam is one of Kerala’s largest festivals, celebrating the harvest season. Onam is celebrated all over Kerala and is considered a State Festival. 

Onam is celebrated by people of all class and creed. Hindus, Muslims and Christians. Onam is celebrated in the Hindu month of Chingam & Thiruvonam the 10th day, marks the annual visit of our mythical King, Mahabali.   

CMA Onam 2013 - Canberra's Mahabali

For those of you who don’t know the tale of King Mahabali’s exile into netherworld, here’s a quick summary. It’s believed that a King called Mahabali ruled Kerala 1000's of years ago. Mahabali was known to be a man of principles and values, his country became equal to heaven in all aspects, everybody was happy in his kingdom as there was no discrimination in the basis of caste or class. However, hearing about the growing popularity & fame of Mahabali, the devas' became very envious and jealous.

They felt threatened about their supremacy and complained to Maha Vishnu in order to get rid of the dilemma. Maha Vishnu came down to earth disguised as Vamanan a poor Brahmin and asked Mahabali for three foot of land. Mahabali being a king who never rejects any requests, allowed Vamanan to take three foot of land according to his wish.

Suddenly, Vamanan grew big and with his two feet, he had taken all steps Mahabali had given him. And since there was no place to get his third foot of land, Mahabali bowed down his own head for Vamanan to place his feet and Vamanan pushed Mahabali to the underworld.

Since Mahabali was a man of principles, Vamanan allowed Mahabali to ask for a single request and all he asked was to see his people once in a year. So, it is said that once in a  year, Mahabali comes to visit his people to see how they are doing and in memory of that Onam is celebrated. Every year on Onam day we welcome the spirit of Mahabali, and assure him that his people are happy.

PC :- Sreejith Soman Photography

So, Onam is celebrated in the beginning of the month of Chingam, the first month of Malayalam Calendar. Onam lasts for ten days and during each of these 10 days, households buy varieties of flowers and make flower carpets on their front porches.

Malayalam Mathrubhumi Calender - 2014

Thiruvonam is the tenth day of Onam Celebrations, the final day of Onam that brings the 10 day Onam festivities to an end. Thiruvonam was the day Mahabali was suppressed to underworld by Vamanan.

So, what’s so special about Onam, you ask?

Well, there is a lot more to Onam than it being just a festival, It’s a time that brings joy and celebration to the hearts of each and every individual. But Onam’s not just about all this there’s a lot more to experience, for example :-  

Pookalam

A flower carpet called 'Pookalam' is laid in front of every house to welcome Mahabali. The pookkalams are made up of several varieties of flowers. Usually placed either in the middle or in front of the pookalams are two earthen mounds, which look like square pyramids, representing Mahabali & Vamanan. However, it doesn’t finish there; Onam also means new clothes for everyone and mouth-watering homemade delicacies.

My small Pookalam

 Vallamkalli

Another main attraction of Onam, is the 'Vallamkali' or boat races of Karuvatta, Payippad, Aranmula and Kottayam. Hundreds of men row traditional boats to the rhythm of drums and cymbals. These Snake Boats used for the races are called 'Chundans', they’re named after their exceedingly long hulls and high sterns that resemble the raised hood of a cobra.

 Sreejith Soman Photography

Thiruvathira (Kaikottikali) & Pulikali

Thiruvathira kali is one of the main dances for Onam. It’s performed by group of women dressed in Tradition Kerala Saree who dance with rhythmic steps against thiruvathira songs.

Pulikali is a colourful recreational folk art from the state of Kerala. It’s performed by trained artists to entertain people on the occasion of Onam. Pulikali, also known as Kaduvaakali, is a 200 year old art. Pulikali is the 'play of the tigers' hence the performance revolves around the theme of tiger hunting. 

Sreejith Soman Photography

Onsadhya

The exciting part of this day is definitely the food, no doubt. The Onasadhya is the grand feast which is prepared and served on Onam. Onasadhya’s are prepared on the last day of Onam, Thiruonam. It gives as much delight to the sight as it does to our taste buds!

Sadhya at home - 2013

The lunch consists of 20-plus dishes, eaten on banana leaves. This mouth-watering feast is an all vegetarian meal full of dishes that tickle will your taste buds. An Onam Sadhya is served on banana leaves with rice in the centre, and a bunch of accompaniments served on the side. The banana leaf is eventually filled with the a number of dishes – Papadam, Banana Chips, Naranga acharu, Sarkara varatti, Paruppu Curry, Sambar, Avial, Kalan, Olan, Pachhady, Erissery, Manga Curry, Kootucurry and more! The delicious meal ends with a generous serving of sweet payasams and ada pradhaman.  

Busy munching away..Yes, that's me in the orange!

The Onasadhya represents ancient wisdom about how we must eat – respecting nature and its seasons.  We sit on the floor lined up in single lines and the women serve each individual. After the food comes the mouth-watering dessert, payasam, an Indian delicacy. Then everyone gathers around the TV and watch movies. Ugh, all this food talk is making me extra hungry, ahh…I’m now eagerly waiting for next year’s sadhya! 

Sreejith Soman Photography

Before I end this post, I’ll take a moment to share my childhood nostalgia of Onam, back home in Kerala. As a child, I remember all us cousins coming home to our grandparents house. We'd all arrive a day or two prior two Onam. On Thiruvonam day, all of the adults and us cousins would gather at home and together prepare the big feast! Well the adults prepared the feast really, and we kids would sit around the table and gossip or play games. Anthakshari and cheetukalli were our main source of entertainment, man, those were some great time! Those were the real Onam days, there’s a huge difference in Onam celebrations we experience abroad compared to the colourful celebrations we have in Kerala.  We’ve all now grown up and gone our separate ways, everything’s changed now you see! Gosh, I can’t remember the last I celebrated Onam like that with all my family, I guess it’s been over 8 years now!  

Wherever we may be in the world, Onam is an occasion when memories of our childhood— our homes, cousins, parents, siblings/friends and hometown spontaneously spring  back and forth in our minds. Ahhh....eagerly waiting for next year’s Onam!.... 

 Sreejith Soman Photography

Until next time,

take care!

                        “Oru jathi, Oru matham, Oru daivam manushyanu”

Scarred for life

“ We are more abused, harassed, exploited, kidnapped, raped, trafficked, murdered by our lovers, husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles, cousins, friends, or men we know well, than by strangers. Whatever happens to us, we still never stop loving men “

Over the last month, I’ve been seeing an increased number of posts & photos about acid attacks all over social media. It brought tears to my eyes as I glanced through the photos and read over the tragic experiences of each of those women. It brings great amounts of disgust to me, knowing that many of these culprits are let off with bail and aren’t behind the bars.

It’s so common now, that nearly every day we are woken up to see a large number of articles in our newspapers featuring a number of sexual crimes that happen not only across the country, but also across the world. There is a story on nearly every page of the paper about a number of rapes, acid attacks and other heinous crimes. Acid attacks are probably the most brutal yet easily committed crimes in our society today.  They are one of the most heinous crimes against women, a crime which is rampant across the globe. It not only inflicts physical injuries but also destroys the victim's entire life, leaving the scars of the heinous crime on the body and mind of the victims.

Acid attacks are very common in South Asia; there are high numbers of attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh & India. India has an increasing problem with acid attacks each year; an estimated 1,000+ acid attacks take place every year. 

The biggest reasons for the ridiculously high rate of acid attacks in South Asia can be explained by the easy accessibility of acids.  Acids are cheap and can easily be obtained in the markets for very low prices. The fact that there are no legal restrictions imposed about buying or selling acids in my opinion is, PATHETIC.

Our understandings of a chemical burn may be very limited, simply because we’ve never experienced a pain like such. None us of have ever experienced anything more severe than a burn from a hot liquid or even a hot vessel. However, an acid or chemical burn on the other hand, leaves a person severely unstable not only physically but also mentally. For a victim to return to life as it was before the attack can be extremely difficult and very challenging.

I nurture a small hope that our society will one day finally put a stop to this war on women. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’ll happen any time soon......

“Where is the justice? Where is the law?.......... Nowhere” 

Ki Ora!

The land of the long white cloud - Part 1 - Airport & Take off

Ahhh... and, our much-awaited trip to New Zealand has come to an end. As you all probably know, I flew back home to New Zealand with my family last Thursday.

Auckland

If you know me already, then you’d also know how much my family & I love New Zealand!  After living there for just under 10 years and having left two and a half years ago, we thought it was time we made a quick visit! Although our trip wasn’t very long due to college and what not, we managed to have a lot of fun within those couple of days!

Kick start to our trip

Our trip started with our bus ride to Sydney airport at 12pm, it was a long boring bus ride but luckily, I had music & data on my phone which kept me well occupied.  

Unfortunately, I got no sleep throughout the journey but I’m not complaining cause I managed to click a few photos!  

There was hardly any traffic except for when we got closer to city but otherwise it was calm and we managed to get to the airport couple of minutes earlier than expected.

We arrived at the airport, got all our luggage and head off inside. With all this enthusiasm to finally get our trip started, I marched in through the doors only to find out our flight had been delayed. I guess I wasn’t too upset when I heard the news, let’s be honest, I was stuck at an airport surrounded by hundreds of shops with free Wi-Fi – I mean should I’ve been complaining?!

The best part was - each of us got a $15 food voucher – LOL, my life was now complete! 

Soon, we found out our flight was now six hours delayed, so then, there was the four of us walking around trying to stay calm.. HAHAHA 

Around 1pm we decided to grab lunch - and honestly, it was a tough decision choosing what to eat! After five solid minutes I decided to get Hungry Jacks & I soon realized that my love for cheese burgers has not changed over the years! LOL

" ATTENTION PLEASE. ATTENTION PLEASE. PASSENGER MATHEW LEE. PASSENGER MATHEW LEE. PLEASE REPORT TO GATE NUMBER TWO "   - Airport announcements continued as we ate, covering through the background music. 

After nearly three hours of being in the airport - walking around, talking, listening to music and taking photos – Mum & I decided to walk around and do some shopping. 

Victoria's Secret

It was now raining outside – it was 9pm and we were still waiting for our flight to Auckland. It had been 5 hours since we’d arrived at the airport – my head was spinning, and my patience was running thin. At that very moment, my brother informed us that an Algerian flight had crashed – OKAY, I don’t know about you but at that very moment I was 90% sure I wouldn’t live to see another day. 

Okay, I was now scared for my life! LOL, oh and what I forgot to mention before was - the reason our Air New Zealand flight to Auckland was delayed was due to technical issues. I tried to stay calm but no, it really wasn’t working... Thoughts of our flight going missing, crash landing or blowing up were the only things on my mind.  - Sounds pathetic, I know but it was hard to stop my mind from having irrational thoughts! 

However, before I started losing my mind, I got a call from my chellam - Dhanushka! A phone call from her was just what I needed, we had quite a few topics to cover and we didn’t realize as time flew! Although half of the things we talked about were completely pointless and irrelevant, we managed to get tons of laughs out of it.   

After a long conversation with Dhanushka, I decided to grab dinner before we boarded our flight. It was around 10pm and we were on our way to get Maccas.

I ate so much that day...I cannot express how full I was by the time I finished that burger! And oh, lets no forget dessert - cookies & cream Ice cream!! Diabetes here I come! LOL 

I struggled getting off my seat after eating all that! Haha, thank god for a fast metabolism!

And finally, after waiting for just over six hours our flight arrived! It had been a very long, tiring day - now, all I wanted was some proper sleep! We grabbed our luggage and lined up to board our flight. 

We settled down into our seats after placing our luggage into the compartments above us, our flight was jam packed; I'd never felt so crammed on a flight before!  

                           .....At last, after an eventful day our flight FINALLY took off.....

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home.” ― James A. Michener

And, well, that's how my first day of travel went, Part 2 of our trip to New Zealand shall soon be updated! The rest of our fun filled trip with many more experiences, photos & stories is soon to be posted. But for now, good night & sweet dreams my lovelies!!  

Next stop, New Zealand!

Last minute packing for my 6pm flight tomorrow to: - the land of the long white cloud

Aotearoa

It’s been a while since I last travelled overseas (that’s if 6 months ago can be considered as “a while ago”) LOL and honestly, I cannot express my love for travelling - whether I go solo, with family, or with friends. All I want to do is to explore, explore and explore!! Travelling is my current lover and there's so much to like about travelling, ahhh... if only I could travel forever! 

 I feel very fortunate to have started travelling from a very young age moving from India to New Zealand, then from New Zealand to Australia!

So after two and a half years, tomorrow – I’ll be flying back to the place I once called, “home”.

It’s crazy don’t you think, the fact that in less than 24 hours you can just about go anywhere in the world by plane?! Flying 38,000 feet about sea level with just over 300 people is such an incredible but amazing feeling!

One of the things I love most about travelling is the sense of freedom it gives me! Breaking free from my daily routines and experiencing new sights/surroundings, it gives such an extraordinary feeling!  

I encourage you all to get out of your comfort zone, and travel more! Enjoy, take a break and appreciate the beauty you’re surrounded by! Whether it’s to another country or even to a place nearby! Enjoy the time you have for it may not come again. I believe there is no other way to explore and find out more about yourself than through travel!

Wishing you all a safe and happy week!

Until Next Time,

Archana

Keep calm and travel on!

Dance to express,not to impress

Dancing, food, music and festivals are an enormous part of Indian culture. Indian festivals revolve around - music, dancing, singing, poetry and chanting. The bright coloured costumes, makeup and props really give each performance its final touch. India has a wide range of classical and non-classical dances, each form with it's own speciality and uniqueness. 

                           Had the honour of performing at our Kaavu (Temple) during my last visit to Kerala

Kerala - God's own country

Last December just like every other year, I flew back to my motherland – Kerala.

Kerala is a narrow strip of land located on the southwestern edge of the Indian subcontinent. Kerala is famous for its culture, spices, beaches and backwaters. I was there for just over a month and honestly, I felt as though it wasn’t long enough. The trip was just fantastic, I’ve never had this much fun during my previous visits. It felt great waking up every morning to the most beautiful scenes ever. Kerala is the greenest place I’ve seen! The coconut palms, the red tiled houses, the innumerable lakes and beaches, oh I miss it so dearly! The beauty of Kerala is really beyond written description. 

The Backwaters of Kerala

Kumarakom is known for its famous backwaters of Kerala and is one of the must go place when you visit Kerala.

The houseboat started moving in water and it was a very relaxing experience. We could see hundreds of other houseboats moving in the backwaters. A voyage along the backwaters on one of the traditional thatched boats is one of the quite essential Kerala experiences. As the houseboat drifted along, we could hear clothes smacking against stone as women did the laundry by the water’s edge while the kids paused their games and waved in our direction. The captain docked the houseboat beneath some palm trees as we stopped for lunch, the cook onboard whipped up incredible meals for us, cooking enough food for 18. We feasted on grilled fish, chilli prawns, pappadums, a variety of coconut chutneys, spicy seafood curries and fried bananas for a teatime snack

Around 6pm our boat came to a halt. Our boat was parked on the bank and we enjoyed evening tea along with some snacks. We could see local’s houses near the bank and see their daily routines. 

Sunset 

Following morning - view from my bedroom 

Munnar

Munnar, located in east Kerala it’s famous for its vibrant shade of green. The steep hillsides are covered with about 60,000 acres of tea plantations. 

                                                                  

Kochi 

Kochi, one of the most reputed scenic natural harbor’s in the world. 

"She knew that this moment would be with her always, within hands reach memory”           – Nostalgia - home is where the heart is

Walking in the rain

We walked as the raindrops oozed down our clothes, soaking us top to bottom. A long walk in the steadily falling rain was just what we needed after a busy week full of assessments. 

The wind blew through my hair and we watched as the trees swayed gently above us. The raindrops falling gently, sliding shyly to kiss the grass beneath us. After half an hour or so, the force of the rain gradually lessened and the fragrance of soil filled our noses. 

The once busy streets were now empty & silent.  

                      “If beauty is God’s signature, then rain is his final flourish” 

ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ

            Nirbhau Nirvair // Without fear, Without hate