Happy New Year (India)

According to the Telugu calendar, today is the first day of New Year, titled Virodhi (meaning 'enemy', 'against' etc.) Doesn't sound like a good name for a year we all look forward to, to bring in positive change...does it?! What more?! This also happens to be an election year in India. And if positive change is not to be expected, based on predictions, then the prospects shudder me to no extent.

However, to a large extent, last year seemed to be a pretty bad year what with the earthquake in China, financial meltdown, recession, Mumbai attacks, etc. taking unprecedented toll on the common man. The politics and governance in India reached new lows as well last year.

What could go worse this year?! The politics?! The governance?! I can believe that - and we already see that in play.

But God! Save innocent lives and make this year better than last year atleast in that count. As for politics and governance - they reached such lows even God is helpless. The system has to correct itself after it can't go down any further.

Anyway, enough of the dark stuff. Wish you all a very pleasant new year! Even in the darkest clouds, we can see silver linings. I hope and wish for many such silver linings this year - so much so that the darkness could be withstood and forgotten.

Swasti!!

Sankranti Subhakankshalu

The early morning campfires on the first day of the festival - and bringing anything and everything from broken chairs to dried tree branches to neighbour's stool to all the dry leaves we could gather from the surroundings to cardboard boxes to....the list goes on.. Anything that can help raze a big fire is put into the pile and it's lit up in the chilly early morning weather. Kids gather around and elders are not far behind...

Then the colorful and not so colorful kites we made and bought to fly from the roof tops, on the streets without a care for the passers by or bicycles or rikshaws or the cows/buffalos... trying to fly our kites higher than that of the kid next door... It's usually the not so colorful, home made, news paper kites that generally used to soar high - leaving behind all those beautiful ones with long colorful tails.

I could write more about the fun we used to have for days and days as the schools were usually closed from around Christmas through Pongal/Sankranti (schools these days have no such long vacations). Not a paisa spent usually - as we used to sneak some cooked rice for adhesive, tear down newspapers for the kite (not sure which day's paper that was - who cared? not until dad scolded after realizing his editorial section is flying high in the sky), threads from the grocery packets tied together to make a long line for the kite, and then the brooms made of coconut leaves were there to provide the much needed framework for the kite.

Coming back to the present - I wish you all who know what I am talking about a very very happy Sankranti (Harvest Festival in South India) and wish you all the best this year. And for all the girl folks out there...here are a couple of pics of americanized gobbiLLu (big balls made out of fresh cow dung - only, in US we made them with fresh snow).

Have a good day!

Swasti!!