Onam
Joyful reminders of a bygone time... a childhood memory of a wonderful Onam spent in my tharavad.. .. of fragrant flowers and pretty pookalams, of pooja for the mathevar and new pattupavadas, mothers making yummy kalan, olan & avial in the kitchen, offering to stir the warm delicious payasam simmering in the big uruli serving as a pretext of tasting it repeatedly, playing all day, poottu kali (searching for the poottu hidden by one person- an Indian version of hot & cold), onathallu, then devouring the Onasadya and everyone resting in the early afternoon in the pumukham.. one on the small wall by the window in the path of the coolest breeze, another on cheriamma’s lap who’s warm caress on your head would make you drift in and out of sleep, and the rest lay haphazardly on the floor vying for a spot on the easy chair. The evenings brought in energy with tea & snacks and a second round of ammamma’s signature kaya varuthathu and sharkara upperi, followed by Onapp...