Happy Sankranthi / Pongal Ppl

Okies...so today is Pongal.. also known as Sankranthi in Andhra Pradesh, my home state. Sooo.. just wanted to wish everyone a Verry Happy Sankranthi.

Sankranthi ... brings back so many memories. We always had school holidays till the day after Sankranthi (which was usually the 14th of Jan). Sankranthi / Pongal as it is known is the harvest Festival in India. This consists of three days of celebrations in my family.
The first day is known as boghi. This was MY FAVOURITE day. For days before this, we would collect twigs, leaves and other flammable items. Sometimes my aunt would get a few branches cut down and let them dry for a few weeks. The day before bhogi, we would arrange all of this into a big pile in front of the house. Then...on THE day... we would wake up earrrly in the morning.. ( as early as 5:30 am) and have a head bath (basically wash our hair too)... put on new clothes if possible, and go out and start a bonfire. We would throw dried dung patties into the fire and apply their ashes on the forehead. Dried cow dung patties are used in many places as fuel!!! Especially as cow dung does not technically stink (atleast not like human poop) Anywayz.. It was a lott of fun. India does not get too cold (atleast where I stayed)... but january mornings can get quite chilly.. and with the sea breeze.. and the warm fire... and cousins all around we would have fun. Then... onto a nice breakfast (vegetarian). Ahhh.....

The next day.. was Makara Sankranthi. On this day, we would wear our best dresses, again wake up early, and have a head bath. On this day, earrrly in the morning, the the courtyard would be washed and colourful designs (called rangoli... in Hindi or muggulu in telugu) would be drawn with chalk and coloured powder. It was a day to celebrate... I dont remember too well but I dont know if we had any major puja (basically special religious worship). I do know that there are many traditions that are followed. Like wearing new clothes or buying new clothes. Then some intra family gifts are given.. etc. Winter time.. waking up early... is simply wonderful. I remember the clean air...the smell of water on mud, the birds chirping in the morning.. The soft crashing of waves in the background, the sharp winter sun. And my cousins chit chatting. My Uncles and aunts... the dog... my mom and dad.. and above all my grandmother. It was a time of love and happiness I tell you. She would pluck flowers from the garden in the morning for her worship.. and there were often many flowering plants in our house. My aunts liked flowers. So... roses.. Hibiscus... Orange flowers... red flowers.. yellow flowers.. white flowers... :):):). If you were up early enough, you would see the parrots come to drink the nectar of these orangish yellow flower that grew in a corner of the garden. There would be hundreds of sparrows taking dust baths in the mud near the bougenvilea... and I would go running around showing off my new clothes as my uncles and aunts and cousins all complimented me on my "smart" attire!!!

And then... there was the third day called Kanumu. On this day.. we would stop our vegetarian diet and celebrate the harvest (theoretical in our case... as my parents did not really own fields).. by eating vada with chicken curry cooked South Indian style with a lot of gravy. We alwayyyys ate this at one particular uncle's place. The entiiire family would gather at his place and dig in. Yummmm.

My mom would recite this verse that my grandfather supposedly used to sing at the time of this festival.
"Sankranthi panduga nadu, Chanka kindha pettukuni, Sampekonti patteno kodiyoo kodi" (On this festival of Sankranthi, with you in my armpit, I take you to the slaughterhouse.... oh big fat hen). A bit gruesome.. but when you are thinking of feasting on chicken, it isnt that bad a verse;)

Now.. Chicken curry in our family... requires the usage of poppy seeds to remove the "meaty raw" taste. But the poppy seeds result in us alll feeling sleeeeeeepy right after breakfast. Hmmm... and then lunch was again chicken curry...

After a day of lazing around after a heavy meal... we would go and get prepared for school to start. And then.. all too soon.... back to school... back to the hubbaboo of day to day life. Just like life here is now. I barely know when a festival comes...and goes.

Well, I leave Purdue tomorrow. Finally. I do not know when I will be back.. and I do not think I will be back anytime soon. I think I have finally prepared myself mentally that I have graduated and that I need to leave this place. I did meet a lot of my old friends, classmates... other ppl today. So, it was a nice farewell.
Goodbye Purdue..... my alma mater... I'll miss you:)