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Vishu musing–what I missed to preserve

imageVishu musing – Appa’s four anna coins, I failed to preserve
“Don’t open your eyes, till I wake you up early morning tomorrow,” Amma warns, the previous night. But I get up before the dawn breaks, for cracking fireworks before others do, though pretend that I was still sleeping. She comes to my bed and ‘wakes me up.’
“Don’t open your eyes,” she instructs, while leading to the pooja room, holding my hand, to show Vishukkani. Surreptitiously, I throw a glance at my patakkam bag, fire crackers kit , through the corner of one eye. Finds it unhampered and then ‘open’ my eyes. Ah, what a splendid display ! A colourful picture of a smiling lad, gorgeously adorned with splendid jewels and clothes surrounded by fresh vegetable, fruits and several other glazing and fragrant collection.
Appa gives a golden coin, then a silver one and asks me to press those to my eyes but soon takes back. Then, he gives a four anna coin and asks me to ‘keep it safe’.
Oh, What a precious, much awaited gift it was!! Gift ? No, I didn’t consider it as a gift. It was my first earning, I thought! . Thousands, I earned later, notes fresh from the press, still warm with the heat gained from the rollers. Those were less lustrous when compared to the simple, small, round, shining disc, which Appa used to give after Vishukkani, every year, with an advice, “jaagrathaya vetchukko- keep it safe”- or I thought so?
But alas, I didn’t keep those precious metals safely. Much worse, I didn’t preserve his shining words of wisdom, handed over, now and then. Later, I heard several hi-fi speeches , read many award -merited books, but found them less meaningful, less friendly. What is lacking in these well-bound books and high volume speeches, I ask in vain. What was so great about my father’s short sentences, which any one could have delivered, I ask, again in vain.
“How poor you are ! ” laughs the currency notes in the bank in my name, ridiculing my failure in preserving what I earned and learned from my father. I hear their loud thunder, every Vishu day. Or is that nothing but the rattling noise from my cracker bag, which only means that unknowingly, I have preserved the crackers and not the more powerful metals and words ?
These thoughts are not taking me anywhere. Surprisingly I look at the mullapoo, jasmine flower and vazai elai, plantain leaf nicely rolled in a paper, bought last night, by my niece for her thalai vishu, first festival after wedding, Mullappoo and vazahi elai have come to America all the way from India!.
“Thanks Appa or thanks mama,” they say, my son, daughter, nephews and nieces, while , receiving the dollar notes I hand them over, after Vishukkani in Baltimore, New Jersey or Ocala..
”Sookshitchu vetchukkumkol’- keep safe”. No, I don’t tell them . I know they will. They are aware of the mistake I made.
If you are fortunate to receive Vishukaineettam from your father, try to keep them safe. More so, his words of wisdom.
Then the currency notes or crackers won’t have much to laugh at you.”.
Enjoy your Vishu.
Love and regards,
sperinkulam
Ocala, Baltimore.

1 thought on “Vishu musing–what I missed to preserve

  1. MOTHERS, ARE GOD’S GIFT WHO ALWAYS CARE FOR YOU WITHOUT ANY EXPECTATION, YOUR POST REMINDED ME OF MY CHILDHOOD. THANKS

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