Ugadi of 2012

This is a Ugadi special post - the festival that fell on the 23rd of March. Maharashtrians call it Gudi Padwa, Sindhis - Cheti Chand, Manipuris - Sajibu Cheiraoba & Punjabis - Baisakhi. Hindus believe that Brahma started creation on this day.

"Yuga Adi” means 'the beginning of a new age'. This has been a beginning of sorts - for me at least. In the South, the first Ugadi immediately after marriage is a very important one. Ours came after 6 long years!

Here’s a snapshot of our celebration. Whoever has read ‘A Regret’ would know why I am writing this post. This is a promise kept!

The day began with oil bath. We decorated the entrance of the house with mango leaves (traditionally, it signifies good crop & prosperity) These leaves are strewn together to make a garland and tied to the main door of the house

& immediately after that I set off on my mission to draw the first ever rangoli of my life!

This is me, mid-way during the design, sweating it out in the scorching morning heat with aching hands & legs doing something which looks very simple on the face of it

Here's the final cut - the fruit, err, design of my labour: Tanvi proud of her mother's once-in-a-lifetime burst of creativity!!

Followed by prayers at the nearby temple

and then at home in my mother-in-law's pooja room:

and eating of Bevu-Bella (ಬೇವು-ಬೆಲ್ಲ – neem-jaggery). The mixture has:

1. Neem – bitterness (taste) - Sadness (significance)

2. Jaggery – sweetness (taste) - Happiness (significance)

3. Green Chilli – hot - Anger

4. Salt – saltiness - Fear

5. Tamarind Juice – sourness - Disgust

6. Raw Mango – tang - Surprise

Why do we eat that? To show that life is a blend of different experiences & all of it must be accepted with the same grace throughout the New Year. I have to mention here that up until this point of eating the Bevu-Bella at around 11 a.m, I had eaten nothing since the time i woke up which is again a FIRST for me!!

Then my mother-in-law & I got busy with preparing the feast – Obbattu (puran poli/holige), obbattsaaru, maavinakai chitranna (a rice dish made from grated raw mangoes) & kosambri (salad). On the first day ONLY VEG! But that's ok. All I wanted to eat was the Holige & I held the record for eating the maximum number of holiges in one day which was THREE!

For those interested in knowing how to make it, here's an illustration!!

The second day is when we binged on non-veg & it is called Hosadadku.

Oh before i forget here's me with the bangles and the flowers!

And then here's are some pictures of the two temples that we visited

1. Armugam Temple with the panchmukhi Subramanya

2. Jyotirlinga Temple which houses replicas of the 12 lingas from all over the country