Lock Down Day 20: Happy Vishu!
Shalini Kumar, Ph.D, PMP
Project & Program Management Leader | Led Cross-functional Teams & Improved Collaboration by 23% | Driving Organizational Impact Across Diverse Sectors | Nature-inspired Artist
Today is Vishu in Kerala, a Hindu festival to celebrate the completion of spring equinox. India, like you all know is a large country, with such a diverse culture. Kerala, especially has three main religions - Hindu, Islam and Christianity. And for us, all these festivals are like our own, with no distinction irrespective of the religion.
My favorite among the memories of Vishu are the golden blossoms of the Indian Laburnum ("kani konna") flowers hanging from the trees all around Kerala. The very sight of those flowers always brings so much joy to my heart. I feel those flowers are indeed God showering us with His blessings.
I've heard from my friends how they do a morning "vishu-kani" or the ritual of seeing a plate/array of auspicious and prosperous things first thing in the morning (so early in the morning when it's still pitch dark). This includes but is not limited to the Hindu God "Krishnan/Krishna", vegetables and fruits and a bunch of kani konna flowers with maybe some money too. Another fond memory of Vishu for me is that we kids would get "vishu-kaineettam" or money from the elders, and this was a very fun tradition in my family. As it would be with this money that we kids would then go out to buy the fire-crackers, which is another tradition on the night of Vishu, you have a wide selection of different fire-crackers going on.
I wish all my friends and their families a wonderful Vishu. I know it must be very difficult to have a proper Vishu for my friends and their families in Kerala with the lock down going on. As like all other festivals and celebration, Vishu too is celebrated with all your family together. But I still hope with the apps like WhatsApp, Skype or even Zoom, everything can be done virtually at the least. We are definitely in one of the best times of our lives on that aspect! So, let us extend our gratitude for the advancements in the technology in our lives that help us stay connected to one another so easily, even though we could all be miles and miles apart.
I hope you're all staying at home and keeping safe! I miss you all.
Take care everyone. Stay happy, healthy and safe!