Iniya tamizh puththandu Nal Vazthukkal*

*Wish you a happy tamil new year

Yeah.Its the Tamil New Year today. April the 14th. Received a lot of wishes; mostly over chat. Everybody kept asking "So, how did you celebrate new year day?" What can I say? "Oh yeah.I did celebrate.Ate a bar of Hershey's almonds and drank an extra can of Pepsi..." How else can I possibly celebrate Tamil New Year is this place?

If I was home, it would have been a totally different story. New Year ritual at home is one of a kind. Every year I go through this rather irritating, later amusing affair. First I would be woken up early, much against my wishes. I won't get my morning shot of coffee and will be asked to take bath instead. My mom would have kept an assortment of fruits, a bowl of grains, some cereals, a heap of coins, money, jewelry and a mirror in the Puja Room (the sacred place) in the house. She would then tell me to go look at the things kept. Yeah, fine. A superficial glance is sufficient to see what has been kept. Moreover, I would already know what will be kept. I do this every year, dont I? But no. She would say, "Look! Look at everything kept there! Look slowly! Why are you in a hurry?" Sigh..! I would turn back to them, force myself to concentrate and stare hard at them, trying to see every detail, notice every fruit, the design on the bowl, the crack on the mirror frame... She wouldn't be satisfied unless I spend about half-a-minute admiring these exciting things.

(The idea is to start the year by seeing pleasant things.Thats become a custom now.)

And then I would be rewarded with coffee for going through the ordeal (along with some grumbling about my impatience in everything, followed by advice).

Sigh! Though I hate to admit, I do miss home.