Pongal was different this year, in the sense that Bhagya, my sister in Delhi, joined us in Mysore to spend some time with our mother. Her visits has been an annual routine ever since we shifted residence to Mysore. On one occasion (a couple years back) she came to spend some six weeks to 'babysit' mother when my wife and I were away in the US.
Her train was late. Bhagya made it to Mysore around 11 p m. At breakfast the next morning she tasted some left-over pongal, which, incidentally, tastes sweeter the morning after.We had, on Pongal day a couple of visitors, women with whom my wife became acquainted during her frequent visits to the neighbourhood temples. In karnataka they have a tradition of women visiting their friends with assorted offerings, including pieces of cane and thil. Bhagya, knowedgeable about rites and rituals says that in our book accepting thil from someone makes us indebted towards the one offering thil. In Karnataka, it carries a different meaning and offerings of thil is an accepted form of social ettiquete on Sankranthi Day.
I don't know if she brought thil. But then she is our family. Among our visitors was my wife's niece Savitha, with her husband Vinay and the kids, Diya and Samarth.
Savitha makes it a point to visit us on festival days to seek our blessings, notably that of my mother.
1 comment:
A wounderful memorabolia; Thanks for posting periappa's photo (Balanna), actually I was longing to meet him for over 2 years now; and indeed of periamma, whom I daily pray when I get-up, since she is more than my mother who have brought us up.
Cheenu / Delhi
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