HOLI -DAY 

It was pleasant Sunday morning, nice warm sunshine invaded the rooms making it warm and bright. Sipping my morning coffee I could see the flowers in full bloom, and tiny little bees and butterflies welcomed their first sign of spring!

Its spring time! It made me await few things – the new flower that would blossom in my garden, buzzing of bees and few new nests that would pop up. Is that all? Nope most importantly the whole family waited for “THE DAY” that’s the Holi day!

One could proudly flaunt that the best days in one’s life is always those fun filled childhood. The innocence of those cherished days, the carefree attitude, without any apprehensions of tomorrow, to live in the present made them more memorable.

There are few distinguished moments in everybody’s life, one such occasion in my life was Holi day, when I was a sixth grader.

My father had got transferred and we relocated at the middle of the academic year. Though in the same part of the country it was a new city. We moved into a lovely apartment, a 10 storey building with children’s park, lawn, tennis area and swimming pool. My brother and I loved every bit of it. Soon we made lots of friends.

Being a cosmopolitan city we had an opportunity to meet people with different languages, religions and different festivities too. There used to be a big community hall which is generally utilized for all gatherings and celebrations. We celebrated lots of festivals from Dussehera, to Christmas, to Eid.

My mom being an amicable woman had her own crowd. We used to have a great time tasting new varieties most of the time. Some time it’s sadya a cuisine from Kerala, sometime its Bisi bele bhat a Karnataka cuisine or it’s a Thanjavur Elai virundhu. Not to forget the varieties in snacks.

Like all festivals Holi was also celebrated with great pompous and enthusiasm.

The night before Holi we had bonfire. There was a famous mythology associated with it. It was when Prahalad son Hiranyakashipu refused to budge his father and remained devoted to Lord Vishnu. Holika  Prahalad’s evil aunt tried to burn him but instead got burnt. It is believed Lord Vishnu protected Prahalad and slayed Hiranyakashipu.To reverberate this incident, just before the bonfire we enacted the story of Holika and burnt effigies. Even the adults danced to the tunes and sang up to their heart.

Finally it was dinner time, we had potluck where in each prepared their best. It was scrumptious, mouthwatering and most inviting feast I had ever had, not only because of its flavors and varieties but it had a very special ingredient called Love. Caring and sharing made the difference.

The next morning we smeared each other colors with water guns and balloon rockets, what fun!!

To this day, it’s been the best. My unforgettable Holi-day

"I’m pledging to #KhulKeKheloHoli this year by sharing my Holi memories at BlogAdda in association with Parachute Advansed.”

Dream profession!!

It was just a usual morning when the suprabratham of the impeccable M.S.Subbalakshmi fondly known as M.S.Amma woke me up from my deep slumber. The day always dawned with the scintillating singer’s famous morning hymns.

It is one of those usual scenes in my house wherein the smell of sambarani filled the entire house, giving it a heavenly abode with the chanting of shloka’s by my mom along with the audio at the background made my mornings. It is at this conventional serene ambiance that I grew up.

It is not abnormal for a girl cultured at this background to be interested in Carnatic music. Soon I joined the league, where in weekly two days I attended my music classes. Though I loved music it was no longer in my agenda of the so called “career”. For music seemed a distant horizon.

Soon I grew up to qualify myself as “the city girl” and being a techie took my whole day. Life continued until it took a full 360 degrees curve after my marriage.

New place, new family and most importantly new responsibilities!!! Which I never dreamt of. There were certain things which kept me alive when I felt lost like a child in a busy market wailing for her mother. And top stood on the list the familiar voice of my childhood, M.S.Amma. I felt home and it gave a soothing comfort. I felt nearer to my home, to my childhood and cherished every moment of it.

Home away from. Soon I made it my home. My little angel made my garden of life blossom. Soon the scents of flowers filled my life. I was happy again! , it was one of those family function that happened in our hometown called lalgudi. Whole family gathered, it was such fun filled occasion for the children to be with grandparents, great grandparents and aunts. It was even a big respite for us from our usual grind.

Children loved the place as my mother-in-law filled them with their favorite sweets, the backyards where they could roam about freely and most importantly their train watching sessions in the evening with their grandfather who carried them on his shoulders.

There was a small Anjaneya temple few yards away from our house. It was night of galore at that temple. There were treats to one’s eyes, taste buds and ears too!! . I and My co sister strolled around the whole street holding hand in hand, enthralled by the music we stood mesmerized there for some time. It was a usual break for the singer, when suddenly my co sister pulled me around the mike and sought permission from the singer to fill the gap.

Soon we were performing, suddenly I could feel the oneness with the god. It was such a divine moment, probably godsend to perform in front of a predefined audience. The ambiance was just perfect and soon there were applause's, every learner of Carnatic music does imagine big for stage sometime.

The young girl in me who always yearned for music of M.S jumped in joy as she satisfied her hunger as a singer. Do I call it my dream come true? Yes, for those cherished moments of living as a singer in front of the divine, what more can be one’s DREAM PROFESSION! 

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.