Instant dishes, readymade Kani

A brand new year is here knocking at every Malayali’s doorsteps. Time and again, all clichéd adjectives and washed and worn out definitions head up to describe the resplendent day of Vishu. Most of us pig out on a scrumptious meal cooked from store-bought rice and vegetables and still love to tag Vishu a harbinger of harvest season. Our indigenous ‘rice-bowls’ have been merely reduced to nothing but a fading memory.

A ‘sadya’ (traditional meal spread) can come so effortlessly, with our advanced super-hyper markets ready with instant-cooked rice to side dishes. The very integral part, the ‘vishu kani’ got commercialised many moons ago with wayside vendors to online delivery systems making a business out of it. Toeing the line of lifestyle changes, the festivities too have evolved. In the rat-race of a fast-paced life, the tradition stuck is a rarity and everyone has their say to the way they treat a special day.

CRACK A WHIP ON CRACKERS: The context is clear. Our psyche is still not back to normalcy after the deadly inferno devoured over a hundred lives during Puttingal temple festival in Kollam. Some feel it’s time to keep the fireworks are bay for festivals and celebrations such as Vishu. Dhanya C.M., a software professional from Bengaluru asks the same. She raised her voice through a Facebook post. “I have never used crackers all my life. One main thing why I am against is the environmental pollution is the major impact it leaves on animals and birds. I had a dog and it used to be so petrified during Vishu. So far, I was just restraining myself. Now I am trying to reach out to friends and family and see if I can impact in a small way at least,” says Dhanya.

B’DAY BOY: State award-winning actor Sudev Nair can't have a day as auspicious as Vishu. Can anybody forget one's birthday? “April 14 happens to be my birthday and so for me Vishu is doubly special. My grandmother called me a ‘Vishu Kani’ to my dad when I was born. Growing up, there has always been a ‘kani’ arranged by my dad the previous night and I would wake up, careful not to see anything else and make sure the ‘kani’ is the first thing I set my eyes on. Even now, whenever I am in Mumbai and not shooting, I make it a point to stay with my parents the day before and take the blessings of the ‘kani’ in the morning,’ he says. Adding further, he says, “Our building compound in Mumbai also has a Golden Shower tree (kani konna) and before Vishu, people clamour to get flowers and there are always a few that are left without flowers. It just goes to show that even if we are not living in Kerala, Malayalis all over still value the tradition and feel at home with the community, thanks to occasions like these,” Sudev signs off.

AN ARDENT KRISHNA BHAKT: Paying obeisance at Guruvayoor temple has been a must-do for actor dancer Diya Sreehari, whose maiden movie is yet-to-be released flick Happy Wedding. She has been running a dance school in Kochi. “My family is based in Thiruvananthapuram and there procuring things to set a kani is tough. So we prepare early. A family visit to Guruvayoor Temple was something we could never do without. This time, it's my first Vishu post marriage and we are spending time at husband's home,” says Diya.

WORK IS WORSHIP: Of the many office-goers on ‘holidays’ comes Lekshmi S. Pillai, a broadcast journalist from Thiruvananthapuram. On special occasions of Thiruvonam and Vishu, Lekshmi has been a constant face of noon-time bulletin for the past several years. “News reading has been an activity I have been doing without fail over these years. At home, though not lavish, I make sure to prepare some sort of sadya.  Still I won't go behind instant kani kits as most often the contents end up disappointing and manage one with whatever we could collect,” she shares.