Onam..and some memories ..

Onam is a festival unique to Keralites & all mallus. Its celebrated irrespective of all religions, cast & creed. I think there should be very distinctive feel about it to everyone who grew up in Kerala for Onam. Its not celebrated for the worship on Gods, nor for any spiritual leaders nor for some historic day. Its just celebrated for the good old memories..!! Some memories of good old days which is said to have existed years back about the amity people shared each other. Memories of color, smell of paddy fields, whispers of blessings tender touch of grandmas.

I don't know if I really believe the history I've been told about this festival since by childhood when I was growing up in Kerala. But for me it was a nostalgic story which I always wanted to hear back to back, different versions of it every year. I always loved the story of that noble king. :). Apart from the school holidays Onam offered, the real fun part was visit to my parents place - 'Kilimanoor" some 40kms away from  'Trivandrum". We go fishing in the small canals by the paddy fields using bathing towels, then drop them in the drinking water tanks...!. We pluck mangoes and it doesn't mattered whether its good to eat or not but the best thing was getting mangoes from the tall trees. Playing games with cousins was never been so much fun. We drank water from the wells, we had grant feast on plantain leaves everyday from my "ammooma" (grandma),  we played in the paddy fields, we slept on cemented floors over a mat. Not even a moment I thought about a world other than that.

Every day when I see the morning sun I used to realize, its one day short from leaving there. I never wanted to leave that place. I sit on the stone paved steps and see the sun getting ready for the day and as my cousins wake up I just forget everything all over again. Finally the day comes when we all say good bye. The journey back home on the state transport bus I hated the most. As the bus laps in on the winding road I pass my time counting vehicles coming against us...finally one more vacation  is over and back to school..I hated schools..:))

My akku

Now as one more Onam is round the corner, I have planned something similar.  I am going home for a 9day holidays. I hope I can recall some of those lost memories..For sure my kid's around now..:))
 Happy Onam to all..!!!

First Day

I just couldn't believe myself  that I am waking up at 7 in the morning and getting ready for the office. I gathered  some lost strength after yesterdays surprise fever and dragged myself into the bathroom. Somehow I took bath and had some juice. It was almost 7.45 and I got out of my room only to find that all damn rooms and floors are so identical that I completely found myself lost standing before my room. I just cant remember which room Mr Nagappan, my colleague is staying. He promised me to come along with to show the way to Nissan Tech Centre being the first day. I went two floors up and down two three times and was so drained out of energy that I came down to the launch and sat there wondering "what the hell man". But my good colleague came back for me as they have already left for the train station and couldnt find me at the station.

      It was raining a little that day, I stepped out of the dorm to find some of the others who came the day before along with me. I could read some frustrations on there faces as they also had come back looking for me along with Nagappan. We are at a small town named Atsugi in the Kangawa prefecture which is around 50kms from Tokyo city. Nagappan was explaining everything from taking tkts from vending m/c to boarding "trains"..!. I switched my brain off and blindly did what ever he did.. I was picked up at NTC by my team lead Mr Siva and took me to the advanced tech centre -NATC.
    My office building looked like an abstract painting, but highly functional. Total of 7 floors and escalators till the third floor. From the third floor if we look up rest of the floors were visible like balconies in a theater. I walked along with my colleague and he showed me my seat. Later I went along with Siva for my first "morning meeting" where I was told to introduce myself. There was this 15 Japanese guys looking at me waiting for me to speak. I never addressed a 15 member gathering that too complete foreign nationals..! I some how picked up some words like mmm, euhhhh, errrr and in between I filled up using  "India" "Renault - Nissan" " first time outside India" . I felt like I was begging sorry for being here..and I dont know why I felt like that..! They all wanted to know my age and when I told I will be 30 next June they already made me 30 and compared with their colleague (of-course now my friend and colleague) Nakamoto-san who also has turned 30 and is getting married soon and laughed out loud. I thought I would have told I am 29 and not 30yet..!!. They day went off  with out much events and I got back to my dorm and had half cooked noodles and slept off....zzzzz