Vishu

Medam is the first month of our Malayalam Calendar. It falls on the fourteenth of April of this year. The day is celebrated as Vishu in our state. A happy day to welcome the new year with "Vishu Kani" the first sight of the most auspicious and the most blessed of sight to start the new year with. Usually an image of Krishna decorated with flowers and lights along with the fruits of the land and the season symbolising prosperity and blessings is arranged at homes. The Golden Blossoms of Indian Laburnum is mandatory among the flowers for the Kani. The Golden shower is the bloom of the season and can be seen on every "Konna tree" everywhere. It gives a gleaming gold feel to the sight.

Then there is the "Kai Neetam" the gift of money and silver which usually elders give to the younger ones. At noon, there will be a mouth watering vegetarian feast similar to Onam. In the evening the Vishu Padakam (Fire Crackers) marks the beginning of the new year.

A tradition, a festival. The day is happy and joyful, everyone greets each other wearing new dress. Vishu Kodi.

This year, it coincided with Good Friday. The occasion turned out to be the mark of Kerala's Cultural and religious harmony. The memes and the picture messages that went around on the Social Media speaks for  Kerala's encompassing spiritual and philosophical attitude.

Happy Vishu. May the new year bring the best for everyone.

IITTM Nellore

When the Professor from IITTM, Nellore called asking us to take around their latest postgraduate batch in tourism for a heritage walk around Fort Kochi, we were delighted. Ofcourse,  being an Alumini, it is always a pleasure to reunite with the faculty and students once again. But the most interesting aspect of these academic tours are the intense curiosity and eagerness of the students to know more about a destination they are visiting. There is always something new we learn on the tour with students, like how to present a theme in a new way especially when the students in the group are from all over India.

Thank You IITTM and students, we wish you the very best and hope to see you back here as dashing professionals.

PS: In the background in the picture, we can see a mother and son whom we met at Paradesi Synagogoe. She was from America and was visiting her son who is working in Delhi and both of them had decided to come on a tour to Kerala.  Our students were quick to spot his adopted famous Indian head wobble which he gladly acknowledged as a fond local influence.