Let me speak > Laila Saein

A SWEET MEMORY OF CHAKKARAMITTAYI

Photographed by Laila Saein

              The festivals form part of each temple's annual rituals. They're often a tribute to the temple's residing God, who emerges from  the temple once a year. Each festival has a different set of legends and myths behind it, depending on the temple God.

         Now in Kerala the time of festivals has started.   From January to April, with each festival running for around 1o days.  Before the ustava villagers announce the arrival of the festival  by beating the drum accompanied by ‘komaram’. He proclaims the date of utsava after his frenzy.

        In my country side, near Feroke (, the legendary ruler Tippu Sultan has given the name Feroke.) the village called Nallur has a famous temple of lord Shiva. When Feburary starts ‘Komaram’, the possessed-dancers in temples comes with his big sword and anklet bells. When we hear the jingling sound of his girdle bells our mind fill with day dreams.  People bow their head in front of him for the blessing of God.  But children always are scared of him.  During my childhood when I see him I wouldn’t mind him, when he cut his forehead with his sword my eyes would fill with tears.

         After his frenzy children with coconut and jaggery, wait for the elephants to give their presents. Sometimes children would beg the Mahout to give a chance to chain the elephant in their land property. Then they could see the elegance of elephant always, moreover it was  a prestige issue  among village children to own an elephant for some days. There is another fantastic possibility:  to get a hair of elephant’s tale. We gave bribe to Mahout to get the hair that is good for night fever(wetting the bed).

            Each festival has a different array of legends and myths behind it, depending on the temple God. In my village Shiva is the strongest God. Morning we could see the village lasses come with basils in their hair.

    When the ‘Kodiyettam’, as a symbol of the commencement of a festival starts villagers are in full bloom. One of the festivals feature is the  large processions of bejeweled elephants, drummers and other musicians, colorful floats carrying gods and goddesses, and fireworks. The idol of the God in the temple is taken out on a procession around the country side atop this elephant. When the procession visits homes around the temple, people  usually present rice, coconuts, and other offerings to the God. Processions often include traditional music such as Panchari melam or
 Panchavadyam, drum etc.
                                                                     Photographed by Roshan YLP

         The landed property of the temple fills with the sellers  who sell  variety of types of balloons, colourful bangles, ribbons, and dolls. But the most attractive thing is the ‘chakkaramittayi’ a most delicious appam I ever had in my life made with jaggery and rice powder. Without the chakkaramittayi, we can’t even think of festivals .  Everywhere around the temple we could see temporary thatched sheds, from there flows the smells of food items. Big fire-hearth with stone ,people makes mittayi  in big frying pan. That ground, then seemed like painted with captivating and enchanting colors in midnight filled with the yellow light of hurricane lantern.

        During festival days we never think about the cast and creed. All days people get feast and’ payasam’ sitting together in one row and partake food. There we don’t think whether we are Hindus, Muslims, and Christians ……... We believe in unity. Festivals are a blend of humanity shadowed by hilarity.