CHENNAI: Well before it’s New Year for different communities in the city, a celebratory mood sets in. A week in advance, at the parking lot of an apartment complex in Pallikarnai, a group of Assamese women and men rehearse to the beats of a dhol and pepa. “For over a decade, we’ve been coming together every April during Bihu. Performing the husori is just one part of our day-long celebrations,” shares Indukalpa Saikia, a resident from Assam in Chennai.
Indukalpa has lived in Chennai since the early 2000s and recalls that as a child, Bihu celebrations would go on for a week. “And they still do in Assam, where husori dancers go to each home, perform, and get blessings from elders. In Chennai, we try to recreate this by performing husori in an open ground,”she says.
April 13, 14, and 15 is the first day of a New Year for many. It is celebrated as Baisakhi in parts of north and central India, Rongali Bihu in Assam, Tamil Puthandu in Tamil Nadu, Vishu in Kerala, Bishuva Sankranthi in Orissa, and Poila Boishakh in Bengal. For the residents from these states living in Chennai, the celebrations mark the beginning of a prosperous year, and is an occasion to relish their traditional spread of food.
Lalitha Rajan, a resident from Kerala in T Nagar, shares a long list of dishes she prepares before inviting relatives home for sadhya. “I spend the previous evening cutting vegetables, and grinding coconut mixtures for avial and other dishes. The next day, it’s just a matter of boiling and adding it all together,” she shares. The spread includes upperi, shakara varatti, manga curry, ellisheri, pulissery, kaalan, olan, avial, inji curry, ada pradhaman, and more.
Sweets and savouries are exchanged with Tamil neighbours’. The langars in Gurudwaras in the city prepare a simple but special Baisakhi meal, free for all. Harvinder Kaur, an entrepreneur from Delhi, who runs a restaurant called Hatke Swaad, shares, “Our festivals are always celebrated as a community. I spend Baisakhi in Gurudwara, and it feels great, because, for a day, I stop all work to offer prayers to my guru, and socialise with my community.”
After a long morning that ends with a lavish spread, New Year is also simply a holiday for some to visit the Marina beach or Vandalur zoo in the evening. Soumya Guha Thakurta, a resident in Chennai, from Kolkata, shares that Boishakh is essentially a family event. “The routine is to wake up early, get dressed for pujo, and call our parents back at home for blessings. We then feast on Bengali specialties and relax in the evening,” shares Soumya.
However, the most significant part of New Year’s day, for most communities, is before the break of dawn. Assamese have a tradition of bathing with raw turmeric and urad paste. And Malayalees wake up to Vishu Kani — an urli decorated with fruits, vegetables, rice, coins, and konnapoo, placed in front of a mirror and an idol of Krishna — signifying abundance and prosperity. “It’s the day when we pray for a year of well-being,” says Lalitha.
And at city-based Sri Lankan teacher Nalayini’s home, celebrations are marked by bonding with friends and family. She isn’t aware of any large Sri Lankan community in Chennai. “We make a Sinhalese origin sweet, called Keeri bath with hot chutney.
We also offer jaggery and sugar to our deity,” shares Nalayini. Children in the house receive gift money wrapped in betel leaves from the elders. Visiting temples is also a part of the tradition that is strictly followed. “My husband and I plan to visit Nalayini aunty’s family on this prosperous day. We are excited to get their blessings and taste her food,” says Pradhista, a Srilankan Tamilian and family friend of Nalayini.
Keeri bath (Sri Lanka)
Ingredients : Red rice(Kerala rice) ● Coconut milk ● Cloves ● Jaggery ● Sugar
Method: Take raw red rice, wash it properly and boil it with few cloves. Once the rice is cooked, add thick coconut milk and allow it to cook until the rice becomes soft. You can also boil the rice in coconut milk and allow it cook, this way the flavor will melt down to the rice. You can also add jaggery and sugar. Once the rice is cooled, cut it into pieces and serve it. Keeri bath can be had with hot chutney or sambar. (Recipe by Nalayini)
Ada Pradhaman (Kerala)
Ingredients: Rice ada — ¼ cup ● Sliced almonds — 1 tbsp ● Jaggery — ½ cup ● Coconut milk — 1 cup ● Milk — ½ cup ● Ghee — 1 tbsp ● Cardamom powder — ¼ tsp ● Water
Directions: Soak rice ada in 2 cups of hot water for 10 minutes. Drain water and keep aside. Add ½ cup water to jaggery, and dissolve and strain it. Heat jaggery water in a heavy bottom pan, on medium flame, for 3-5 minutes. Add soaked ada, ghee, and stir. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until it starts to thicken. Add milk and mix. Cook on low flame for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add coconut milk, and cook on low flame for 10 minutes, until it thickens. Add cardamom powder, mix, and turn off flame. Garnish with sliced almonds. Serve warm or cold.
Narikol Laru (Assam)
Ingredients: Grated coconut — 2-3 ● Sugar or jaggery — 250 g ● Cardamom pods — 4-5 ● Milk or condensed milk — 1 tbsp ● Ghee — 1 tbsp ● Salt —a pinch
Directions: Heat ghee in a shallow bottom pan. Add cardamom, grated coconut, and stir for five minutes. Now add sugar or jaggery, milk, and keep stirring on low flame, till coconut gets caramelised. Turn off the heat, let it cool for half an hour. Then roll the mixture tightly into ladoos. (Optional: Add dry fruits to the mixture for texture or flavour)
(With inputs by Ancy George)