I am all set to go back to Kerala for a short vacation. As usual, my vacation is a combination of pilgrimage and connecting to the past, visiting my friends and relatives.
This time around. it is a visit to attend 'Pattamudayam' celebration at Chirakkal Kovilakam, Kodungallur, starting with short visit to Tattamangalam, Pazhayannur, Guruvayur and Paambum Mekkad
A part of this is pilgrimage and a part is connection with the past as always
'Pattamudayam' is an important celebration both as a family get together and religious function. 'Pattamudayam' translates to mean 10th dawn and is celebrated on 11th day of the month 'Dhanu' in Malayalam calendar. As often, it happens to be on December 26th in this year.
I have been to 'Pattamudayam' celebration, a couple of times in the past, both as a child and grown up. I am feeling a greater sense of significance this time around.
My father Sudhakara Raja used to associate a great deal of importance to this celebration and used to religiously attend this celebration. His elder, and only, brother Dinakara Raja has played an instrumental role in reviving 'Pattamudayam' celebration to instill a sense of belonging within the family, a big joint family at that. Now, my father is old and ailing, and is far away in Delhi and his elder brother is no more
I feel a sense of importance in this time now to connect to the past. I am afraid if I do not connect now, I may never be able to connect back.
I am connecting now to one of the last vestiges of a joint family system; a basic structure of social system of yesteryears. All of that is lost in the new world order of nuclear families, threatening to go even into a state of plasma.
I do not believe in holding on the past. Sure, life goes on and the show has to go on. Everything about the past is not good either. Old social order is getting lost and new order is yet to set in
To me, the past, present and future are inexplicably interlinked. I am connecting to the past now to revitalize myself and move into the future
