MOTHERLAND

The land which gave birth to my beautiful mother,
The land which raised her to be a free-thinking spirit like many others,
The land which she left behind to give her family a better life,
The land which she longs to go back to.

The land which fought for its liberty,
The land which was once held in captivity,
The land which has lost many,
The land whose riches and culture were taken away in plenty.

The land whose blood runs in my veins,
The land which is trying to break free from its chains,
The land I am eager to be familiar with,
The land which with each visit still remains a myth.

My motherland has its flaws. But who doesn't? Every country has a crooked past, a corrupt present and an uncertain future. My motherland has been trampled on and stolen from, but it still remains to be a booming country. Yes my motherland has its flaws, but my goodness it is a great nation; seasoned with all kinds of weather and filled with a variety of tradition, values and languages.

One day, I hope to make a long visit to the country that is in the forefront of lending the world an array of inspirational individuals. I want to be a part of my motherland's history. I want her to be proud of the person I am and the person I will be. I want to take my children to her warm embrace and for my descendants to smell her earthly aroma on a regular basis. So that even generations from now, my bloodline will remain faithful to my motherland. They will remember the food, the colours, the dance, the music and the breath-taking views. They will remember the extremities that people live in and strive to close the gap that's currently tearing the civilians apart from each other.

The land which gave birth to my beautiful mother,
The land which raised her and myself to be a free-thinking spirit,
The land which she left behind to give her family a better life,
The land which I will take her back to in order to relive her childhood.

The land which won its independence,
The land which was strengthened by captivity,
The land which has lost and gained many,
The land whose riches and culture are enjoyed in plenty.

The land whose blood still runs in my veins,
The land which is breaking free from its chains,
The land which I am becoming familiar with,
The land which with each visit will always remain a precious myth.

NEW HAVEN

After a tiring couple of days, I am finally settled in my new home. Summer has flown by and it's strange that I'm already back in university for my second year of medical school. 

This quick post is just to show you what I've done with my room. 

As you can see, I've tried to make the decor as cultured as possible so I feel like I'm seeing the world as I look around my room and one day I will see the world for all its charm and artistry.

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

As you are welcomed into this world with open arms, your newly developed mouth and lungs initiates its first response to the world and takes its first breath.
That first gasp of air kick starts all of your major life processes.
Only stopping when you fall in love or when you become overwhelmed with a cloud of anguish.

During your early years you depend entirely on your parents.
You trust them to cherish and care for you and fall unconditionally in love with you.
They feed you, they clothe you and they shelter you from the harsh realities of the world.

As you grow older, your mind starts to wander. Your level of independence increases and you make the bold decision to spread your wings and fly. Leaving behind the arms that once held you close to their hearts.

The culture that defines my identity as an individual, teaches me to respect and look after my elders. This means repaying the blood, sweat and tears of your parents as they get older by looking after them at a time when they are most vulnerable just like they filled you with love as a child.

Working as a carer alongside my studies has its ups and downs. It showed me precisely how as a human being, we complete a circle in terms of our capabilities. As a baby, you are unable to fend for yourself and depend on others; and as your skin becomes covered in the trails of numerous life experiences as you age, you are again dependent on others.

One of the many greatest aspects of Asian culture that I'm proud to be a part of is caring for your parents as they age. In fact, it's frowned upon in society if you decide to put your parents in a care home. With all the remarkable things my mum has been through, I will surely be taking care of her until she's carried away to live under the umbrella of God's eternal glory.

FLOWERS, FOOD AND A POCKET FULL OF FUN

Onam

I would wake up bright and early and put on my brand new set saree (a traditional South Indian outfit which is unique to Kerala due to it being white with gold borders and design, as seen below). Adorning myself in gorgeous jewellery bought from India from the recent trip, I would make my way with my family to the celebrations taking place in town.

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Originally a Hindu festival, it is a celebration that brings together people of all religions. Legend says that Kerala was once ruled by a king named Mahabali and Onam is a celebration of his return from the underworld. This is a rough translation of a song that's often sung on this day:

"When Maveli ruled the land,

All the people were equal.

And people were joyful and merry;

They were all free from harm.

There was neither anxiety nor sickness,

Deaths of children were unheard of,

There were no lies,

There was neither theft nor deceit,

And no one was false in speech either.

Measures and weights were right;

No one cheated or wronged his neighbor.

When Maveli ruled the land,

All the people formed one casteless races"

There are many beautiful rituals and practices that take place over the course of the celebration and I'm going to briefly tell you about my favourite aspects of Onam:

പൂക്കളം (Pookalam)

This is a work of art. In a group, you gather flowers and create a beautiful floral carpet in front of your house in an attempt to attract Mahabali to visit your house.

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ഓണസദ്യ (Feast of Onam)

Quite simply the most magnificent thing about Onam is the banquet that everyone eats together. Around 26 vegetarian curries is served with rice on a plantain leaf. 

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തിരുവാതിര (Thiruvathira)

As a lover of dance, I always loved taking part in this performance. The dance is performed in a circle and is traditionally carried out by women.

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വടംവലി (Tug of War)

This is exactly what the title says but twice the fun.

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There we have it. A breakdown of one of my favourite festivals of Kerala. 

This year will be the first time in my life that I'm not celebrating Onam with anyone. I loved going and seeing everyone in the Indian community but things have changed over the year. Relationships and ties were broken and the sense of happiness is now tarnished with the question 'what if..?'

Oh how I wish I could spend Onam in God's own country...

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ഓണാശംസകൾ (Happy Onam) to all those reading my blog!