A Malayali’s cultural new year is Vishu. But that doesn’t stop us from celebrating the first of January every year, does it? This year it’s all going to look a little grim owing to the pandemic and regulations which are still on (in case you forgot!). New year, new me! Yea, probably the coronavirus said it first this time, but better late than never. While you get busy with new year’s resolutions and 2021 diet plans, let us think about what a New Year’s day means to a Malayali.
Calendar- Manorama or Mathrubhumi?
Is there a calendar apart from these two?! Well, our bad. The duel is almost always between these two! The mental battle between choosing ‘ettavum vishesha divasangal koodthal ulla calendar’ or the calendar that claims itself to be ‘the calendar’ is just crazy. You’re excited to check the number of holidays and the day your birthday falls on. But then there’s also a heaviness in your heart as you pluck off the previous year’s calendar from the nail on the wall to replace the new one. You also end up having flash backs of your achievements last year (if any! *smirk*).
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Movie releases and programs on TV!
Every festival season brings us a load of movie releases which we always plan to watch with our friends or family. Perhaps another ritual that is going to get broken this year! Worry not, TV channels will never fail to surprise us. They never have. Telegram and other platforms exist now, but there was a time when we used to wait for that theatre blockbuster to come on TV! And we would have already shortlisted which ones to watch at what time. And there would also be exclusive new year episodes with celebrities on chat shows. Who doesn’t gorge on some grapevine once in a while!
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Phone calls and texts (now replaced by WhatsApp stickers)
The new year was always the time when we called our relatives (our favourite ones only) and friends from all walks of life to wish them a ‘Happy New Year’. Or at least we used to. The Internet has not only made our world smaller but has also made our thumbs longer owing to all the texting and swiping we do on an hourly basis! A Malayali’s New Year involves sending and receiving dreaded forwarded images of a new year greeting or new year texts that are nothing short of poems. And the meaning of all that crap before the actual wish? We reckon the sender is still processing it in his/her brain!
Quality time!
Christmas holidays often extend up to New Year’s Day. And we make sure that we spend time with family over food and merry-making. Lunch plans are usually followed up by a movie plan or a visit to the beach or park. These places are usually bursting with families and couples on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day!
Hostel vibes on New Year’s
Most of the colleges do not give us breaks that extend up to New Year’s. Nevertheless, we end up creating a disco floor within our hostel rooms and etching those memories into the deepest corner of our hearts. Have you all covered your lightbulb in the hostel with a plastic mug so that the whole room gets a blue or red tint, just to give the mood an extra swag? Dancing like monkeys all through the night and then missing a few early hours the next day made all the monkeying around and a Malayali’s New Year worthwhile!
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If 2020 was a year that threw in a lot of misfortune and grief but also was strewn with little glimmers of hope here and there which kept us going till the end. Let 2021 be the year of hope and happiness and finding oneself all over again. Whatever 2020 was not, it has definitely been the best teacher in all our lives. It taught us to never take things and people for granted. To love nature and not ruin it. And as we march into 2021 with hopes and spirits high, let us also keep in mind that we are still struggling to keep the pandemic under control, and let us be responsible citizens. Stay safe and here’s the whole of PL wishing you a Happy and Healthy 2021!
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