Onam celebrations in Kerala

Chorunnu function: I eat solid food for first time

If you are a Malayali like my mother you probably know about the “Chorunnu Function”. Match ado about nothing.

So what if I was having solid food for the first time? Why would you want to call all your relatives and tell them: “Hey look! My daughter was stupid enough to be on breast milk till now and is starting on solid food today!”

It is embarrassing to say the least. I am already six months, and it is my parents fault that they haven’t been giving me solids. But that’s not how they put it when our relatives ask: “Still on breast milk?”

“Ohh yeah. She doesn’t eat solids yet.”

Anyway, the ceremony of Chorunnu was Malayali style. Anu Bhaiya, my Rema Valliamma and Sudhir valliachan, my grand parents and Anu bhaiya’s paternal grandparents had come down to Gurgaon for the function.

I was made to sit on my father’s lap and then they fed me rice. If you haven’t had rice before let me tell you that it has no taste. Maybe that’s why my parents mix it with a curry when they have it. My father also placed a pinch of salt on my tongue. Yikees! Talk of traditions turning into tortures.

And then everybody fed me rice, as if I was some small girl.

The only good part of the ceremony was when in the end, Rema Valliamma and Sudhir valliachan asked Anu Bhaiya to put a gold necklace around my neck.

For some reason I had an instant liking for Anu Bhaiya. The yellow metal glistened in the son. Is it a costly gift? I need to find out.

More pictures from Rhea’s Chorunnu function

I rolled over today

Watching the ceiling can be boring. Especially if all you have is a dirty fan that keeps going round and round. Gosh, the last four months have been agonizingly difficult – I mean, how do you expect me to lie down without knowing the color of my bed sheet?

Going by the lack of imagination of my parents, I was sure that the bed sheet I have been sleeping in will be pink…but I wanted to confirm anyway. And today, I did. It is indeed pink.

It was afternoon and my mother and I were sleeping. My father, as usual was in office trying to impress his CEO. Around 4 p.m., I burped due to all the milk in my food pipe and was wide awake and staring at the fan.

Anyway, I tried to wake up my mother but she was busy in her own world – probably dreaming of going back to the world of office, colleagues, projects, deadlines etc.

When one is four months old one gets bored easily and one can’t take things lying down. That’s when I decided to put in all my strength and roll over my side. It took me six minutes to roll over, but once done it was like heaven. I could look at the bed sheet, the flowers on it, I could even smell it….I could turn towards my left and look at the smoothly finished wall…and what not. Now, when I get bored with the ceiling fan, I can always roll over.

I am proud of my achievement. By when do other babies roll over? Takes them at last a few more months huh?

Let me at least hold my toys

Having toys is different from holding (and playing with) toys. For the last few months I have been seeing this strange behavior of human beings. Why bring in a gift, if you can’t give it to the person for whom it was bought?

For example, Sumathi…one of my aunts bought a squeaky cat for me. Just when my mother was about to place it in my cradle, my aunt said: “Bhabhi, don’t you want to wash it first?”

I thought my aunt was being sarcastic of my mother’s cleanliness…..but no she was serious. Both my aunt and my mother then washed the toy with detergent, and then with Dettol and left it to dry in the sun.

They then spoke of the times when their families were poor and how they never had toys to play and how they had to create their own toys. Their concern was that I was just 3 months old and already had 34 toys. Is it my fault that I was born into a rich family? Actually, I don’t know my family’s bank balances yet, but my parents eat bread and jam for breakfast – so they ought to be rich.

If only I could talk, I would like to inform these two ladies that of the 34 toys I have, I haven’t yet touch 33. The one I have been given to play with is the Teether, which is anyway always sticky with saliva.

If only my mother would give me my toys to hold.

My naming ceremony in Kerala

I woke up with a start. Today is a big day…I am going to be named today. Parents have had their round of discussion…but nobody has consulted me so far.

The least I expect them to do is at least tell me…inform me…but no..they wouldn’t. As if I don’t exist. At least they could tell me how I should spell my name…will it be R-I-Y-A? R-I-A? R-E-A-H? or R-H-E-A?

We have more than 100 guests, who have between them lifted me off my cradle 78 times. I am losing calories quick and fast…at this rate I will become a super model soon.

I have been dressed up in a blue and white frock. What color sense? And mom, if you ever going to read this…I was being sarcastic.

Guess what…my family from Madurai (in Tamil Nadu) are also here. Way too many relatives, I must be having. The four visitors from Madurai are: my uncle called Murugan, an aunt called Deepa, another aunt called Sumathi and my paternal grand mother called Selvi.

It is sad to note that my paternal grand father passed away before I was born. I came to know because half the oldies who saw me said I could be the re-incarnation of my own paternal grand pa. Interesting story…but I will have to know more of my paternal grand pa to believe it.

I can see sorrow in my maternal grand mothers eyes…probably she is thinking of how happy her husband would have been on this day. But hey, I am back…remember?

Apparently this naming thing is big. I got gold bangles, chains, anklets, waist bands etc. Not to mention some 20-30 clothes….do clothes for babies come that cheap?