Fervour marks ‘Vishukani Utsav’

‘Abhishekam’ to the deity of Lord Krishna, ‘vishu kaineetam’, and ‘urali’ add to thefestive spirit

Members of Nair Service Society showering petals on the deity of Lord Krishna at Vishu celebrations in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.—Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

Traditional music of God’s Own Country came alive at Kerala Kala Samithi, as members of Nair Service Society came together to celebrate ‘Vishukani Utsav – 2015’ on Sunday evening.

While women joined hands to light earthen lamps, men took turns to participate in special ‘abhishekam’ performed for Lord Krishna. Holding a huge conch, Malayalis took part in the ritual by offering pots of milk, curd, ghee, honey, and a combination of fruit juices. In the end, baskets of flower petals were showered on the deity.

The visual treat of ‘vishukani’ and the much-awaited ritual of ‘vishu kaineetam’, where an elderly person blesses the rest of the family members offering money and gifts as a token of good fortune, added fervour to the celebrations.

A huge

urali , vessel made of brass, filled with flowers, rice, paddy, ‘vellarika’ (cucumber), coconut, ornaments, and other items, was arranged at the venue for the visitors to view ‘vishukani’.

“We usher in the New Year by viewing ‘vishukani’ as part of our tradition early in the morning as it represents prosperity and wealth,” says P. Ravindra Nath, president of the society.

Children and women entertained the audience with a string of cultural performances, which was wrapped with different flavours of ‘sadya’.

Secretary of Hindu Aikyavedi K.P. Haridas, Partha Govind Das of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and secretary of the society Murali Mohan were among those who took part in the Vishu celebrations.