While we speak about festivals ,we definitely knew that they all are radiant colours of  lights.We can’t  imagine even a festival,  without lights. Thus ,Onam will come to our mind.Onam is our national festival.  What is the legend behind Onam in Kerala? Granaries will be stored completely  with grains  during Onam. Every people will buy Onakkodi  (NEW DRESSES BUYING ON THE OCCASION  OF ONAM).
The legend story behind Onam is that  demon king Mahabali will  come to visit his mob( people)  of Kerala. Keralites celebrate  Onam,in the  first month of  Chingam every year.
Everywhere  and anywhere in Kerala ,will be  surrounded by prosperity.
Aaradhana’s  father was very loving.He  was  Retired Senior Tahsildar. Aaradhana’s  father’s  name was N.K.Chendamarakshan Menon.  He retired in 1990 from his official  position .He was B.A.B.L( BACHELOR OF ARTS  & BACHELOR OF LAW).  N.C.GOPAL Menon was the God father of N.K Chendamarakshan Menon, M.P GOPINATHA PILLA & K.RAMACHANDRAN NAIR(nephews).
On that occasion of Onam in 1993, Aaradhana got a beautiful new dress .It was a Gagra Choli  (NORTH INDIAN TYPE MIDI).
The Gagra Choli was embedded with beautiful cream coloured  golden shawl and midi  with golden black gagra  blouse.All were happy in that particular,Onam occasion.
N.C GOPAL MENON  and N.K Chendamarakshan Menon  were sitting infront of the  house,reading newspaper.
Aaradhana’s  father asked her funny loving question  ” IS , IT PURE GOLD?” Aaradhana smiled and went to the temple with her sister. Her father was an Advocate also. N.C GOPAL MENON  was Aaradhana’s  grandfather. N.V Bhasura was Aaradhana’s  grandmother.Â
N.K Chendamarakshan  Menon had  an elder sister.Her name was K.Padmaja. And his brother in law’s ( Padmaja’s husband)  name was M.Vibhakara Menon. They were situated in Ponnurunni in Ernakulam district. Ponnurunni is a semi – urban  village. Although ,it is in Cochin city, it has a striking similarity to  rural area.  Aaradhana studied in St.Rose English Medium  school nearby Ponnurunni,untill 1st standard.
Then Aaradhana’s  family went back to her grandmother’s  house in Desamangalam in Kochi city after 3 years of studying in Thammanam St.Rose school.
Nearby  Aradhana’s house ,  KunnathVeedu in Desamangalam  village ,  are surrounded by temples. Idol worship of Goddesses and God’s  are there in the temples  in Desamangalam.Â
Aaradhana’s father N.K Chendamarakshan Menon was  at that time,Ernakulam Tahsildar.  Now  Kochi is SMART CITY & BINALE CITY.
Aaradhana’s father  took her to the  COCHIN AIRPORT  in the  morning  and show her inside the Aeroplane.
And atonce the smart,tall  airhostess came running to her and asked her ” WHAT IS YOUR NAME?”
“MY NAME IS AARADHANA N.K” The small girl answered.
Airhostess became very happy and gave the little girl a packet of chocolates. Â She was wearing a red frilled frock with five layers. It was a foreign cloth.
Then they were on their way to Desamangalam.While they reached in the  house in the village ,Aaradhana gave the packet of chocolates to her aunt Jaya.
Aaradhana’s best friend’s name was Geeta in the school.  Both of them used to eat  a lot of  scramberries  (loobikka in Kerala slangs’)  in their 10th standard in the high school.They got scramberries  from the house nearby the school who used to sell them for ( 5 paise per scramberry).
National Highway 17 is passing  nearby their school.
Aaradhana  had  ” OPEN SCHOOL ” system sometimes  in their L.P school and High school in Parur.
“OPEN SCHOOL”” system  is  followed by Rabindranath Tagore’s  Shantiniketan. Shantiniketan  is  one  of the world famous methods of  teaching  and accepted by everyone.Â
Aaradhana and her family returned to Desamangalam in 1987 from  Ponnurunni.Padma sat  beside Aaradhana in the L.P. School. Padma’s father worked somewhere in a foreign country.That was the information  about her. She wore peculiar clothes  ( Padma  likewise told) made in foreign  country. Aaradhana was a small child then and she saw  variety clothes worn by her friend.  In Aaradhana’s  small and tiny mind,it created a competition mentality. Still,it was a school and studying  atmosphere existed there. Aaradhana had got new dresses( in the occasion of Onam).The tiny girl wore new dresses brought to her one by one ,to the school on the prescribed  holidays.Aaradhana defeated Padma in that competition  arised in her mind and became very happy.   In that new dresses ,there was a beautiful ( black and white) gypsy type long beautiful midi,red midi and a beautiful foreign red  frock with five  frills of layers in it.Â
In the 1987,she was studying in 2nd standard.Her teacher was  Molly. Why Aaradhana  liked Molly ? Because ,it was in Molly’s  class ,she was honoured  first rank and  awarded beautiful  MEDAL  for it.
In her school,there was dance class.The playground contained  swings ,see-saw  ,round swings, slides etc.The school authorities  showed the children the film Lord  Jesus Christ.Aaradhana saw the film curiously and she still remembers all the parts of the film ,which praised Jesus Christ.
Aaradhana and her sister chose autorikshaw for going to school.That was very comfort.Because it is a very pleasing journey in autorikshaw  from the village,  Desamangalam  to nearby L.P. school in the town.Â
Nearby temple in Aaradhana’s house  is a big  idol worship  of  figurine of Lord Mahavishnu.Â
The wall of  the temple contains some paintings. One of them is the picture of Narasimha Moorthy( HALF LION ,HALF MAN).
Lots of Goddesses,sages,God’s are praising him during that moment.Which moment? Â The moment which he killed Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu was the cruel,demon king. Â Lord saved his great devotee ,Prahlada by killing Hiranyakashipu. In the end of the month November ,the festival starts in the temple.
Aaradhana’s  school uniform’s colour was a particular  type.It was cream top and Navy navyblue  skirt with belt,buckle and shoes.
Aaradhana brought her books to the school in a steel case..She sat on the edge of the bench in 1987, beside Padma.Variety types  of pupils from various  places were there in the school.Â
Aaradhana’s  friend Geeta Lakshmi,  told about her about a trip to Karnataka  temples.Geeta told Aaradhana  that her maternal uncle died in Vembanad lake tragedy.
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