By Anup Bhandari
This is story of a couple, Harke and Maya, who migrated to Australia in mid 2006. Like any other migrant they arrived at Kingsford Airport Sydney with ambitious dreams and colourful hopes intertwined beautifully with nervousness and fear of the unknown.
This story begins early morning, the day, it drizzled and dark clouds covered the skies. Their extended family came from far away to bless the newlywed .On the third day of their marriage they were making this journey across the seas.
The atmosphere had sweet smell of incense. Deep multi partitioned brass plate held the auspicious offerings. The prayers were to be made to their gods and ancestors for good luck. The offering plate was stashed with whole coconut, khatta (Buddhist good luck scarf), rice seeds mixed with vermicelli & curd, petals of flowers. In addition, two brass vases filled with water were placed on the either side of the main gateway. This ritual guaranteed good luck and success in the long journey that lay ahead.
Just when they were ready to leave the house the prayer ceremony began. Harke’s mother breaks the coconut on the floor and offered the coconut water to the dead and the immortals. The ritual proceeded to Tika Ceremony, the couple were blessed by their elders and in the process pasted red coloured rice on their forehead, wrapped a khatta around their necks and placed flower petals on their head. Read more…
