Karadaiyan Nonbu

Karadaiyaan nonbu has always been an interesting function at home. The intersection of two Tamil months viz., Maasi and Panguni is when this function is celebrated. A yellow colour thread is tied around every girl’s neck on this day. Usually in South Indian community, only married girls wear the sacred yellow thread around their neck. I still remember those days as an unmarried girl how I used to get embarrassed wearing this around my neck during school and college days. Unfortunately there were very few students in our entire school / college who belonged to the community that celebrates this function. The boys in our school / college had a gala time teasing me this day. The only thing I liked about this day was the sweet they prepare – Nonbu adai.

Nonbu adai is usually served with some butter topping. I simply loved to eat those yummy adais with lots of home made butter that gave a wonderful aroma. Until I got married, I did not care to learn how those delicious adais are made. The first karadaiyan nonbu after marriage was hardly celebrated because my husband and I received an invitation to lunch with his colleagues and boss in Le Meridian, Bahrain. So I cared the least to celebrate this. The second time, my MIL prepared them since I was under bed rest because of pregnancy. The third time, I tried to prepare these adais having my two little infants at home. It was a big flop! The adais came out to be scrambled and tasteless that I had to throw out the entire thing out in the garbage.

The fourth time, I happened to celebrate this in my house back in India. I wanted to see my Mom prepare it but then it did not happen though I tasted those delicious adais with home made butter again! The fifth time I began preparing them with some big hope but it was a bigger flop. It came out like a paste. I just cannot imagine what I did to make it into a paste consistency. My husband, who is equally fond of these adais, tasted a bit of that paste and went away without uttering a word.

The sixth time I was in my in-laws’ house where again I got to eat them without preparing. I simply considered myself lucky to get to eat them at least since I flopped every time I prepared. That year, I decided to learn how to prepare it by trying it leisurely on some other day so that I can gain experience. That too did not happen. The seventh and the eighth time, these adais were not prepared that day since on one occasion, my daughters fell sick and the next time, I fell sick.

Today is Karadaiyan Nonbu again. But what a magic! These adais turned out to be perfectly well this time without any hassle. I had those adais with lots of ‘lurpak’ butter. It tasted truly yummy! My kids too loved them.

Finally, my kids asked me the significance of this function. Actually this day is celebrated in commemoration of the victory of Sathi Savithri who fought with Yama – the Lord of Death and brought back her husband. So this day is celebrated praying for the longevity of their husband. But I do not know for what reason unmarried girls too celebrate this event. I did not know how to explain all these to my daughters. So I just told them that today is the most auspicious day for unmarried girls to pray for a good husband and married girls for the prosperity of their husbands. But they asked me yet another question – “When is that auspicious day for unmarried and married boys to celebrate this occasion?” I do not have an answer. Mythology is yet to provide me a story where husbands prayed for the longevity of their wives.