“Ugadi usually means the whole family meeting at my cousin’s house. This year was even better because of the long weekend—nobody was looking at their watch or rushing to leave. The whole place was smelling like fresh mango leaves and vepapoovu. We were all there, from the kids to the elders, just catching up, doing puja rituals, and chit chatting after so many months

The best part is always the Ugadi Pachadi. We don’t sit around talking about ‘life lessons.’ We just pass the bowl and wait for someone to make a face because they got too much of the bitter neem. Someone always complains it needs more jaggery, someone else says it’s too sour. That’s just how it goes.
Having those extra days off meant we actually had time to sit around in our new clothes, catching up for hours and sharing our Pindi vantalu to the neighbors.”