Another onam?

Dad in his new brown shirt with blue stripes playing cards with his friends, less noisy than usual...his face darker than normal; Mom too in new clothes - a veshti-mundu set gifted by a relative - looking tired, sick and much older than she did just some months ago. My bro in his usual clean white kurta and dhoti; eyes shining with hunger, anger and strong convictions. My slimmer and smarter bhabhi, in new red leggings and kurta, still feeling out of place in our home. My niece in a smart checked skirt and white top engrossed in hollywood movies, egg and milk inspite of a slight distraction in the form of her first menstrual cycle. My skinny nephew in the tiniest shorts and a green t-shirt walking around collecting hugs and kisses from everyone by looking deep into their eyes, especially his appa. Rajesh, in a new red oversized shirt and dhoti, trying to remain sane in the mad lot by staying connected to his world through mobile and internet. Vishnu, in his new arrow shirt, oscillating between being the rajesh type and the kelath type. I, in a dirty brown churidar, looking for signs and signals from within. This was the onam spread at home. An exhausted Dad at the end of the day said, "so this year's onam is over". The silence that followed was eerie