An object that conjures increased sentimentality, pride, and allure inside of my household is none other than the velikku(a golden oil lamp) that sits on top of the mantelpiece. A couple of rosary beads usually sit on the base of the lamp because we use them often while our family prays in the evening.
The practice of using velikku’s is largely native to Southern India, specifically Kerala, where my parents were born. In 2004, my parents and I went to India for the first time since my parents left Kerala in 1993. We stayed for the majority of the trip at my father’s house in Changanasherry but we also spent some time at my mother’s house in Arpookara. In the evening, I distinctly remember seeing my grandmother lighting the velikku with a theepetti(a matchbox) and as a result, the living room was illuminated and there was no need to turn on the lights in the house with a simple click of the lightswitch. The velikku remained illuminated until the entire family ate together, prayed together, and went to bed.
Before my parents and I were about to return to the U.S, I remember my grandmother giving my father a velikku that his family used to use when his nine brothers and sisters were all under one roof. She said, “Please bring this back with you and have your children pray every day; pass down our Catholic traditions and Malayalam culture on to your children as well.” My dad took the velikku, packaged it well, and put it inside one of our suitcases to bring back home with us.
To this day, the velikku has been sitting in the same location where my dad placed it eleven years ago. It must be why it is so difficult to move to another location because it is firmly placed on top of the mantelpiece.
The velikku that stands on top of the mantelpiece robustly stands as a testament to our proud Catholic tradition. My father always used to tell me that we categorize ourselves as St. Thomas Syro Malabar Catholics, meaning that our ancestors two thousand years ago were one of the seven families converted by St. Thomas. Originally Brahmins, they accepted the Catholic faith willingly and the tradition of Catholicism has been maintained since that time. Symbolically, the velikku stands for our Catholic tradition that has been maintained for about two thousand years, it helps us vicariously celebrate our Catholic faith with our fellow Syro Malabar Catholics spread throughout the world, and it reminds my parents of a simpler life they had back in Kerala with their family.
