East or West, Alike are Beliefs

                               

On Halloween's Day

                             East or West, beliefs are the same and also the way of expressing them.Ash Gourd is kept outside the house or tied in front of the house on the day of Grahapravesam to ward off the evil eyes or spirits from the new house.

                            Similarly in the west countries also, Pumpkins are displayed in the porch on the Halloween's Day.They are carved aesthetically and candles are lit inside the carvings. This is one of many celebrations associated with the Halloween's Day in the U.S.
A belief goes with the lighted candle that they receive the blessings of the spirits that are benign and ward off the spirits, malign in nature.

                         In our places on Friday nights and a few other occasions Ash Gourd smeared with kungumam are cut and thrown in front of some shops making it risky for the pedestrians and people riding on two wheelers.Instead they can be displayed in the front that they remain for months together.

                        Human Minds are alike, be it East Or West ! 

Hello Mumbai

                      

 

    Mumbai visit, be it the second time for an outsider, I feel is never complete without having a look at the majestic Gate Way of India.May be my brother also had similar thoughts.Heavy rain or hot sunshine is not a matter.It was pouring heavily. Yet he drove us to have a glimpse of the elegant entry point of India from the car.The city as well as the monument were drenched and cleaned by the heavy downpour.The historic
architectural marvel minus the pigeons in the ambience is something beyond our imagination.

                    Yes, we made it to Mumbai after two decades inspite of my brother's repeated invitation for atleast a week's stay at his home in Mumbai.Finally the Vinayagar Chathurthi before the week end by the end of August became an extended week end facilitating the response to a long pending request.

               Having a darshan of the all powerful Siddhi Vinayakar of the famous Siddhi Vinayakar temple at Mumbai on the day of Ganesh Chathurthi seemed so exhiliarating.
Must be a life time experience !
 

Diyas, the Diwali special

            Diwali this year is something special for us with the additional lights or the Diyas for enriched joy.

  

             Diwali is an occasion of Happiness and cheer with new clothes, sweets and crackers for most people in our state. A few may go in for Jewellery, new TV, furniture etc for their needs. Some may be carried away and lured by the the attractive offers that occcupy sizeable pages of the newspapers atleast for a week before the festival.Too colourful and delightful, not easy to be resisted ! Goddess Lakshmi  is worshipped with special Poojas by a section of the people.

          Beautiful Diyas, a gift from one of the friends in Mumbai, a couple of days before Diwali is sure to light our  homes with peace and prosperity.



                        
 

Thanks Varuna Bagawan

               Talking in the lighter vein,what can be a better gift for Diwali to the students and the staff of the educational institutions than the unexpected holidays announced due to the rain in many of the districts of Tamil Nadu  prior to the festival.This holds good only to the institutions who have declared a holiday either only on the day of Diwali or with one more day, prior to or after the Diwali.This announcement may not be a pleasant surprise to everyone as most of the  private institutions have declared a long holiday already for Diwali.

         Looking at the other side of the coin, one cannot help from being really sorry  and moved for the traders for whom the rain may be a dampener.Also for the farmers especially in the district of Thanjavur where it has caused a hige loss with thousands of acres of cultivated land submerged in water.

        Pleasure and Pain go hand in hand at times !

The Farewell

                             Never could one even make a guess to whom, I bade a farewell with a heavy heart, next only to my precious grandson  Jiji and his parents on my departure to India.

                     Johnson's County Library at a driving distance of 5 minutes was the place, frequented by me during my stay in US. for six months.Completely carried away by the facilities available as it was my maiden trip and enjoying its services to the most,the library has an indelible impression in my memory along with a few more places, persons and events.

                    The members permitted to take any number of books, is a big surprise to me still.Initially a book can be borrowed by the member for a period of 3 weeks and renewed 3 times on line each time for 3 weeks.If the book happens to be on hold by any other member, the renewal is not the accepted.With this facility, even an expensive book or books which are out of print, hence cannot be purchased, can be enjoyed for a period of 3 months. E books, Kindles, DVDs etc. etc.a special area for children and a good ambiance 
for the adults to sit and read amazed me.Books required by the members are registered on lines, so that they are ready in their names to be entered by self and taken out in a few minutes.Books after reading can be dropped into the drop box from the car.

                    Very interesting and colourful books about our nation became sources of my joy for the first time.The history and Geography of a few countries, biographies of some eminent personalities ,needless to say,were my companions during my leisure.  
                                 
                    All these facilities free,though from the taxes are unbelievable.One of my school mates, a citizen of Canada declared with a sense of pride that any town of North of America even with a population of around ten thousand is privileged with a full fledged library.

                  True, no wonder, with such amenities and the citizens making use of them, 
these nations are in the forefront , even some decades back !
                         
                      

                         

Navarathiri Day 10

                  

Sri Ambal - Siva Poojai

                 On the tenth day, the day after the Nine Days of Navarathiri Celebrations,Ambal thanking  Lord Shiva  and doing Pooja is the theme.The Alangaram is called Sri Ambal, Siva Poojai.

               The ten days of celebrations really made us delighted. It was enriching.
                                 
              We must really be proud to be born in a country with so many festivals and celebrations, to take us forward cheerfully.

Navararthiri Day 9

                                               

Sri Saraswathi Amman

 


                                        
                                 Today is Her Day, Saraswathi Pooja as the very name suggests. Sri Saraswathi, the Goddess of Learning blessed us on Day Nine of Navarathiri, thanks to the organisers of the Siddhi Vinayagar Temple.

                                      
                               Like yesterday, today also Her smile and Beautiful form with Veena is so captivating and rejuvenating.There is a cute parrot , not to be missed at one end of the Veena.May She shower all Her devotees with Wisdom to enlighten the individual, the family, the society, the country and at large ,ultimately the world.

Navarathiri Day 8

 

 

Sri Meenakshi Amman

                                 Sri Meenakshi Amman, the Goddess of Madurai is the beautiful form, adorned by the Mariamman on Day 8 of Navarathiri.She was so pleasing with an endearing smile,beauty and majesty,captivating me for some time.We used to get Her Darshan in Madurai frequently during the five years of our stay in the later seventies.No such unprecedented crowds and queues as seen today. 

                                 Meenakshi  Amman's blessings can be sought with the vision of the Amman at very close quarters within a distance of less than two feet tonight.That is a great privilege to be enjoyed only in small shrines like this, where I have seen Mariammans as  Goddess Meenakshi during the Navarathiri or Chithirai Thiruvizha Celebrations in a few temples of our locality.In Madurai synonymous with  the Meenakshi Amman Temple, She blesses Her devotees, that too, paid, more than eight feet away.Yet Her Power in Madurai is infinite.We make it  at the at least once in a year to Her seat in Madurai now.


 

Navarathiri Day 7

                           Sri Garparakshambigai, the unique gift of womanhood is  the Special Alangaram of Marimman on the Day 7 of Navarathiri.

                      May this Sri Garparakhambigai  bless  all the married couples with the children.

                                            

Sri Garparakshambigai

Navarathiri Day 6

                                  Sri Bramacharini is the form taken by the Mariamman on the Sixth Day of Navarathiri in the Siddhi Vinayagar Temple at a distance of 1 Km. from our house.

                              Basically it is a Vinayakar Temple but there are small separate shrines each for Lord Ayyappan, Mariamman, Shiva and Bala Murugan along with the Navagrahas.

                          Navarathiri and Chithirai Thiruvizha are the festivals celebrated for Mariamman.

                                                

Sri Brahmacharini

Navarathiri Day 5

                                         

Sri Bagavathi Amman

 Sri Bagavathi Amman is the Alangaram of our Marimman on the Fifth Day  of Navarathiri in the Siddhi Vinayagar temple.Ambal looks very majestic and beautiful.

Navarathiri Day 4

                                 On the fourth day of Navarathiri, the beginning of the three days meant for Lakshmi, the Ambal is decorated as Sri Mahalakshmi with Sri Venkatachalapathy.

                           It seems to be most the befitting as today is Purattasi Sani.
 

Sri Venkatachalapathy and Sri Mahalakshmi

Navarathiri Day 3

                 Today on  the third day of Navarathiri, the Ambal of our temple is decorated as Bala Thiripura Sundari, the youthful form of the Goddess.

                                            

Bala Thiripura Sundari

Navarathiri Day 2

            Sri Brahmi is the Alangaram of the Mariamman on the second day of Navarathiri.

                Brahmi is said to be the kind and benevolent form of the Mother Godess.

                      From the very name Brahmi, we can assume that she must be associated
                        with the creator God Brahma as his Shakthi meaning Power.

                          Brahmi is one of the seven Mantrikas, similar to our Sapthakannihaihal.

                                                                  

Sri Brahmi

Navarathiri Day 1

                    Today is the first day of Navarathiri.The first three days, as per the tradition,I make Poojas to Goddess Durga.
               Navarathiri is celebrated in a very grand manner in all most all the Amman temples of Coimbatore.There are special Alangarams and Poojas even in some of the Vinayagar,Shiva, Murugan temples in the shrines of Devi.
               Similarly in the nearby, Siddhi Vinayagar temple, there is a small shrine for Goddess  Mariamman.The Goddess is decorated very aesthetically in different forms on all the ten days.The temple wears a festive look.
              Today the Ambal is decorated as Gaja Lakshmi seated on the lotus, flanked by two white elephants on either sides.

Gaja Lakshmi

The Search

                                     My search for a particular text book for more than 2000 minutes came to an end just within 2 minutes,making me ponder over it from a few angles. 

                                      One of the text books, prescribed for the elective paper for our PG course was not available, both at the local stores and with the two popular online sellers.I had a talk with my counterparts of three colleges and the reply was that they had chosen a different elective as the book was not available and nothing relevant could be down loaded from the net.One of them even suggested me to change the elective,highlighting the advantages of the paper, they have opted.

                                 On making a request to one of my colleagues to help me through her spouse who works in an other college,the reactions were,

       Did you check in our library?
       Why can't you try with the Amazon?
       May be it's available with the Flipcart!
       Give me the name of the Publishers as many of them are known to me during my
       course of research.

                  Again, a few acquaintances were contacted with the request and two of them replied within a couple of days that the book was not available.Still, even after a week, the response is pending from the other two persons.The tenth call was to a counterpart, who told me about her ordeals on going for the same text.It was decided mutually to help each other.

                 With the frantic search for four days, while relaxing at 5.00 P.M. back at home, a thought flashed in my mind. The prescribed text being a book, related with communication skills, might also be available in the reputed Engineering College, where a nephew of me, is a faculty. He sits in his department even after the working hours,busy with his research work.On calling him,he said,'' Athai ( aunty ) I 'll call you back in 5 minutes. " But he called me back within a couple of minutes.

              The list of books of their library,being available in the systems of all their Departments, he called me in two minutes and handed the book in 2 hours.

              My Odyssey for more than 2000 minutes happily ended within 2 minutes, making me really thankful to him.

             Can this be interpreted that there is truly something to be called the 
" right time" whatever might be efforts.Had I contacted my nephew  first,the related experience and the lessons learned from the search could have been missed.

           Let us get ready to learn from any search or an experience and enjoy!

                         

                                         
                

The Andal temple

                              The majestic towers of the popular Andal Kovil of Srivilliputhur greets the devotees well in advance before they reach the town.We visit the temple at least once in a year but only during our latest visit, the grandeur of the gopuram was captured in the camera.

                             It is a matter of great joy and pride for my mother in law that the Rajagopuram of the Andal temple of her home town, Srivilliputhur is the official emblem of our state.Naturally the town happens to be the birth place of my spouse and his two sisters.The Andal Ther is very magnificent to look at on the move. Really blessed and fortunate are those, outside the town, who can make to that occasion on the day of Thiruadipooram,the birth day of the great Vaishnavite saint and composer,Andal, whose Pasurams vibrate in the dawn during the month of Margazhi.

                       An ancient Siva temple at Madarvilagam, 2 km. from the Andal temple is also worth seeing. The town of Srivilliputhur is also well known for its pure milk sweet,called Palkova.No visitor to the town returns without the Palkova.

                     

A Big Congrats

                                A big congrats to the the great men and women who were honoured with the medals, citations and cash certificates by the CM for their exemplary services, on the occasion of the Independence Day.Really, their courage and service to the state is to be lauded and they are going to be role models and sources of inspiration to the people with the similar bent of mind.

                         Mostly, the Independence Day for me,like every one is a day of joy,honestly speaking,because it is a holiday.At times, we plan for an outing or a picnic.This year the festive mood of the people could be witnessed from the crowded bus stands and traffic on the the highways with ID falling prior to the week end.

                      With no plans, today morning, sitting in front of the TV and watching the ID
celebrations in Chennai, these bureaucrats, elected people and the  entrepreneurs felicitated by the highest authority of the state  moved me and made my day.

Arul Tharum Amma koniamma

                          Arultharum Koniamman, in a sitting posture in the temple, situated in the heart of the city of Coimbatore is a powerful deity, guarding the entire region and blessing her devotees.The Kumbhabhishekam of the temple was held on a grand scale on July 11, Friday.The newly built Rajagopuram is very majestic that no passerby can cross the threshold without bowing the head.The grandeur of the Gopuram adds value to the already popular temple and one of the important tourist destinations of Coimbatore.

                    Only yesterday, the day of Aadi Ammavasai, we could make it the temple  after the consecration.This post is an outcome of the elegance of the grand tower, the Navagrahas with their consorts, rarely seen in the temples and the omniscient Goddess.

    Suryan         Usha Devi, Saya Devi
    Chandran     Rohini
    Chevvai       Sakthi Devi
    Budhan       Gnana Devi
    Viyazhan     Thara Devi
    Velli            Shukkruthi
    Sani            Neela Devi
    Rahu           Himshika
    Kethu         Chitralekha
           

                  There are separate shrines for Vinayakar, Murugar and Adhi Koniamman. Festivals galore throughout the year, the main one being the Car Festival, celebrated in the month of Masi.Let us be a part of the celebration and get the blessings of the Devi Koniamman.

Gods Do Listen To Us

                            Gods do listen to us and help us, wherever and whenever possible is known to all of us.At times it is quite explicit.For the past two decades, I fervently wanted to take part in the Perumal Koil car festival,Ther Vizha at our hometown Sattur. That was only a dream till last week.This year, it was firmly decided by me to to  worship the Satthurappan with his consorts, Sridevi and Poodevi in the Ther at any cost.

Sathurappan,Venkatesa Perumal

                     Initially the festival was scheduled on Thursday,July 12. The day,being the middle of the week, some constraints in availing leave from work, left me to do nothing but lament.

                      It is really a miracle that Sattur Venkatesa Perumal must have listened to me. For reasons unknown, the Car Festival was rescheduled on Saturday, July 12, a week end, facilitating our trip from Coimbatore to Sattur without any hassles of Casual leave.
Started from my workplace at 4 PM on Friday, July 11, and halted at Madurai.Next day, early in the morning, we worshipped the Subramania Swamy and Deivanai in Thiruparankundram and reached Sattur at 10 AM to pull the Ther at 11 AM.The next day, on Sunday, we visited the famous Andal temple at Srivilliputhur and also our family deity Matha Angalaparameswariamman temple.

                    Later we could also make a darshan and get the blessings of the powerful Muthumariamman of Perumaldevanpatti, a village 8 kms off Srivilliputhur.The village is proudly called as Kutti Punjab, as nearly 800 people from the village were and are defending our nation, safely with the blessings of Muthumariamman of their hometown.
 for nea
               My spouse and mother in law could also extend their stay for a fortnight at Sattur to complete some works kept pending at our ancestral home for more than seven decades.

             A big thanks to Venkatesa Perumal for helping us to accomplish several tasks in a single trip,only by rescheduling the day of His Ther Thiruvizha.

                       Gods do listen to us, don't they?

Salutations to the Divine Woman, Dr. Catherine Hamlin

           Let me dedicate this Women's Day, March 08 to the Divine Lady, Dr. Catherine Hamlin, an Australian Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, settled in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, dedicating her life to the service of the underprevileged women suffering from Obstetric Fistula, an injury caused during child birth.

      The credit of coming to know about this great soul,Dr. Catherin and the physiological
problem of our poverty stricken sisters in Africa goes to my favourite daily, The Hindu, which in turn happens to be the main window to me for a glimpse of the the world around me.A chance reading of the article about the noble and unselfish task of Dr.Catherine  with her husband, Dr.Hamlin, a New Zealander in Africa stirred my heart.

    The highly commendable humanitarian gesture of such kind hearted women should often be highlighted while magazines list the powerful women of the world in the corporate sector,political front,films and fine arts etc.

  As God cannot be present everywhere, it is said that he created mothers.

 Yes, Divine mothers like Dr. Catherine Hamlin,actively serving the downtrodden even at
  the age of 90  are the living Gods of Earth.

  It is certain that the nominee is sure to be the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
 

Super Suruli Falls

                                On seeing the Suruli Falls at close quarters, the thought "What is this Falls, so small, compared to the various Falls of Coutrallam " flashed in my mind.But only after the water started hitting my head like rocks, the force of the Falls was apparent, seeming more vibrant than the other Falls.

                           Starting from Coimbatore at 5.30 A.M.,We reached the Suruli Falls at a distance of nearly 270 Kms.On the way, there was a halt at Kuchanoor just 30 Kms. before Suruli,to pray to the Sani Bhagawan.Landing at Suruli around 1 P.M.,to our joy there was not much crowd, enabling a bath to our heart's content.The Falls is accessible only after walking through a greenery for 15 mins.from the parking lot.

                   Suruli Falls is actually the Suruli river, originating from the Meghamali. It is a two tier Water Falls.It is said that the Falls is perenial and it is emerging as one of tourist attractions of the Theni District.This scenic Falls is at a distance of 56 kms. from Theni and about 120 kms. from Madurai.

                           

The Great Harmony

                                The great harmony, atleast, at times, between the Saivism and Vaisnavism along with the fact that Shiva and Vishnu are one and the same can be best exemplied by the presence of the Navagrahas in the Koodal Azhagar Temple, one of the popular Divya Desams.The Navagrahas may be very common in all the Shiva temples but uncommon in any Vaishnava Temple.

                               During our visit to Madurai in Sept. Three in One,getting up early and reaching the temple at 6.30 A.M. we were free from the hassles of car parking, long waiting in the queues and had the greatest blessing of Worshipping Sri Koodal Ahagar and Maduravalli Thayar in a calm and peaceful way.

                        The temple looks majestic with a grand Rajagopuram, in close proximity to the Central Bus Stand, Railway Station and the Meenakshi Temple in the ancient city of Madurai.The main deity, befitting the name Azhagar, is stately even in the sitting posture
and there are separate shrines for Madura Valli Thayar and Andal Nachiar.The devine beauty of the Lord had been eulogised by the great Azhlwars, Perialwar, Thirumangai Azhlwar and Andal.

Thai Veetu Seedhanam

           

                                           Thai Veetu Seedhanam, immediately is associated with something valuable and precious like gold, silver,sarees etc. which at times is proudly proclaimed by the receiver with the sense of joy to themselves and to the giver.

                                          This time, the gifts from my mother were entirely unique beyond even the slightest guess of anyone.A wonderful chariot drawn by horses,a lovely pair of parrots,a pair of  majestic  elephants,pair of endearing deer, Laughing Buddha, a set of lucky pots, all made of clay and porcelain,products of our beloved Mother Earth who also gives us the gold, silver and even the Diamond.

                               The road in which my parents' house is located in Chennai, just opposite to the Shridi Sai Baba temple in Mylapore can be called a Pondy Bazaar or even Ranganathan Street, with all vendors selling attractive and colourful articles on the platform.They live there for the past three decades. Yet the very huge crowds of devotees to worship Baba on all Thursdays till 11 P.M. in the past one year is unprecedented and so also the list of beautiful commodities for sale on that days.

                               All most all the things, right from stainless steel articles, handbags, purses, Blouse pieces, bed sheets, pillow covers, toys, dolls, costume jewellery, mud pots
Hand bags,garments etc. find a place in the sale.  My mom's acquaintance and rapport with some of the vendors from Mylapore is such that,makes me wittily remark, she may even win on contesting for a ward ccouncillor.It is heartening to see that she  wants to buy things, at times to please them and they reciprocate her gesture with a good discount.

                              The lady who sells mud pots and the porcelain show pieces is a permanent vendor and it is natural,she developed an intimacy with my mom.So on the way back from my last visit to Chennai in December,two heavy card board boxes with gifts worth a thousand and more accompanied me in the train.The precious diamonds may even be worthless and tiny, compared to these presents which are as large as the love with which they were showered.

                            Thanks to both the beloved Moms, Mother Earth and my mom for
this Thai Veetu Seedhanam.
                                                       Jai Sai Ram.