Deepavali celebrations

Our family celebrated deepavali with new dresses, sweets and crackers. Till last year Abhi was scared of crackers. But this time he wanted to light sparklers and crackers. He enjoyed deepavali.

In addition to our normal celebrations, I wanted to do something more. I-volunteer,chennai members decided to visit the juvenile home at royapuram. Though it was bit far away from my residence, my family also decided to join me. We took lot of clothes,toys, shampoo sachets and sweets.

We could see the happiness in the children to see visitors bringing them sweets etc.

Small is beautiful - Our Golu

This is the first time I am keeping a full golu though a small one.

Abhi was very excited and interested to help me in arranging the Golu, park etc. Some of the Golu dolls which my mother-in-law gave are atleast 50-60 years old or may be more. It shows that to keep antiques, enjoy and encourage variety of art forms are part and parcel of our culture.

Also once in a while these festivals are good. All the nine days we systematically do the puja, be pure physically and mentally and do good to others.

Be happy and make others happy too!

Navarathri

Yet another "Navarathri" has come. And everyone around have become really busy doing pujas, lalitha sahasranamams, making chundals, visiting other houses for "Golu" .... The navami and dashami (9th and 10th day) is considered as auspisious for starting new ventures, professional prosperity, education prosperity, art & music etc . Navarathri and "Golu" is mainly in southern states of India. In some parts of India it is celebrated as "Dusserha".

"Golu" brings me lot of childhood memories.

Arranging the "Golu", the park, colour kolams etc were all real fun. Everyone at home join hands to make the "Golu" arrangement and decorate it.

Being a girl has lot of advantages during this festival. A small girl child (Kanni ponnu) is considered as "Goddess Kamakshi" and whatever is offered to small girls are beleived to be offering accepted by the goddess.

So girls are invited to "Golus" and are given lot of goodies (as children say these days) like new dress, bangles, bindhis etc along with the thamboolam. The thambolam consists of the betal leaf an aracanut, turmeric, kumkum, banana and a 1 rupee coin. We girls used to collect these coins for our piggy banks, making the boys at home jealous! Boys get usually their share of the chundal in the evenings!

Every mami used to compete to make different types of chundal and sweets and children used to compete to get the taste form as many houses as possible. But the current "Golu" trends have changed a lot.

Another important memory that comes to mind is the "Navarathri Katcheri" at the Saraswathi mandapam near Padmanabhaswami temple at Thiruvananthapuram. All the nine days, vetarans of music will sing at the mandapam. The royal family willbe there to listen. Public are also allowed. This tradition was started by Maharaja Swathithirunal.
Any music lover from Thiruvananthapuram cannot forget this event.

Some links of interest :

http://chennaionline.com/specials/navaratri04/navarathiri.asp
http://www.indiatastes.com/festivals/navarathri/durga.shtml
Navarathri festival at Thiruvananthapuram
http://www.swathithirunal.in/rlinsti/navarathrimand.htm

Sree Krishna Jayanthi

Sree Krishna Jayanthi is the festival to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna was born on the midnight of Ashtami day (8th day) on star Rohini. This festival is known by different names like Janmashtami, gokulashtami, ashtami rohini etc.

This is one festival which I love to celebrate because this festival is not meant for praying for one own wealth etc but symbolizes the happiness when Lord Krishna was born at Gokulam. People towards Kerala, pray Krishna in the form of Guruvayurappan.

I doubt whether anybody is there who is NOT fascinated by baby Krishna and his Leelas (childish pranks). Celebrating this festival gives a special joy to all mothers and ofcourse the children. It is a festival which accepts the pranks which children do.!

The celebration is done by putting kolams and “Krishnan kal”. (supposed to be baby krishna’s foot prints as he plays around the house). These are drawn with paste made from rice flour. I even put them in my kitchen tables imagining the stories of Kannan (pet name of Krishna) climbing up to steal butter.!

We make delicacies and snacks which are favuorites of Krishna. They include Unniappam, Aval, Pal payasam, Thattai, murukku, Cheedai etc and ofcourse his ever favourites milk and butter. Puja is done in the evening. The sweets and snacks are distributed to the children.

I have heard that in olden times, and even now in some villages and northern parts of India I suppose, games like Uri-adi etc are conducted remembering the games which Krishna played with his friends.

P.S: My mother and grandma used to make 7 or 9 items at home itself. Children loved to eat these home made through out the day. Recently, all items are available as a package (!) from many sweet shops at Chennai. Also the current trend is of the Lays chips and Kur-kure than these home made and quite healthy snacks.!

Onam Celebrations

Onam is the festival of Kerala. Celebrated in remeberance of the great ruler King Mahabali, shortened as "Maveli". People put flower arrangements known as "Atha poo" for the 10 days of celebration. Vallam Kali or boat race is very famous during this season. And ofcourse the Onasadya!

When non-keralites also joined for the "atha poo" arrangements in our apartments, it became a featival of national integration. Celebrating many festivals in the aprtment complexes bring people together.

Maveli nadu vanidum kalam, manusharellarum onnupole.....

The best Manager I have known …!!!

After facing the challenges of Project Leader or manager in a software industry, I have often thought about my paternal Grand Mother. She could have definitely become one of the best Project Managers of all the time!

I have tried to analyze her character which made me grade her as a manager. May be there are many more qualities with her which I had not understood in my childhood.

Utilization of Human resources!

She doesn’t allow anyone to idle away time, including the children. And when my aunties, cousins come for holidaying, she had the knack of making them also participate in the houldhold activities.

I wonder how efficiently she had managed “Delegation of work” and performed as a strict supervisor. But still she herself was a hard worker. I have heard relatives say that my grand mother can cook for 50 to 100 people single handedly.

Planning and Scheduling

She should have planed every work in her mind, for there was no planner, or planning softwares at that time! This considerably reduced the last minute tension, effort and cost. Not only planning, but keeping the schedule as per the plan was part of her.

During our summer holidays, we children used to guard the appalams, vadams that had been put to dry in the sun, from the crows & squirrels. Our other duties include helping her in watering the kitchen garden, keeping the backyard clean etc.

Budget

Another important aspect of any work executed (in Current terms – Project) is the budget.
In those times people had less money and many members in the joint family. So definitely, one should be good in planning the budget. Everyone was accountable for every paisa spent. There will not be any unnecessary expenditure.

Preparing pickles depending on the seasonal fruits and vegetables, planning travels ahead, purchasing of gifts for festivals, marriages, relatives etc

She will throw away anything only after 110% sure that it cannot be reused!

Good Values

Apart from all the strictness, she believed in good values, which naturally was instilled into all of us. Some of the values she held strongly are

Honesty
Love and Respect
Kindness
Hospitality

Though when I was a child, I used to get annoyed by my grand mothers strictness and we cousins used to tell that as our granny’s dictatorship. But now I can understand because of her leadership qualities only, our big family was able to grow prosperously. She had been the main support for many nuclear families that enjoy prosperity now. I give her a very big SALUTE from my heart!

My Visit to Maithri

July 6th – I cannot forget the day – when I met Mr.Sridhar of Maithri Trust. Irrespective of his odds and restrictions, he has been doing so much. I have great regards and respect for him.

I talked and discussed with him. I took a volunteering work that can be done from home, for the visually challenged students. To read out and record passages from the books given.

Seeing people who have struggled and come up successfully, opens a new perspective of Life before us. God has given me so much, definitely I have to do something utilizing whatever he has given. I have to help those who are in need. I leave his residence-cum-office with a new spark in my heart.

To know more about Maithri, visit
http://www.maithritrust.org/index.htm