sathabhishekam

Appa has completed 80 years and for the last year have been planning for the year long celebrations.Appa wanted a quiet homely affair and amma wanted a typical one with all relatives invited.It was good fun, going over it on the many occasions that i used to visit them.Slowly appa was veered around to having a purely family function at home.And amma insisted it should be a religious function with full fledged 'homam'.Appa agreed.
I was learning many new facets of life during the last few months. If we blame kids for being wilful and adament, i think authors have not chronicled the capacity of elders to be stubborn. I never knew my parents could be stubborn!All the time proclaiming that they are not!
Their health needed to be taken care of and nurtured. Amma had to have her cataract operation done and that was accomplished.
Vaadyar was called and he fixed the date for the religious function.Armed with a firm date, activites were unleashed all over the globe!Raja and family planned for their trip. Prashant had to arrange for his journey and Yasaswini had to plan for a propah time to ask for leave from boss.
Shopped for a diamond platinum ring as he had sometime back expressed he is partial to the same. There was no exchange of rings!
Took a major decision to have two separate functions, one the religious part and the other a social part.Venue for the evening reception was in a beautiful place identified , courtesy binni. It had an ac hall in one corner of a beautiful garden.It had artifical water falls in another corner and a children's play area in another. In the middle of the garden were lots of granite stools for invitees to sit around informally in small groups.Of course a small platform and a bouffet corner with small tents.Catering by chellappa, who served delicious food(rajnikant's daughter's marriage had chellappa as the caterer, so you get the drift)
Had also done a 'thirumanjanam' in srinvasar temple in Ambattur which appa fancied during my training centre days in that part of the town.And had lunch at a new restaurant in town called ' sanjeevanam'. They serve food in a typical style. starts with four small cups of juices;then salads of various hues; then half boiled vegetables and kootus; then veggies like vazhatandu and vazhapoo, but of course done in a very delicious way(kumar had a good helping not knowing it is vazgatandu!);and then you get red kaikuthal arisi sadam, by which time your stomach is full and satiated.Then aval payasam or rice payasam;and buttermilk.Top it all with honey liberally poured into our hands held out!And beeda of betel leaves and small pieces of carrots and beetroot!
Appa wanted to have a holiday with all his children and their families. Hence a trip to Pondicherry was arranged for two days just before the function.It was a beachside hotel and we simply 'chilled' out on the beach and hotel lawns.As per his desire we had arranged for a van(he did not want us to travel by different cars;it detracts from the full enjoyment, he said)
A few months back,, binni had taken appa and amma to dwaraka. It has been appa's wish for long to visit dwaraka. Twice the trip got cancelled and he was quite despondent. It was a flying visit planned and executed in record time.
Appa had started investing in the stock market at a wrong age of 70. But as it happened he made handsome gains and he thought it proper to book profits and share it with the children during his sathabhishekam.
A wonderful and caring couple, who have been exemplary parents. It was fortunate that we had the chance to have good times with them during this occasion.