shadamarshanavasu

Monday, April 14, 2008

It is festival time here

Last two days have been fun with tamizh varusha pirappu and sri rama navami juxtaposed and also an extended weekend. The neighbourhood temples have gone berserk as it were with hectic preparations and wonderful celebrations. This is the first time I am able to enjoy their religious fervour fully. There was an entire fortnight of build up for sri rama navami utsavam. Visaka hari was slated for the start of the utsavam on 2nd april and for another ten days sri hari was scheduled to give discourses in the evening. I could never sit through any of these harikathas but I saw the crowd dispersing after the harikatha or starting to assemble before the event. The notice board in the temple used to be quite full with various engagements for the month.
We went there on tamizh varusha pirappu day in the evening.The smell of homam smoke was still thick in the air. Ramar sannidhi was getting decorated and outside the sannidhi preparations were on to tie the vishu kani the next day. General festive atmosphere was in the temple. A group of women devotees were chanting bhajans. All the deities were sporting gold kavachams and resplendently attired. I felt very good to be there at the start of the new year.
Today morning I made a beeline again for sri rama navami. This time the homam was in full swing and the priest was explaining the meaning of the japams. Vishu kani was strung on the roof and i could spot lots of fruits and vegetables which i am told will be distributed to the poor people next day.We were given a one rupee coin as prasad as a mark of 'vishu'. We also had prasad of neer mor, paanagam and kosumri. Ramar sannidhi was decorated wonderfully and Ramar was overloaded with tulasi maalias and jasmine garlands but his silver bow was shining amidst all the flowers.
Puja at home reminded me strongly of our childhood in Tambaram and appa's fervour for rama navami celebrations. Appas favourite songs from ramakrishna mutt ,Suddha brahma paratpara ram, Kanakambara and Sri rama chandra were remembered and sung with great gusto.
Later in the day, Worldspace radio had an entire collection of Aruna chala kavirayar's Rama natakam and it was sheer bliss.
I was walking past ayyappan temple nearby and was stuck by the truck loads of flowers spread there on the floor. Mounds of arali, jasmine, tulasi, crysanthamum and roses were being gathered and peeled by devotees sitting in large groups. I am sure the pookolam that would be made there would be wonderful and a true 'eye candy'.
Festival time, be in Chennai. But then take time out to do a relaxed round up. If you are in a rush, then what is the fun of festivals?

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1 Comments:

At 6:33 AM, Blogger shyamala balram said...

Festival time in Chennai - truly enjoyable; I remember visiting atleast 12 different Pillayars in T Nagar & kodambakkam during 'ganesh Puja' (once my hubby's 80 year old patti also accompanied us) and going to Mylapore tank during Navarathri. You cannot find such crowd, flowers, dirt, happiness anywhere else in the world.
During my younger days, Ramanavami was very special in our house, since my dad was born on that day & we used to have a lot of pujas, homam at home

I guess, I am missing all of those.
In fact, I did not even know that we had Tamil new year's day last week, until I spoke to my mother

 

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