onam

There is an ayyappan temple in the neighbourhood. We had never known about it for all these years.It is unostentatious and does not blare loud devotional songs. It is tucked away in a small lane and does not have flashy gopurams to broadcast its presence. It has a small tile roofed temple as though it is a family deity installed within your own house.It is full of feel good factor about it. There are just two sannidhis, one of ayyappan, the main deity and another of pillayar. It has lots of trees of flowering plants inside the compound.It has an old world charm about the place.There is a single 'pookadai' just outside the gate.I go past this temple on my occasional walks in the colony and the liberal and heady smell of 'malli' and 'jaadi' are a welcome assault on your senses.It opens well past 6 pm and has a devotional songs played in a very low volume which one can hear only inside the temple.
Of late I am seeing a group of elderly ladies assemble there in the evening and recite bhajans, slokas and devotional songs. To ward off the friendly mosquitoes which hover around them, they carry all sorts of contraptions and they make a regular 'whoosh' sound inbetween beats!Some of them cannot sit on the floor, so come with folding chairs but their regularity surprises me.
Last week during onam, I felt like visiting this temple. P and me decided to go there after 8 pm. The place was teeming with malayalis of all hues and sizes and ages in traditional attire with sandal paste on their foreheads and all of them having such well washed and clean look about them.The temple was full of flowers and thorans and wore a very festive look. Very beautiful and artistic and colouful rangolis, the 'pookalam' was adorning the floor space. I am really fond of these flower rangolis and stood gazing at them trying to memorize the design and floral arrangement.There was nadaswaram innisai in the background. But unfortunately they were playing only tamil devotional songs which did not merge with the mood. But they cannot import them from kerala ostensibly!
We just entered the temple and witnessed the 'mahaarati '. There is something about the string of lamps that ayyappan temples display.They are so beautiful and immediately take you on a divine feel. The idol is very small and huge garlands were adorning the deity and were laid like a huge mat in front of the idol. We all took the sandalwood paste prasad and were surprised that a massive dinner plate was handed out for every devotee. Sambhar rice, curd rice, kesari and pattani sundal were handed out in liberal quantities. Soon a big queue formed and as we wer coming out of the temple we could see the neighbourhood suddenly erupting into a sea of humanity heading straight to the temple. I was reminded of the screen play in some tamil movies, where they will show all lanes are full of people heading towards purposefully towards one particular spot, where there is action.I saw my keerai kaari hurrying with her children as also my neighbour's servant maid with her family.There is something very satisfying about annadanams.We brought our prasadams home and I was happy to share it with the watchman in the next door apartment block.He obviously is not tuned in to the neighbourhood happenings!

annual day celebrations

Yesterday evening was annual day celebrations of Kalakshetra part time dance students. The director Leela samson told us, that it was a first, to put the part timers on stage in a full fledged performance at Kalakshetra.My niece was dancing and so the entire family available yesterday in chennai troopped to the campus in the evening and that made two car-fulls. No, we did not gate crash; the children were specifically told to bring parents, brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts, grand parents and also neighbours.We only needed an excuse of course and nothing could hold us back from seeing J on stage, enjoying herself.

I was there during the rehersals yesterday and got a fairly greenroom view of the programme.The teacher was having a tough time getting the akkas, who were in charge of each of the numbers to gel together. The manager in me was immediately looking at the team effort at play and creativity bursting for self expression.Both are usually mutually exclusive and I could see that if one is creative then the mind does not concentrate on the mundane things of organising the entire show meticulously.Not the optimum way to get things going but then that is how it is with creative effort I guess.
The part time students were fifty and nine different numbers were planned for the annaul day programme. Some songs, some dance and one dance drama.The teacher was lamenting about the lack of seriousness and also about the akkas coming in late.She looked a hassled housewife having to get 50 kiddos ready for school!

The performance yesterday was such a big hit that all her efforts were well worth it. I was amazed that the colourful dresses and the 'alankarams' for the small children can make such a difference; of course the lights and the stage and the extremely appreciate audience added to the entire effort. There is a world of difference between rehersals and actual performance.Something magical happens overnight and everything falls into place.

J swayed ever so gently and gracefully for her kolattam number; dressed in her new kili pachai paavadai and having a long plait with flowers and make up, she looked more of a charmer than she usually is.She obviously enjoys dancing, and also being dressed up and on stage with very good make up.

There were other numbers where the children did a wonderful job and it enchanted all of us to be there that evening. Towards the end of the show I was watching the programme from the sidelines. I could see the excitement of the kids who have completed their programme watching the next programme. They obviously know every dance number; i saw them mimicking the actions on stage; i saw them singing softly; i saw them take turns in talking to the small girl who acted as Krishna in the dance drama; i saw them as anxious when there was a misstep on stage as the teachers were, never mind that it was not noticed by the audience.

The best part was the entire troupe lining up at the end of the programme and bidding goodbye.There is something very touching about this simple ritual which made me want to come back the next time.
I could see the new Director making a big difference to the way Kalakshetra is perceived.She is making it inclusive.She thanked everyone individually who contributed to the show as also the support staff including the ayas. She did it very sincerely and handsomely.For a split second I could see myself there.
With lots of aasirvaadam and also that 'drushti' should definitely be cast aside, we made our journey back.