Activities Abound SFV

Yes, undoubtedly Ganesha first.  Last night SFVians reverently bade farewell to Lord Ganesha with a befitting visarjan ceremony, to the thunderous roar of Ganapati Bappa Morya, the occasional downpour notwithstanding. 

The earlier session was marked by a group song by SFV children, a skit well rehearsed and executed under the guidance of Smt Yamunamurthy, a popular Kannada artist of the All India Radio and a pride of SFVians, quiz on Lord Ganesha to children of all ages, puja by our accredited Shri Naveen Kashyap with his all-round knowledge of rituals and mythological stories in full display, and an orderly distribution of prasadam.

One apprehended that the unfailing evening rain would show up to keep SFVians indoors. Yes it did rain, but the residents ventured out regardless. So much so that, as an aside, one could witness in the Hall a musical chair for seat. If by chance one got up, say, to re-adjust one’s mobile in the pocket, one had to look back to ensure that the chair had not been removed since. The masterminds however kept hankies, umbrellas, or bags on the chair (read advance reservation) for their near and dear ones.

One saw more new than familiar faces. Among the new arrivals, I knew just two families, one in Maple and the other in Alder. One is a retired chartered accountant having moved in with his wife. Their daughter stays in USA. The other is from Alder. He said good-bye to his flourishing distributorship of a top brand of television and electronic gadgets to spend peaceful retirement with his wife; they occasionally visit their son and family in Australia.

The whisper in the hall was that if the attendance could be so huge with just 550 families having moved in, what would be the scenario if all 889 families shifted. “We will cross the bridge when we come to it,” responded the live the day friend.

On 8 September, SFV’s Knowledge Sub committee organized the inaugural session of Bodhisattva talks. Charity begins at home and, rightly, they are tapping first talents from within. Mr P.S. Satish, a corporate trainer, gave a pep talk on My Goal; How do I set and reach? We learn it was well received. Alas, I missed it, due to a prior commitment outside. Encouraged by the success, efforts are on for the next session.

A member, probably of the sub committee, approached me with a mandate to request me to address the next session on a topic of my choice. I thanked him profusely and cleared the air. I was no more than a mere wordsmith, and could, at best, give a talk on “Much Ado About Nothing.” Hope he got the hint.

By the way there is no dearth of intelligentsia here. I learn we have a few CEOs, CFOs, around, a lady who was Collector of Mysore until recently and now Commissioner of Tea Board, another who holds a doctorate in Chemical engineering… The list is endless. And if by chance one insists on a senior, you have Naveen Kashyap’s father who is head and shoulders above the rest. He has done yeoman’s service, having translated Upanishads and other religious books into Kannada – an onerous task. Our pranams to you, sir.

We just returned from an hour-long music session at Kaleeswaran’s place (7211) by Vijayalakshmi, fondly called Viji, my friend Hari’s (3192) daughter in law. She is here on duty travel. She gave some outstanding renderings of Carnatic music, Hindi songs and a Marathi Abhang. In between Kaleeswaran himself sang a Bharatiyar number as well as the song, Tere Mere Beech Mein from Ek Duuje Ke Liye. His mother, 92 years, a versatile singer in her days, proved equal to the occasion – she too rendered a few numbers. An evening well spent.