Deprived First; Granted Tenfold Later – 3-day Temple Visit

It is not always that one manages to execute one’s plans to a T. Circumstances sometimes conspire to deny that privilege. Precisely that is what happened to me and my friend, Ragu, in two unconnected instances.

That evening Ragu and Padma were waiting for the taxi to catch the train to Kumbakonam. A visit to their family deity, Swamimalai temple. He got a call. Ragu presumed it was from the taxi chap and hastened, ‘We are already at the Gate.” No, it was not him. It was from a relative to convey a sad news. They headed for Chennai instead.

In my case, when my son and family were here last month, we had planned Vaitheeswaran temple, our family deity,. But a sprain that my son sustained during the preceding trip because of a sudden bump in the road denied us the opportunity. 

This deprival however proved a blessing in disguise to both. Ragu proposed later and I agreed - to undertake a joint trip as the two temples are only fifty kilometers apart. And we covered as many as ten other ancient temples. As they say in Hindi: ऊपर वाला जब देता है तो छप्पर फाड़ के देता है. 

Ragu had made arrangements for Abhishekam at Swamimalai and also for us to sit closest to sanctum sanctorum. That forced me sit cross-legged for forty-five minutes continuously – a tall order, but I managed.

I had no contacts at Vaitheeswaran temple, but I had a hassle free darshan in my last visit. I took it easy. But this time it was a muhurtam day with at least 10 or 12 newly married couples and their groups of 20-30 people. 

Our ladies sprung into action. They noticed a purohit hurrying towards the temple. They interrupted him and asked him if someone could help them to get darshan at the temple. “How many of you are there?” he asked. “Just four.” They quipped. “Follow me,” he said and rushed to the sanctum sanctorum without even checking whether we were following him. Yes, he seemed the Chief Priest or the priest on duty. He instructed the gate keeper at the final point to let us in. We thus got to watch the archanai and deeparadhanai from the closest point – short of performing it ourselves. God sent. 

The other shrines we covered included Oppiliappan koil; Ramaswamy temple, Chakrapani temple, Thiruvidaimarudur temple, Kamphahareswarar temple, Dhenupueeswarar temple, Airavateswarar temple, Adi Kumbeswarar temple, Saranatha Perumal temple,  Brahmapureeswarar temple… Space constraints disallow me to share the sthala puranam of these temples. Suffice it to say each of it was as interesting to listen as the architectural splendour was to watch. In one, Lord Vishnu appears as an old man asking for the hand of Markandeya Rishi’s daughter, Bhoomi Devi. The latter refuses it on the ground, “she is too young for you sir,” only for the Lord to reappear in his real form and marry. Another is dedicated to the Lord removing the fears of Prahlada and Devas after they watched the gruesome killing of Hiranya Kashipu by Lord Narasimha. In the other it is Lord giving darshan to Kaveri, and moksham to Markandeya. Yet another relates to how a Chola king who accidentally kills a Brahmin is chased by the spirit Brahmahathi, and he escapes to his favourite Shiva temple, prays to Him for relief, and exits through another gate. Swamimalai is associated with how Lord Muruga explained to his father, Shiva, the meaning of Om. In Vaitheeswaran temple, Lord Shiva is identified as Vaitheeswaran who cures any illness. Rewarding experience, simply put. 

Ragu had suggested Mangalambika hotel for breakfast and dinner. The hotel was started way back in 1914 and is going strong. Most of us know of Kumbakonam Degree Coffee (KDC), but few know it is this hotel that introduced  KDC way back in the 1940s as the newspaper cuttings that are prominently displayed on the walls substantiate. 

“On the go for continuously three days, Uncle? Wasn’t it tiring?”  “Yes, of course it was – nearly 1100 kilometers in all. So, to compensate it, on return the four of us went along with another senior couple to Forum Mall to watch a movie, followed of course by snacks in a restaurant. 

Can there be a better way to celebrate Senior Citizens Day?

SFV’s Splendid Independence Day Celebrations

India celebrated its 76 years of independence today. And SFV, no less, in its own modest but impressive way. 

The programme was to start at 8. And we reached the venue thereabouts only to see a ‘house full’ amphitheatre. There is no dearth of good people around. Naveen and Praveen squeezed space for me and my friend at the vantage point they had occupied. Kudos for their ingrained service-before-self gesture.

• The organizers had proposed to everyone to possibly don something that featured one of three colours of the Indian flag. It was a feast for the eyes to see everyone attired in bright colours – ladies donning immaculate white sarees with red or green borders, the gentlemen sporting kurta- pyjama or other national dress. 

The programme started with SFV’s Estate Office Manager, Mr Prakash, an ex-military personnel, being rightly given the honour to hoist the flag. The invocation ceremony was entrusted to a group of senior ladies who did it with aplomb – their resonating sound belying their age. Rightly someone murmured: well begun. The one next to him quipped, “well begun is half done”. And I would add here that it didn’t stop at half;  the entire programme was executed to perfection.

Before the next item could begin, everyone felt a commotion at the entry point of the amphitheatre – the sound of an army march-past. Yes, the security staff dressed for the occasion paraded to the amphitheatre bringing along with military precision in terms of steps of boots, grace, and adding a ceremonious touch to the whole event. They stood in attention for the patriotic number sung by another group of ladies, before they saluted the flag once again before marching back with gusto to their ‘barracks’. Kudos.

This was followed by prize distribution – not for walking, running or other races. That will be on a different occasion later this year. This time it was for exemplary performance by different categories of SFV support staff – plumber, electrician, gardener, housekeeping staff… It was nice to see, among others, Pulkit (the SFV’s flute man) bagging a prize – all over again?

Now comes one of the major attractions of the day. Yes, you guessed it right - featuring children.  In groups and individually they enacted how the East India Company entered India to do business and gradually took over the reins of the country; how later the brave Rani Laxmi Bhai, Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekar Azad, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad…, fought with the British to leave the country to themselves.  Each child artiste was dressed best for the occasion and performed his/her role to perfection, never looking to parents for approval or direction. Even the sober and quiet ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ Lal Bahadur Sastri could not resist dance in merriment to a number that did not involve him. So much was the excitement all over. No wonder the audience shouted for a repeat performance. Apparently this could not be acceded to, as other items had been lined up. Oh! what an applause this item received.

These said, all this would not have been possible if those behind the cutain -  persons who anchored the events, or those who choreographed the items - didn’t do their homework well. Full compliments to them.

Food court and shopping stalls are inseparable partners for such celebrations. Most of them were doing brisk business. And if the time when I went around the stalls were to be reckoned as the peak period, then I heard the cash register at the Mulbagal Dosa counter clinging the maximum. There was a long line. Consequently, some chose to walk up to the Elephant Café - live and let live.

Items sold in other stalls included bedcovers, bedcovers, quilts; Kerala banana chips and Kozikode halwas; cold-pressed and wood-pressed oils; sweets without sugar; dry fruits; tracksuits and, last but not the least, sarees.

My friend, Muthuraman of Ebony 7102, negotiated his way to me in the midst of the programme to whisper into my ears” “Sir, I shall share videos of the event just in case you want to use them for your blog.” So nice of him. Yes, the videos appear here courtesy Mr Muthuraman.

Finally, occasions such as Independence Day do help us look back and feel happy that over the years India has made fast strides in science, technology…, in every aspect of life, and at the same time does not rest on her laurels. Vande Mataram. Jai Hind. 

Foodies’ Corner

During our morning coffee, Aunty and I exchange highlights of messages received from our respective WhatsApp groups. This morning she shared two messages from two different persons: one, the good quality of chat served at Chat’s r’us, near Big Market; and the other, Venkateswara where they have a huge chats section - both in Kanakapura Road. 

That emboldened me to pen these few lines. Friday evening Aunty and I were having snacks at the Little Elephant’s High Café, at the end of Cedar Gate. It was an accidental visit. We were in fact going to the Sanitaryware shop at the corner to buy a holder for the faucet. It suddenly struck us why not we enquire if we could return the unopened item that we had bought a few days ago at the suggestion of SFV Plumber A, for Rs 3300/-, because Plumber B who came to fix it said, ‘no need to replace’. Ideally, we should confront the shopkeeper with the product, we felt. So, Aunty suggested she would go home, pick it up, and I wait at the newly opened Elephant Café where there were chairs in place. Hardly had she walked ten steps when she turned back: “I say, don’t just sit on a chair and wait for my return. Order something; it doesn’t look nice. Okay?” She said this specifically because after our son and family’s recent visit when we visited restaurants left, right and centre, Aunty and I had put an embargo on restaurants – however tempting the air that wafts from the restaurant. 

There were others as well in Elephant Cafe – in families of twos and threes. I ordered one plate of onion pakoda, certain that it would take about seven to ten minutes to get ready – the time Aunty would require to return from home with the product. Truth be told, the onion pakoda was really crispy and fulsome. Probably this was the reason why all the others (belonging to the middle aged group) were ordering one item after the other. As we were about to leave, they were still relishing their ordered items. One couple suspended the proceedings temporarily and walked up to us. “Uncle, can you do a write-up on this restaurant?” and the lady introduced herself as from Pine. The other - husband, wife and son – got up as well and the lady said: “Oh, so you are the one, Uncle, who writes those blogs. I never miss any. Yes, I too endorse, and request you to do one on this.” The second family disclosed just their names. I wonder if they are from Oak.

I was apprehensive for the simple reason that I might be mistaken for the restaurant’s Marketing Manager and conveyed my fear to them. “No uncle, we persist only because the food is good.”

To complete the story on both fronts. Yes, the Sanitaryware shop refunded with no questions asked. Kudos to present day practices. In our days it was mission impossible howsoever thoroughly you might rehearse your narrative. 

Two, we fully enjoyed the snacks at Elephant Café. We were on the verge of ordering another item. But we realized we must present our case much before the shopkeeper switched on lights for the evening after which they seldom entertain requests for return or refund. 

All is well that ends well, we said to ourselves as we walked back home with two decisions. One, for all our sanitaryware requirements hereafter it will be only this shop, and none other. Two, any visits to this Café hereafter will no longer be Accidental, but Deliberate.

P.S. It would make my day if only those two families that requested me realise that I attempted this write up to honour their wishes.

SFV Kalyanothsava 2023

To conduct a puja in one’s own home like I did the other day, or my neighbour more recently, is no big deal. But to organize one of the magnitude of Kalyanothsava 2023 is stupendous. And that is what Panindra, Vasuki, Navin, Ishwar Dutt, Surendra Acharya and a host of front-runners did yesterday with moon-landing precision. No amount of praise is too much for them. Kudos to the entire team.

The blueprint was drawn long before. Behind the curtain activities were in full swing - quietly. A Dharmik group, Sri Vari Foundation, Chamarajpet, specializes in performing Kalyanotsava, replicating the Tirupati style. This is its 624th performance since inception twenty years ago. The group consists of about 25 young and vibrant people, each an expert in his own form of art, a la a drama troupe. The purohits among them rendered slokas with the diction and intonation prescribed in the scriptures. The young among them elevated the mood of the audience by singing and dancing - sometimes holding the idol, sometimes inviting the audience to participate. The anchor, acting as sutradhar, held the thread of events intact with captivating narratives. It is on this occasion that I said to myself, “if only I had learnt Kannada a little more than I did…” Consequently, more often I applauded or laughed after the rest of the audience had – like I did when I watched English movies in Rivoli in my twenties.

When the organizers allotted us a slot to chant the Suktams, we, the SFV Vedic Group, were both appreciative and apprehensive. Appreciative for their gesture, and apprehensive for the fear if our fine-tuning would justify our four years of practice. Luckily the scholarly group from the Foundation came to our rescue. We were only to play second fiddle to their reverberating rendering – our voice to be in the forefront only when they stopped for breath or to adjust their vocal chords to prevent tonal lapses. Escaped unhurt, some of us said to ourselves.

Earlier the ladies were given the floor to render Tiruppavai. Needless to add, they did a good job.

These preliminaries aside, the prime time of the event was between 11.30 and 1.30 when the team kept the audience spellbound, giving them occasional goosebumps – aho bhagyam. They gave opportunities to as many of the audience as possible to perform some part of the ceremony – such as token fanning the Lord and Goddess, paste on the forehead sandlewood or Kumkum, or hold the divine umbrellas. And the way flowers were showered on the deities in platefuls instead of handfuls, I wondered if  half of City Market’s flower market had descended on MPH 1. The entire flow of events transported us to the celestial world for its duration. For a while I felt if by chance the best art director of the film industry was in town the previous evening to mount the elegant but befitting sets.

It was perhaps for the first time that I could see the crowd not slipping in to the lounge area towards the end, to be near MPH2 where prasadam counter would open. Instead, they were still thronging around to get from purohits' hands flowers, haldi, Kumkum, or sandlewood offered to deities. 

There was perfect order in MPH-2 where prasadam was being distributed. The elderly had no longer to play their Senior card to get prasadam ahead of others. And, truth be told, when the word “Prasadam” gets appended to food, it acquires a special taste. No doubt about it.

It was 5 pm, and time for SFVians to return to Club House after a brief rest at home. The procession of the bedecked deity was ready to be taken around all the blocks. Some regular Gym-attendees were seen holding the bars carrying the deity around. An enthusiastic crowd overflowed from all directions. In the morning the acumen of the Nadaswaram group was never in display. Their role was limited to filler roles or playing ‘sakala vadyam’ when signalled, or when the next recorded music was getting ready to play. But now in the procession, they had a free hand, and we could enjoy some of familiar numbers, Jagadhodarana…, Venkatachala Nilayam…and the duo percussionists taking it to the next level with their inherent one-upmanship. 

Sorry folks who could not make it. This is for you - but with a rider. What you missed is way more than I could portray here to the best of my poor ability.