Festivity Unabated – That’s SFV

With Navaratri-2024 having just concluded it was a resplendent SFV all along - all over. Ladies donning the prescribed daily dress code were hurrying from one tower to the other to honour haldi-kumkum invitations – four to five houses a day on an average. 

The SFV Devi Mahatmyam group consisting of around 25 members who, over a period of time, had learned how to recite DM with ease, organized full Devi Mahatmyam chant at nine different houses every day from 10.30 am to 1.30 pm. The rest of the members responded with full participation. 

This also meant that they had to get up in the early hours to prepare breakfast and lunch for the home before rushing for the chant – day after day. But all the 20-odd ladies who attended every day seemed to enjoy the rigour, as we saw all of them in one piece at the end.

As is wont during such festive seasons, the prices of pooja items hit the ceiling. Coconut price soared high – touching Rs 40, from Rs 22 a piece. We thought we would be clever and ordered with the flower lady five days in advance for 6 mulams (finger-tip to elbow) of jasmine flower-mala for distribution on the day the DM chant was due in our home. She accepted the order but made it clear that the rate would be as it prevailed on the morning of purchase. Understandable. It was Rs 60/ on the day we ordered, and Rs 100 on the day executed.  Betal-leaf sellers made hay while the sun shone.  We bought at Rs 3 a piece. Children enjoyed their holidays riding cycling or going around in groups. It was fun, frolic and gaiety all the way.

Shanthi Vaidya, Devi Upasaka of a high order, who, only the other day released a heavy-weight book in two volumes, 1500 pages, explaining Lalitha Sahasranamam meaning word for word, performed  Nava Varana pooja lasting over five hours. If corridor news is correct, one witnessed ladies from all other towers parading to Alder – like the Pied Piper of Hamelin. 

As though these are not enough, to give the event a fitting finale, the ever-active group of Sudarshan Acharya, Naveen and Vasuki Kashyap, Vaidya, Panindra, Ramasubramanian, and the gentleman attired in a smart purple panchagacham (forgive me, I could not get his name), a welcome addition Bhuvana, and many others, organized yet another pooja – this time Durga Deepa Namaskara this evening. 

First the ladies of the Satsang group chanted Lalitha Sahasranamam in unison. Menfolk joined them. This was followed by the Durga Deepa Namaskara. As it warmed up, almost everyone felt that the entire celestial world would descend on MPH1 breaking open the ceiling in response to the combination of enchanting pancha vadyam, the resonating chant of purohits, the inviting song Himagiri Tanaye Hemalathe by Ravichandran (of Alder, not Ebony – only his daughter is an accomplished singer), and a series of songs by the adolescent boy and girl much to the full participation and enjoyment of those who managed squeeze a space for themselves in the hall. The Mangalarati was simply matchless. It had all the ingredients to elevate the spiritual mood of the audience, let alone swing in joy unknowingly.

In the end the organizers had arranged Thamboolam on second floor, and prasadam on first floor for everyone present. Managed meticulously. As he distributed prasadam, one volunteer whispered into my ears, “So, sir, may we expect your blog on this tonight?”  “I shall try sir,” I replied. Glad I was able to piece together something.

Yes, as a WhatsApp message shared by a friend conveys, “Dasha Hara is a Sanskrit word which means removal of ten bad qualities within oneself: Ahankara (ego), Amanatva (cruelty), Anyaaya (injustice), Kama Vasana (lust), Krodha (anger), Lobha (greed), Mada (over pride), Matsara (jealousy), Moha (attachment), and Swartha (selfishness). And aptly, today, Vijayadashami signifies Vijaya over these ten bad qualities”.  Let’s hope victory over these will be perpetual and not like the short-lived New Year resolutions we tend to make year after year. 

Meanwhile, full compliments to the organizers, and congrats to SFVians for their no less enthusiastic response. 

 (If you have any comments, please write them not in Telegram, WhatsApp or ADDA, but in the Post a Comment column of the Blog.  It then stays with the blog. Thanks.)

Visarjan Over; But Ganeshji intact in Our Hearts

It was a Sunday. Not yet another Sunday with no alarm to wake you up; no ritualistic shoulder-, neck- or knee-exercises to keep stiffness at bay. No hasty finish to be with your senior friends for the morning walk -  circumambulation of Pine and Maple towers. Yes, it was SFV Ganesh Puja 2024, a day-long programme from 7 am to 7 pm. 

The gathering at Club House headed to Gate 1 for the Agamana procession of the beautifully decorated Ganesha idol from Gate 1 via all towers to Oak playground for Homa and then to Club House to the accompaniment of nadaswaram and dolu - and saxophone as bonus. Yes, ever since Kadri Gopalnath added this instrument to Carnatic music, this has become a welcome trend in all nadaswaram programmes. They played some really hummable tunes, to the foot-tapping beats of dolu. 

I got a call from Aunty. “I say, join us at Cedar. Your friends V…., K….., M…., and have all come. You better hurry.” And so I did picking the shirt that was handy and not the one I had reserved for the occasion. Too late for Cedar. The procession had already reached Oak. Better late than never. 

The idol was installed and after homa, it was taken in procession to Club House where it was placed with a ‘live’ forest serving as a backdrop. ‘But what is the significance of peacocks in front of Ganesha?” I asked my friend sitting next. “I couldn’t guess. Maybe the forest at the background is Turahalli, and we have several peacocks dancing around every morning.”   

A short break for breakfast followed – not a dish more, not a dish less. Excellent. Hats off to the organizers.

The purohits for the function were specially ‘flown’ from Mangalore. Their decibel level hardly needed any public address system. The house was full by then. The atmosphere was charged. After puja it was time for Mangala aarati. The nadaswaram troupe which was till then subjected to stop and start signals, was given a free hand. With a liberated feeling they played their instruments in full blast. The acoustics of the auditorium being what they are, capable of producing three times echo effect, some of my friends seated near the troupe, moved to a place where they could enjoy the performance in the required decibel. On my part as a duty-bound resident, I looked up at the ceiling now and then to check for any hairline crack. None, luckily.

Managala aarati was followed by a small cultural programme, proving the point Small is Beautiful. This was followed by prasadam distribution. I wondered if MPH2 was the right venue for such a huge gathering. But the arrangements were so perfect that in less than 10 minutes everyone was seen carrying a sumptuous plate in hand – and delicious too. Yes, prasadams have a knack to be so.

The evening session included taking the idol around all towers accompanied by Dhol Tashe for everyone to dance and raise the merriment level, which they did. At one time, I too felt like indulging in that pleasure. “No way,’ protested my friends.  “What if we sprain ourselves of fall?” they quipped. “No worry, Dr Vijay Chandra, our bone and joint specialist is right behind us. He will fix it.”

After an elaborate closing puja the beautiful idol was all set for visarjana. The crowd thronged, some with their kids on their shoulders to their own delight and not so much to those behind. The idol was brought up and down the immersion tank probably three times as required, much to the suspense of the gathering. And then Lord Ganesha condescended to be immersed. The spectators reacted with mixed feelings. Some felt overjoyed, others shed tears. The crowd applauded spontaneously partly to bid farewell to Lord Ganesha, and very much to thank the Managing Committee of SFV Association for a wonderful day they had organized for them - the highlight of which was doing everything with clockwork precision. Kudos.

Yes, the idol might have been immersed but Ganesha-ji stays very much in our hearts.

 (If you have any comments, please write them not in Telegram, WhatsApp or ADDA, but in the Post a Comment column of the Blog.  It then stays with the blog. Thanks.)