Shata Rudrabhisheka event – SFV Second to None

Yes, SFV does it once again this evening. This time the team repeated what it started last year, the Shata Rudrabhisheka, with great fanfare. 

I don’t know how it is with you. But with me quite often the thought of a rail travel is often more thrilling than the actual journey. Much before the event, the SFV Vedic Chanting group was fully geared for this.  In almost every slokam-class there would be discussions on how the group should perform. The Group even did a full-dress rehearsal in the last class to chant Rudram in 19 minutes that Naveen had suggested in a communication.

If one has to draw lessons in combining the qualities of sincerity, simplicity, not miss any ritualistic aspects and do a complete job, one has to take a cue from the team that organized this event. I could of course list their names, but that would be satisfying, say, five, and dissatisfying double the number who were equally inseparable cogs in the wheel.

Disregarding this, in a moment of weakness that I am now,  I shall mention a few names – Naveen Kashyap, SFV’s de facto priest who does anything with aplomb;  Sudharsan Acharya, whose movements are calculated to attract the minimum of attention. How many of us know that the setting of any stage is his handiwork. I do not know what Panidra does in particular, but I have a strong suspicion that he is the brain behind the whole thing – year after year. Vinay Simha, Gururaj, Panindra’s b-i-l, and a host of others ably gave a helping hand.  The female force which performed with equal, if not better, competence included Savitha, Bhuvana, to mention a few. These said, the person who stole the show was undoubtedly Avyukth, the young boy of 3205 – a very smart boy. He will go a long way. I wish him all the best in life.

The function lasted about five hours – 3.30 to 8.30 pm when after invoking the blessings of Lord Shiva, around 50-odd devotees (from in-house, and outside talents) chanted Rudram, chamakam, and suktams – thrice so that the total number chanted far exceeded the figure 100. 

Naveen announced that they planned to do a particular theme every year. As part of explaining this year’s theme, he elaborated what the words Shi-Va stood for. He then gave the floor to Arun Kumar, not from the SFV clan, to take charge of invoking into oneself the strength and blessings of Lord Shiva before chanting a 100 count of  Rudram-Chamakam. He did a job that was nothing short of a professional. Retired as the Chief Manager of State Bank of India, Mr Arun Kumar stays in Jaya Nagar, 6th block. Yes, he proudly announces, “I was born and have been staying all my life in this very house, except when on transfers.” 

“I was being selfish, sir. I thought you stayed in Sobha Edge and you conduct classes for the SFV Vedic Chanting group, which is still in its infancy,”  I confessed.  

Another person enlisted for the chant was Mr Seetharaman, from RR Nagar, who retired as Sales Manager in a firm or repute. He said he studied vedas for fifteen years. Not just that, he recites Rudram-Chamakam 33 times a day – 11 in the morning; 11 in the afternoon, and 11 in the evening. “What if you have to attend a marriage on a day,” I asked him. “I will finish the morning and noon quota in one go in the morning,” he quipped. “I thought you would skip, like me,” I told, not him, but to myself. To be in the midst of such learned people had a humbling effect in me. It helped me feel grounded.

The MPH-1 hall was jam packed. Regardless, the volunteers kept on bringing more and more chairs so that everyone could sit and enjoy the proceedings. When I was about to depart after the prasadam, the same gentleman who asked me last time, repeated: “Sir, can we hope to see your blog this time too before midnight?” “You could, but left to myself I wouldn’t like this event to be reported content-less, my forte. With so much explanations given by Naveen and Shri Arun Kumar ji, I would like the piece to be content-packed - preferably penned by Naveen or someone else.” So, let me hope this is precursor to a real piece that will roll out from one of them. 

(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.)

Savithri Shankar no more in our midst

Smt Savithri Shankar, wife of birdwatcher or Ornithologist, Shankar, of Ebony (7135), breathed her last on 11 November. She was confined to wheelchair after a fall some time ago. She was never the same since then. 

Shankar could get a slot for cremation only for the next morning. They were just the two of them staying at home. So, in order that Shankar did not have to spend the night all alone by the side of his loved one’s body, someone from SFV (who chooses to be anonymous) volunteered to give him company for the night. I repeat, there is no dearth of Samaritans.

I can’t claim close knowledge of the Shankars except that Savithri ji and Lalitha were both members of various ladies’ groups in SFV including Satsang.  Savithri-ji had a soft corner for Lalitha, and she was one of the selected few to receive a portion of Rajamudi rice that Savithri ji got directly from a cultivator. For the uninitiated, “Rajamudi rice was originally grown for the Wodeyars, the dynasty that ruled the former kingdom of Mysore. One story says that subjects who couldn't pay taxes to the King of Mysore were asked to pay Rajamudi rice instead.”

Savithri ji also was a member, though not for long, of Lalitha’s Narayaneeyam Group 3 which is all set to complete the course soon. Unfortunately ill health prevented Savithri ji from continuing.

A chance meeting with Shankar at the Joggers Park soon after they had moved in, brought us together. He was looking through his pair of professional binoculars something atop a tree at the Turahalli forest, with a professional camera hanging on his shoulder ready shoot it in his camera. He asked me to view the bird through the binoculars and began explaining its features. And I wrote a blog on that. 

A devoted husband, Shankar would bring the ailing Savithri ji to the children’s park unfailingly every morning to get her Vitamin D and fresh air, as well as to permit her meet friends who pass by. We too used to take our turn to have a chat with them. 

When we called on Shankar’s house to offer our condolences, we met his tall, handsome, articulate son, Siddarth, who had come from Canada for the obsequies. A very impressive guy. During the chat it transpired that his wife is from Palakkad. 

At the Vaikunta Samarathane ceremony Shankar introduced me to Siddarth’s father-in-law’s younger brother, Narayan, from Mumbai, in the hope that we might be able to establish some Palakkad-connection.  Narayan stated he originally belonged to Lakshminarayana Puram. I unleashed a few of my classmates from that village – L.V. Raman, L.S. Venugupalan, L.R. Laxminarayanan… Apparently none of them helped him to connect. Understandable, because it was his grandfather who had migrated first to Bombay. So, even his father was born and brought up in Mumbai. 

The function was marked by the chanting of Vishnu Sahasranamam and veda  mantras by a team of learned purohits. The hallmark was the team’s intonation, pronunciation and the vibration that spread across the hall. I complimented Shankar on engaging a good team of purhoits. “You know who they are?” He asked. I didn’t. “They are Challakere brothers – Savithri’s favourites. So I made sure I engaged them.”  Yes, Challakere brothers are the ones whom we too follow in our SFV Vedic Chanting group. I wish I had walked up to them and paid my respects to the Group’s gurus in absentia. 

To sum up, Savitri ji was given a befitting send off under able hands. But in the end, as they say in English, “Everything that has a beginning has an ending.” In Malayalam, Innu Naan, Naale Nee (Today Me, Tomorrow You). In Hindi, Aaye akele, jayenge akela (came alone, have to depart alone). In Tamil, Veedu varai uravu, Veethi varai Manaivi (read spouse); kaadu varai pillai, kadaisi varai yaro (Relatives, till home; spouse, till the road; son, till ghat - who will, till the end? Yes, there will be similar sayings in all languages. 

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

(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.)

Part II and Final: Horanadu and Kudremukh

Saturday morning. Bright sun greeted us for our drive from Sringeri to Annapoorneswari temple. There was just five to seven minutes of wait in the queue, no tickets. We were allowed darshan for a longer period.  Good darshans everywhere, we said to ourselves, bringing to close the pilgrimage part of our trip.

We drove to Nature Valley…., the resort where we had booked. Both the cottages were adjacent to one another and right in front of our balconies ran a small stream with crystal water flowing with a gentle sound  to remind us that we are in the inner circle of Nature. 

We had breakfast, lunch, evening snacks, and dinner. By and large they were good. The ambience was such that we felt like spending more time with lush green mountains surrounding and fresh air in free supply. The two ladies chose to walk up to the other side to soak their legs in the stream. As they did that, we took snaps of them. In the evening we took a long walk.

Sunday morning. We had our last breakfast at the resort and bade farewell to Nature Valley hosts and their staff for having taken good care of us. ‘‘The End’ of our pilgrimage part,” announced Kannan, “and Now begins the ‘pleasure’ part.”

With just less than two hours to Kudremukh, now began the drive to the full-fledged forest area. We spotted a snake, either in the family way or having just finished a sumptuous lunch at a friend’s place on the opposite side of the road, returning home swinging along in slow motion on the road, absolutely oblivious to the traffic. Anand stopped the van, and also signalled the vehicle in the opposite direction to do so till the reptile disappeared into the woods. Other species that chose to give us darshan included a well-fed mongoose and lots of peacocks.  As we drove deeper and deeper into the forest, we saw on our left an arch-type of metallic display – Bhagawathy Nature Camp. Yes, our destination. We drove for a kilometer inside to reach the office and ‘our’ wooden cottages. 

Mr Shanmugam originally from Shivamoga, welcomed us with a genuine smile. He apprised us of the various options we could have during the stay. “But first you have coffee at the Dining Area and then we will talk in detail.”

Rivers Tunga, Bhadra, and Netravati originate from a village not very far from our resort. The Bhadra rivulet passes by our cottage. We could take a walk, he suggested, but cautioned us not to make noise. That aroused our curiosity - whether there were leopards, tigers, elephants and other wild animals in and around. He said leopards and tigers were in single digits (if I heard him right), and a solitary tusker is known to be roaming around and had gone as far as Kolar. “How about cobras, we learn this area is the habitat of king-size cobras.” Agumbe is the capital of king cobras, he corrected. We heaved a sigh of relief. “Strange,  keen to visit forest, but want to stay away from some of its natural inhabitants,” you must be wondering. Yes, we are humans after all.

“So near, yet so far. Can we go to that village, the originating point of these three rivers,” we asked Shanmugam, all eager.  “Some time ago one person attempted and succeeded. One had to crawl or creep through a small hole to witness three small streams not very far from one another, but the hole is infested with different species of snakes. Also, one had to crawl back in reverse mode. So, no one is being allowed. Six security personnel are on duty 24x7. 

We had booked for the Jeep Safari - from 4.30 pm to 6.30 – a 14-mile to and fro trip to the top of Kudremukh – around 1200 ft above sea level. It would be a bountiful Nature, landscape, and lush green safari, and not an animal safari, Shanmugam had clarified earlier. And it was - and to our total satisfaction.

Ajit, the 30-odd-year old driver asked me to sit in front; the impact of bumps would be less. At the top, it was no less than being on top of the world. Kannan got into his elemental best. “Athimbar, this is how Sunil Dutt would have rendered his lines had there been film-shooting here,” and began an old Hindi song. Chitra picked it up and completed, thus making it a sort of Rafi-Lata duet minus background music, make-up and  cinematographer. Taken in by this, I attempted one myself which is more like a verse than a song: Sochha tha pyar hum na karenge…” only to be snubbed by my better half: “Then who asked you to?”, just to re-establish it was I who sought her hand. 

Before getting back into the jeep for the downward drive, Kannan went into a final spiritual mode. No wonder. After all, standing on top one does feel closer to God Almighty.  He chanted excerpts of what Arjuna had recited when Lord Krishna gave him Viswaroopa darshanam - “…forgive me just as a parent would forgive his child, a friend his friend, and a lover his beloved…” 

Monday, final day. As planned the guide took us for what they call Nature Walk from 6.30 am to 8.30 after which we would have breakfast and vacate. The guide stopped by a tree and asked us if we could see the ants go up and down the tree. They work 24 x 7, take food to the honey-comb-like nest on top - and let us identify the location - where the mother ant feeds the tiny ones as she simultaneously guards them. 

There are 135 varieties of grass that grow there; how they absorb the rainwater slowly to ensure survival till next supply.  Scientists have studied how one particular species of female insect is blind and how it bites humans. 

Then he explained the types of snakes. One type of Russell’s viper changes its colour to that of grass as soon as it swallowed a prey. The snake would lie down there for hours till it digested it fully. It is at this time you could rush and bring your friend to show him the species, sure to be there still. 

Then with a pair of binoculars he showed us one type of bird sitting on top of a branch. As we spotted it, another joined and we announced that there are two. He said the one that just landed was another variant, one with a long tail and another short – like Suzuki sedan and hatchback…

As Anand started the van for homeward journey, we felt all the staff there enjoyed their tenure despite absence of internet connectivity within a radius of 14 kilometers, restricted emergency medical facilities… Yes, the secret of success lies not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one has to do.  Bravo! Three cheers.

(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.)

Travelogue: Kuke Subramanya, Dharmasthala, Sringeri, Horanadu and Kudremukh (1-4 Nov 2024)

Part I – Kuke Subramanya, Dharmasthala and Sringeri

Diwali. Thursday, 31 October. We got up early morning, had Ganga snaan, received and reciprocated greetings from well-wishers. 

We packed our suitcases, ran through the check list and, in the evening left for Kannan/Chitra’s home in Rajaji Nagar. Kannan is Mami’s one and only brother among seven sisters – ladla to everyone. He has bought a new Toyota Hycross Hybrid van and was keen we join them on a pilgrimage-cum-pleasure trip. It coincided with my 85th birthday. So nice of him.

Friday morning, 1 November: We all got into the van at 5.10 am, only ten minutes later than planned.  For the next fifteen minutes both Kannan and Chitra got busy familiarizing with the latest computer features that the vehicle had incorporated to help negotiate one’s way.  The journey started at 5.30, with everything in place.

The next task for Kannan was to identify a good restaurant for breakfast. After ten minutes of search, he came out with two options: “Athimbar, do you want to have breakfast at a very good restaurant between 7 and 7.30, or at an average restaurant between 8 and 8.30?” “8 and 8.30 would be a better time,” I suggested. Everyone agreed.

During the preparatory stage, Kannan had suggested that we carry our Airpods just in case one wanted to hear one’s favourite songs, listen to discourses, or be absorbed in Ted talks. Everyone carried, but I can’t recall anyone having plugged the Airpod in his/her ears during the entire trip. 

Anand, the driver, is very quiet; will never speak unless spoken to. At one point during discussions on movies, we asked him if he had watched Rajani’s Vettaiyaan. “Yes sir, I happened to be one in the Censor Board to approve it. He took out his card that he was a member of the Film Censor Board for regional films. Very quiet gentleman. 

“The restaurant sir,” Anand announced as he stopped the van. Initially we had told ourselves. ‘no oily stuff; will go light on travel.’ But when others around us were gobbling from left and right, we modified our pledge, ’next time onwards surely.’

We reached Kuke Subramanya around 11.30. As we were changing our dress, we heard an announcement in the public address system that sanctum sanctorum would close at 11.30 for some time. We hurriedly bought Rs 100 tickets, got into the special queue that permitted us to walk without stepping on the guy in front. We had a very good darshan. Back to the car park, we said, “a good beginning.”

Before the trip, both Kannan and Chitra had decided that they would be behind the wheel at least for an hour to get a feel of the new vehicle, apart from Kia. Chitra took charge first. It was okay for a while, but thereafter signboards started surfacing too often: “Landslide, Slow Down’. “I think we need to reach Dharmashala before the temple closes for the afternoon; my trial drive can wait,’ so she said and took back seat.

“Athimbar, do you know we narrowly escaped a landslide once?” asked Kannan. “Initially we blamed Chitra for starting late. As we drove, at one point there was a huge landslide six or seven vehicles ahead of us which took a toll of two bus load of passengers. All of us then hugged and thanked Chitra for starting late.” 

In Dharmastala we bought Rs 200 tickets. It took us 1 hour and 30 minutes for darshan. But it was worth waiting for. We took the temple meals. Really massive and well organized.

There was slight drizzle on our way to Sringeri. Checked in, changed to dhoti, rushed to temple as it would close at 8.30 night. We had very good darshan. The Goddess Sharadambal’s procession idol was mounted on a golden chariot and taken around three times in the inner temple premises to the accompaniment of Nadaswaram, and japa ganam chanting and the small trainee boys joining them. On our part we chanted Lalitha Sahasranamam. It was a delight to watch the junior seer Shri Vidhushekhara Bharati Mahaswami doing pooja in the sanctum sanctorum.

Returned to hotel only to hit the bed fully tired.

To be continued in Part II and final: Horanadu and Kudremukh 

 (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.)