Navarathri

Since the day I started writing in this blog, I wanted to write about Navarathri celebrations. I had put it away as I was looking for old pics which I wanted to post along with. Now that Navarathri is here, I decided to write it anyway though I still didn't succeed in getting the pics scanned. After the long break I took from blogging, I am dedicating this post to my mother .

Navarathri is the festival I have enjoyed the most during my childhood. The credit goes to my mom. She always made all festive occasions fun-filled and interesting. Her favorite was Krishna Jayanthi, followed by Navarathri and Diwali.

Today being the first day of Navarathri 2012, I was pondering about what would have been the origin of the custom of doll arrangement known as 'Golu', which is the highlight of occasion  in the South. Clay dolls of gods and goddesses are arranged in nine steps and decorated. Normally a 'Rangoli' is painted in front of the arrangement and an oil lamp is lighted every evening and a delicious snack is offered as ‘prasadam’. I googled for some time and I came across two interesting facts.

1.  Golu was started as a custom to promote business of clay idols and generate revenue when the crops failed. I am impressed by this kind of thinking.
2.  The way the dolls are arranged in nine steps has a concept behind. The top most steps is normally reserved for idols of Gods and Goddesses, the next is for saints and divine people, and then the next for great men like freedom fighters and social workers. Then comes the space for business men followed by common people. The last few steps are reserved for animals, birds and insects. The hierarchy is self explanatory.

The second point reminded me about the way my mother used to arrange the dolls. Perhaps she was following the hierarchy to an extent.

Apart from the above facts, I have the following positive points that make Navarathri a very special occasion. 

.      Activity:

Navarathri is a festival that is buzzing with activity. The fun starts a day or two before the festival begins, when we get into the attic to un-wrap the idols and pass it carefully to the people. Then a day or two passes in carpentry to build the steps, arranging the dolls, decorating the whole space and other activities. Once we get into the nine day span, there is more fun. Visiting other houses, buying and packing gifts along with ‘manjal-kumkum’ are amusing activities that take place for all the nine days.

.       Art and Creativity:

The festival provides an opportunity and space to showcase talent and creativity. Right from decorating the steps and space with color paper, there is much scope for art and creativity. One of the dolls showcased in the Golu is ‘Chettiar bommai’, as a representation of businessmen. Every year we used think about new ideas to showcase shops for him. One year it would be provision store, the next year it would be vegetable market, mechanic shop, sports shop or even a museum. Also as an addition we used to create a miniature model of a garden, park, recreation center, dam, cricket ground or so.

Rangoli is another form of art that is displayed during these nine days.  Also it’s a great opportunity for singers, be it professional or amateurs. Singing bhajans and devotional songs in front of the Golu is a custom when we visit friends during the nine days. Also there are a number of concerts arranged specially during this festival time. This provided opportunity to many budding artists.

.       Prasadam:

Every day there is a delicious and healthy snack prepared and offered to God. The specialty is that this snack is normally made from grams and sprouts and is called 'Sundal'. This makes it protein rich and is loved by kids the most. This prasadam is offered to all the guests who come to see the golu, thus providing the chance to taste different kind of snacks everyday. Most of the days, dinner comprises different sundals.

.       Social Activity:

In this busy world, we hardly have time to visit friends and relatives. As this is a festival that lasts for nine days, visits can be planned and executed. This is one time in a year we take the pain to visit a friend in the outskirts of the city.

Though the festival is of Hindu origin, there is no bar on religion/caste when it comes to inviting friends. During the nine days we used to have about a hundred people walk in to our house just to have a look at the ‘Golu’

In this modern era of busy schedule and mechanical life, celebrating this nine day fest with full spirit can make way to  recoup social life and relationships, kindle creativity in kids and serve as a refreshment. But it is notable that like other festivals, this nine day fest is losing it's significance and value.

Now having said all this, I am awaiting the day when I can re-create the good old days of Navarathri and have my daughter enjoy the spirit of the festival as I did in my childhood days.

Below is a picture of golu that was arranged by my aunt in Coimbatore. 

Games Sweet Games

Few days back, we were returning home after watching a movie and suddenly a conversation picked up about the games we played in our childhood. From then on I have been putting up a list in my mind.

Chogi:

All you need is 4 small sea shells and it will keep you engaged for hours together. My aunt was the mentor. The game begins with rolling the 4 shells (like rolling dice) and you are eligible to start playing once all the four shells land on the floor facing upward or downward uniformly. Once you find the luck, you can start tossing the four shells in the air and try catching them using the back side of your hand and then drop them on the floor positioning them in a certain manner to grab points.

Aggravation:

This is an advanced version of Ludo, almost the same rules, but the board is bigger and 6 players can play at a time.

Brainvita:

A board and 44 marbles, you can spend hours alone. Start by jumping one marble over the other and remove the later. The aim of the game is to reach at one marble by jumping and removing.


Tell Me Quiz

Quizzing Game. Take turns to draw a quiz card and spin the alphabet wheel. Answer the given question in a single word starting with the lucky alphabet.

Scrabble:

Crossword game, build words on the board and grab points for each alphabet. The rarer of the alphabets you use, the higher points you score. Luck matters when you pick your alphabets and you can have only seven alphabets at a time.

Business/Moneyply/Monopoly/Trade:

Trading game, where you buy and sell places as such. It’s such fun when you know you own Darjeeling, Mumbai (Business) or Miami Beach (Moneyply). Another such game, I can recollect playing was ‘Barbie Goes shopping’ where you purchase household furniture to set up the house for your Barbie.

Dark Room

Get into a dark room and hide under the tables, behind the curtains or beneath the cot or choose a corner for yourself. Once ready, call the seeker into the pitch dark room. He’s got to find and identify you in the dark.

Memory:

It’s a pack of 56 pairs of square picture cards. Shuffle them and lay them on the floor facing down. In turns, pick up 2 cards at a time; if they match they are yours, else place them back. Every time you get a pair, you play an extra chance. At the end the player who grabs the maximum number of pairs is the winner.

King, Queen & Robber

It’s a game for 5-6 people - King, queen, Jack, Minister, Police and robber. Write each one of these on a piece of paper and shuffle the lot. Each picks a piece and keeps his role a secret except for the King. The King has to find the Queen. If he’s right he gets full points. If he’s wrong, he’s got to exchange the chit. This way the queen finds the Jack, then the minister and so on.

Book Cricket

All you need is a school text book and a plain sheet of paper. The batsman opens the book randomly and the score is based on the last digit of the even page number. It’s up to you to decide the number of balls or the form of game.

Uno Cards

It’s a pack of cards (similar to the playing cards, 4 colours, Each colour contains numbers 0-9, colour change, +4, +2, skip and reverse.) It’s one game that keeps you engaged for hours together. Shuffle the cards and distribute 7 cards to each player. One player plays a card, the next one has to play a card that has the same number or the same colour else he has to skip his turn after drawing an extra card. The player who gets rid of his cards the earliest is the winner.

Trump Cards

It’s yet another pack of cards. Each card contains a photograph of a WWF champion, with some statistics like his ranking, weight, height, biceps, etc...Shuffle and distribute the cards among the players. Each player plays one card at a time and compares the statistics with the other players’ cards. The player with the card that has the best statistics gets all the cards.

It used to be real fun when we as kids used to gather a gang at home decide on a game (sometimes it takes hours) and sit together around the board and play. Parents used to keep us fed with snacks and beverages at regular intervals. Purchasing new indoor games was the first activity we do when school closes for summer holidays. Indoor games used to be our way to keep us engaged for the 2 month span by passing the heat.

Now are the days when most of these are available as flash games or executable programs and the kids are getting used to playing games with the computer all alone at home.

Two Days Full Of Fun

It was a Saturday evening. The idiot box was screaming in full volume with two spectators in the room. The first spectator interrupted “All the seniors would have started by now. It’s too hard to miss out.” The second spectator would have thought “This is the nth time she is saying this.” Yes, my cousin could understand how much I missed the two day extravaganza. This was the first time I missed it in the last 9 years.

Every year, our music school Gurus chose a weekend during the month of June and July, to conduct a two day event called ‘Santhoshi Matha Vidyalaya Musical Evening’. This is the most awaited event for most of the students of Santhoshi Matha Vidyalaya. Every student in the Vidyalaya is given a chance to perform (vocal or Mridhangam or both) on the stage in front of hundreds of people. The amount of effort put into this program is incredible. The practice sessions start early during the month of April or even earlier for students coming from other cities or states or countries. The preparations start a week earlier.

Most of the students have been associated with the vidyalaya for a long term. Hence we are part of the Vidyalaya, even though we might be residing in different parts of the world. We try to get our leaves planned accordingly if possible. The last time I took part as a singer was in June 2004 when I had taken up my first job. Since then I have been attending the function every year and participating in a few background activities. We look forward to this day for several reasons. One, we get an opportunity to refresh our memories with all our favourite songs we have learnt/heard. Two, it’s an opportunity to meet old friends. Above all it’s a pleasure to coordinate/work with our Gurus who are the masters behind the entire show. They see it as an opportunity to boost the confidence of every single student.

Talking about our Gurus, I have to mention a few words about them. This couple care for every student in the way parents take care of their children. The moment we enter the music class, we tend to forget all other things in the world. Their prayers and comforting words drive us towards goodness always. The attention they give to every individual is really amazing.

Sri Kovai Mani (Mridhangam - our Guru), Myself, Smt Parvathi Mani (Our Guru), My brother Sriraj and Smt Krishnaveni (Violin)

Now coming back to the extravaganza, we spend two days completely in the hall. We start with Ganapathy homam on the Saturday morning, followed by lunch. Early in the evening the tiny tots capture the stage. As the evening progresses, people who have come from other cities get their chance. At the end, there is a great dinner. The second day again starts with a small prayer followed by a special Layanayam (This part of the programme normally steals the entire show). Again the tiny tots start the evening session, followed by the most awaited seniors (experienced and talented singers and mridhangists). The two day event comes to an end with a superb dinner followed by ice-cream. (Singers eating ice cream together is not a very common sight. It is actually prohibited for the rest 364 days.)

Not a single person will have the mind to leave the place or get back to work. Normally When we go back, our minds are still listening to the tunes and beats.

p.s:- Recreation is something that we need to get our minds away from normal life and relax. Fun and enjoyment is something we experience when we are involved in something that we like. This is the best way of recreation I have experienced. The energy gained in this event lasts longer and makes me wait for the next year to come.