Lakshmi Puja @ Sobha Palladian !!

5 Nov’18 :  Today is  Dhanteras, also known as Dhanvantari Trayodashi.

And it is the first day that marks the 5-day festival of Diwali.

Dhanvantari  the god of Ayurveda  is worshipped today. .  According to a popular legend, when the devas and asuras performed the Samudra manthan  for Amrita, Dhanvantari (the physician of the Gods and an incarnation of Vishnu) emerged carrying a jar of the elixir on the day of Dhanteras.

Also on tihis day of Dhantrayodashi, Goddess Lakshmi came out from the ocean of milk during the churning of the Sea. Hence, Goddess Lakshmi, along with Lord Kuber is worshiped.

The five days of Diwali. (some dates may not be in sync with some folks)

5 Nov: Day One Dhanteras (Day of fortune) : Also an auspicious occasion for buying  gold . Does anyone have un-used 99% discount coupons from Tanishq, GRT or Krishnaiah Chetty left ??

6 Nov: Day Two Naraka Chaturdasi (Day of knowledge) : Commemorating the vanquishing of Narakasura, the demon by Lord Krishna.

Also celebrated as Chotti Diwali.

7 Nov: Day Three Diwali (Day of light) : Deepavali, On the darkest night  (Amavasya night). We start the day with Lakshmi Puja at home.

The BSE and NSE will remain open for trade on Laxmi Pujan for an hour. This session is popularly known as Muhurat Trading and is considered auspicious as trades conducted within these 60 minutes are believed to usher prosperity and wealth. .

8 Nov: Day Four Annakut  named as Nutan Varsh - Dawn of the New Year : Also called Govardhan Puja and Diwali Padva.

9 Nov: Day Five Bhai Duj (Day of love between siblings): the last day as Bhai Dooj, which is dedicated to the bond between sister and brother.  other Hindu and Sikh craftsmen communities mark this day as Vishwakarma Puja and observe it by performing maintenance in their work spaces and offering prayers.

And Diwali is celebrated for many more reasons.

Many believe that Diwali is the occasion of Lord Vishnu marrying the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. Others believe Diwali is to be celebrated as goddess Lakshmi's birthday.

To celebrate the return of Lord Rama, the people of Ayodhya lit the entire kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and burst crackers.

In Bengal, Diwali is dedicated to the worship of goddess Kali. Lord Ganesha is also worshipped by many during Diwali.

The Jains observe their own Diwali, which marks the final liberation of Mahavira.

The Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas to mark the release of  Guru  Hargobind from a Mughal Empire prison.

And so on…

At Sobha Palladian we performed Lakshmi Puja yesterday, Sunday 4th November 2018.

The morning Puja and celebration was performed for increasing wealth and prosperity of each and every member of our community and our eco-system, and the securing of auspiciousness in the form of Lakshmi. (Goddess Lakshmi had also visited each and every block last week and blessed all of us – many of us saw her foot steps leading up to the lifts)

And we had 3 illustrious Pundits  to perform the poojas !

The learned Scholar from Avadh (Oudh, a large part of present UP and some part of Nepal.  Lucknow was part of Avadh).

And two traditional bearded Brahmins from the South – strict followers of the Advaita philosophy as propounded by Adi Shankara.

After the pooja and prasad distribution all of us assembled at the club house for the traditional gifting ceremony. The entire working staff of Sobha Palladian was in full attendance - The Security, Housekeeping, Estate Manager, Supervisors, Gardners, Electricians, Plumbers and everyone else who worked so hard in keeping us safe and maintaining our campus bright and beautiful!

After a warm welcome speech by Anil, each staff from the SP team was called and a sweet box along with a gift envelope was given to then by each one of us.

Here is a recap of the day’s proceedings..

These folks came in on-time and before 8.30AM.

Preparing for the Pooja.

Pundits in action !

Venki thanking and appreciating the staff for their dedication and hard work

Jayashree, our official translator for Kannada and HIndi 

A proud recipient of the Diwali gift with Minu. 

In Praise of the Palladian Spirit !

Venki, our SPMC Secretary created a ‘Diwali Gifting’ WhatsApp group and within a day we had 55 families volunteering to contribute, and the number crossed 65 and more later. And they pooled-in a huge amount.

And they proved once again (remember Kerala floods?) beyond doubt that Palladians not only possess a huge flat but they also have a big (enormous actually) heart as well!

I salute your generosity!

The pooja and the gifting ceremony was organised in record time and the event was conducted in a very professional and graceful manner. I am sure each and every member of the working staff here went home happy and to shop for their loved ones.

Thank You Anil, Venki, Srini, Jovial, Gautam and Arjun, who drove this initiative enthusiastically, to Shree for the lovely invitation card  and to the entire MC team for their support.

Krish..