Deepavali @ Sobha Palladian, Oct 2019 !!

A day before Diwali, Sobha Palladian Campus came abuzz with couples playing Indian Santa Claus!

And they crisscrossed busily between the Blocks 1,2 3,4 and 5, carrying huge bags of goodies !!

Unfortunately Sobha developers  did not provide each of our flats with a convenient chimney for these folks  to drop in. So they used the conventional lifts and rang door bells to walk in.

Indian Santa Claus couples are very different from the familiar rotund chubby faced  jolly man.

They were dressed in their new traditional Indian attire. Not the flaming red felt suit with white piping.

And most men were clean shaven and smelling of fresh citrus aftershave. And none had that huge bushy mustache nor  that long white flowing snow white beard either. And they walked in their chappals, not ride the sleigh. And there was no sign of Rudolf the red nosed reindeer either.

But they all were as merry and jolly!

And their overflowing bags were filled with packets of home made sweets /  savories / specially   made-to-order sweet and gift packets / gift trays loaded with assortments of dry fruits / and fancy give away articles.

And we  (Jayanthi & me) played the Santa Claus couple too.

And we knocked on people’s doors uninvited and at odd times too – mid noon, evenings and at night too.  I think Diwali is a great excuse to take such liberties and strike friendship at odd hours.

Also being elderly couple we took it as our entitlement to walk in and take such allowances with people .

And I also took the liberty of modifying this song,

Happy Diwali, Happy Diwali,

Deepavali all the way ….

Oh what fun it is to walk in,

Uninvited into people’s doorways.

Barging through their doors

Greeting all the way..

Happy Diwali, Happy Diwali

Deepavali all he way…

So we just walked into many people’s home this Diwali. Some we knew very well, some not so well and a few with whom we had only a slight acquaintance. Those folks whom we would see every day walking their tiny tots to the school bus at the main gate while we are busy hanging out our clothes to dry. And those to whom we wave our hands every morning while we sip chai in our garden as they pass by walking briskly.

And we realized what a wonderful bunch of people we Palladians  are.

Such pleasant folks, so courteous and so gracious &  inviting by nature !

Many of them  were well prepared and  were expecting visitors like us.  And they had a wide assortment  of sweets & snacks  and dry fruits to offer  us readily.

And  a few were caught off guard, especially those where we rang the bell at odd times. 

The mama who had a surprised look as he clutched his veshti on one hand and the door handle in the other. And the other person we caught by surprise – his fingers half sunk into his sambar rice.

And people in their half pants, track suits, lungis , veshtis and pajamas.. And a few relatives who were standing in and looking after the kids while the folks were making rounds like us .

We even disturbed one family when they had already gone off to sleep .

 Very sorry folks, we will try to be better  planned next year.

In some homes we were greeted with a heavenly aroma of hot stuffed parathas smoking on the tava, the pungent smell of (mouthwatering) spicy food cooking in ginger and garlic paste, the smell of agarbatti , the typical  aroma of South Indian cuisine – simmering vengaya (onion)  sambar in the vaati   and potato roast curry smoking on the gas stove , fried appalams and coconut chutney!!

And even with the chimney’s exhaust fans  running in full blast, the all pervading aroma of good delicious food cooking in the kitchen is unmistakable !

And we encountered the refreshing  smell of citronella oil vapors  and lavender room freshener too!

And which ever home we barged in, we received a warm reception..  In spite of their inconvenience , Palladian folks were happy to greet us and invite us graciously.

And they were perfect hosts  - offering and  most times insisting that we eat a few sweets and snacks.

And we talked, our conversations lasting from short and sweet 5 minutes  pleasantries to 45 min and more at some homes. And we talked on so many subjects under the sun. Starting with  books to plants and moving up the into the conscious and subconscious plane of meditation, spirituality and self realization & actualization.

And I inspected & admired so many  wonderful paintings, unique pieces of art and antiques  collected over time and from various countries.

And I drooled over some beautifully maintained potted plants in their balcony gardens  and over some enviable collection of books and comics as well!!  

And I also noticed a few well stocked bars.

And the Puja room with a variety of Gods and Goddess and saints, the flower tray, the agarbatti stand and those brass/bronze (or panchaloha)  idols of Ganesha and Nataraja in their classic poses.

And those quaint set of family group photographs, those trophies and awards and other displays  that make each home so unique.

And I am sure that more than a ton of eatables &  goodies would have been exchanged withing our SP community  over the last two days.

Yes,  definitely a ton or more , as my math would indicate.

I bought 6 Kgs of laddoos and 10 Kgs of mixture.

And our gift pack was one of the smallest and most modest ones.

So if we gave away 16 Kgs of food,

As per the famous Newton’s law,

We got back 16 Kgs of food!! (remember equal & opposite reaction)

And that  is  32 Kgs for just one family’s transaction. And with 70+ families happily gifting one another, you can work out the math yourself !!

And even  if you discount 50% in exaggeration we are still left with a ton or more!

Until yesterday, we had collected 8 sweet boxes. A large variety of gift hampers, fancy bags and cartons packed with goodies. A few beautifully wrapped gift items and a few big flat  boxes (dry fruits I guessed)

And today , much like kids after a birthday party we collected all of these and gleefully opened each box carefully and started sorting them.

The non eatables, no problem. They went into the last row of our chest of draw, repacked in their original covers.

The dry fruits, again no problem. We added them into our existing row of plastic containers. Thank you folks.  We do not have to go shopping  to Manak Mewa or DMart next month.

The savories, we sorted these and packed them into various dubbas. The ones with longer shelf life, we stocked them into one large stainless dubba (came along with Jayanthi’s dahej/dowry). Thank you folks. No need to visit Bahrani / Anand sweets or Kanti sweets for a while !!

And now the challenging part ! and it is the most difficult part for me, personally.

We start opening the sweets boxes.

She packs the kaju katli quickly into a stainless steel container and puts them into the fridge.

She then calmly packs those bright orange pure ghee motichoor laddoos into a separate box and even as I stare at them lovingly she puts them away, far out of my reach.

Next I see a box full of Son-Papdi and my mouth waters. And with intense pain in my eyes I see these also being put away, far far away. And I vividly imagine my teeth sinking into one of those big pieces. Rich wonderful smell of pure ghee would pervade my nostrils and the sweetness tinkling my tastebuds as I slowly ease it down my throat.  Heavenly !!

And I hear a sharp snap and I get back to reality.

And describing what happens to the all the other sweets is painful and best not be described at all.

And at the end of  all this She handed me a small cup containing s few assorted savories and said

Thanks Krish for helping me.

And now you may go.

And what happens to those delicious sweets

I guess I will never know!

You see, with my history of Diabetes and weak eyesight, I have been put on a daily ration of only  half  a bar of burfi .

Forget Burfi now, what about bursting firecrackers ??

Did we burst firecrackers ?  I did not hear much.

With HAL imposing embargo on Rockets and Surface to Air launched crackers and the damp weather combined with incessant rains, the real spirit was sadly missing.

And at school all the children are drilled into accepting the fact  firecrackers  are bad. Do not burn crackers.

With the ever increasing consciousness of pollution and green initiatives more and more children now refrain from following our tradition. Wonder when we will invent  smokeless eco-friendly firecracker.

And sadly,  our age old tradition is slowly dying.

And if you were to get reborn a 100 years later and ask your great grand kids ‘Did you burst fire crackers for Diwali’ , they would be surprised and probably comment.

‘I thought people burst firecrackers only on the fourth of July or during Chinese New Year!

Are we supposed to burst fire crackers during Diwali as well ??’

And what else can I say?

Krish..

Lakshmi Puja @ Sobha Palladian, 20 Oct 2019.

According to legend, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and Lord Vishnu's wife, visits her devotees and bestows gifts and blessings upon each of them. 

To welcome the Goddess, devotees clean their houses, decorate them with finery and lights, and prepare sweet treats and delicacies as offerings. Devotees believe the happier Lakshmi is with the visit, the more she blesses the family with health and wealth. (ref. Wiki)

On the day of Lakshmi Pujan, people open their doors and windows to welcome Lakshmi, and place diya lights on their windowsills and balcony ledges to invite her in.. Lakshmi symbolizes wealth and prosperity, and her blessings are invoked for a good year ahead. (Ref Wiki)

Traditionally, on this day, the mothers, who work hard all year, are recognized by the family.

At Sobha Palladian, we performed & celebrated Lakshmi Puja last Sunday 20 Oct 2019.

And we invited all the support staff – the house keeping, the security, maintenance crew and others to this puja and recognized them for their hard work and dedication to their work.

The Puja venue was the association room which bore a festive atmosphere with decorations of balloons and streamers. At one corner a table with pictures of Lord Ganesha and Lakshmi were decorated with flowers and garlands. A tray filled with flowers and fruits along with all essentials items were neatly arranged for ready access during the puja ritual.

Rangaraj Vaadiyaar (the priest from the nearby Venkateshwara temple) came promptly at 11.50 AM for the 12 noon Puja.

   

He started with Gaensha Manthram, the traditional invoking of Lord Ganapathi’s blessings before starting any important  event . 

And with a loud resounding voice with a nasal twang he recited the shlokas in succession.

Guru Prarthana,  Srinivasa (Ishta Devata), Rama & Hanuman Prarthana.

Sankalpam on behalf of all the persons present.

Ganapathi Puja with flowers and akshadai (yellow/red colored  puja rice)

Lakshmi Pujan -  The Lakshmi Ashtothram (the recital of the 108 names of Goddes Lakshmi).

Deepam and Mangalarathi !

He then invited all the SP flat owners to join him and he recited a few Lakshmi Mantra – For our Financial Prosperity, Intelligence and Understanding.

This time the attendance from, the SP residents was low.

And it was understandable.  
The night before, 19^th Oct night, we had the Dandiya & Diwali NIte celebration.

And with a heavy dose of Dandiya dancing and a sumptuous dinner at the food truck and some delicious home made chicken as well and probably some free flowing daru later, most folks did not wake up before 12 noon the next day.

However the turnout from the SP support staff was near 100%. Only Jeet Singh our Security supervisor could not come as he was visiting his hometown.

Venki  and Jayashree addressed the gathering in our clubhouse. Venki (in English) and Jayashree  (Kannada & Hindi) thanked all the SP support staff for their efforts and dedication in keeping Palladian neat & tidy, secure & safe.

And then starting with Mr Shettigar, each resident came forward to handover a gift packet to each of the support staff member.

Coincidentally Ahila (Venki’s wife) handed a gift packet to Akhila!

And Chandralekha (Shettigar’s wife) gifted Chandrkala!!

And we called it a day.

And a BIG thank you and sincere appreciation to all the people who so generously contributed to this Diwali gifting event.

And we plan to keep the ‘Diwali gifting’ WhatsApp group live for any future events as well. So please do not exit from this group. Others are welcome join too

The gifting is purely voluntary. The gift amount is also kept strictly confidential.

Ref. last year's account.  http://sobhapalladianblogworld.blogspot.com/2018/11/lakshmi-puja-sobha-palladian.html

Krish, Venki, Srini.

Karwa Chouth @ Sobha Palladian, 18 Oct 2019 !!

I was not an eye witness to this event – the mehndi, the pious & beautiful puja ceremony , the moon sighting and the breaking of day long fast.

So what I missed in terms of capturing those live moments and close observations, I made it up in Googling, some imagination and a generous dose of MDH masala!!

MDH = Mahashian DI Hatti founded in 1919 (exactly 100 years back) in Sialkot, Punjab.

And these are some of the wonderful pictures that I got .. and this post covers

The Mehndi , The fast & Puja, The pious wives and their puja items, And Finally the MOON !!!

So here we go !!

At Palladian,  ladies waited in queue for their turn and sat patiently , motionless,

stretching their hands and palm, intently watching that dark green thin paste flowing out that small nozzle on to their palms and forearms and weaving a beautiful intricate and elaborate pattern. And they had to be patient for at least 20 minutes. And another 2 hour later for the color to set in and give their hands a beautiful tapestry of red and maroon designs!

While in the north (and everywhere nowadays) the mehndi is a very intricate affair – beautiful patterns laid out on dainty hands and arms and feet as well, the traditional south Indian marudani is a plain simple and no nonsense affair !!

And many times I have stopped by and watched in fascination at the young mehndi boys at work by the roadside. And sometimes envied them. What a wonderful profession. Holding young maiden’s hands and etching out delicate patterns on their fain palms.

Far more exciting than writing on a blank bond paper with a  ball-point pen!

And definitely better than typing out 16 point Helvetica fonts on a blank MS Word screen!!

On Karva Chauth, married women, observe fast from sunrise to moonrise for the safety and longevity of their husbands.

Historically, Karva Chauth was celebrated as a prayer for the long life of soldiers in the war, and by extension today refers to the long life of a married husband.

In Delhi/Gurgaon some of my colleagues used to join their wives in observing this day long fast. One said that they had this tradition right from their Grand dad’s days. So touching !

And my newly married Product Manager also admitted he kept the fast along with his wife. And as we all praised him for this wonderful gesture, he also commented, “I not only love my wife that much, but we had nothing to eat as well. We went to my parents home for dinner”.

A few days before Karva Chauth, ladies  would buy new karvas (clay pots), paint them on the outside with beautiful designs. Inside, they would put bangles and ribbons, mishti and sweets, make-up items, and small clothes. They would then visit each other on the day of Karva Chauth and exchange these ka rvas.

These are  occasions when women bond with each other and have a wonderful time in general, whilst also praying for their husbands’ long lives.

Some highlights of this ritual..

Sargi :  a day before newly-married women and brides-to-be receive the traditional sargi from their in-laws’ house, prepared by the mother-in-law. The sargi includes earthen pots that contain food to be eaten in the morning, before starting the fast. It will give them the strength they require for the rest of the day.

Baya :  The baya is a gift or a token of the mother-in-law’s appreciation for her daughter-in-law, who is fasting for her son. Baya  includes money, clothes, jewellery, cosmetics, sindoor and sweets. After receiving the baya, women dress up in bright clothes and apply mehendi on their hands and feet, which symbolise a married Indian woman, in our culture. 

The Puja and the narration of the story.

A few hours before the moon rise the traditional story of Karwa Chouth is narrated. Legend says that many many years ago, a young woman Veeravati broke her fast before spotting the moon as a result of which her husband died instantly.

Distraught the woman prayed to Maa Parvati beseeching her to bring her husband back to life. and she followed the religious cycle of seven Karwa Chouths after which her husband was restored back to life!

Breaking the fast

First, you view the moon through a sieve. Then  offer water  to the moon. Then look at your husband through the same sieve.  Say a prayer asking for his long life.

The husband breaks his wife’s fast by feeding her a morsel of food or by making her drink a sip of water.

And then the feast !!

Interestingly  Karadayan Nonbu, or SavitriNombu is a vow observed in Tamil Nadu on the last day in Maasi masam.  Married women worship Goddess Gauri or Parvathi or Shakti for marital bliss and better health of husband and children. Unmarried girls perform the vratam to get ideal person as their husband. You can clearly see the thick yellow holy thread they tie around their necks on this day.

And Finally a word about the moon !!

ON this day the moon is the biggest villain on an otherwise wonderful story so far. It plays truant  most times and there is always a heavy overcast sky that day. So evenings are particularly stressful.

Remember the newly wed Product Manager I talked about? That year it was particularly cloudy and his young wife insisted that she see the moon on her very first KC.  So he went on a vigil on the balcony. Every time the moon peeped out he would call her. And when she came running the moon would slip back behind the clouds. And this happened a few times. Frustrated ,and worried for his wife, he thought of something innovative.

He said he  propped up  a Britannia Marie biscuit on his bedroom window.  And shined a torch on it.  He then led his wife blindfolded in front and opened her eyes. When the surprise hit her and just when she  opened her mouth, he stuffed it with a huge laddoo !

Mission accomplished !  Shall we go for dinner, dear??

Making our own moon, why not?

The plight of women trying to sight the moon is common all over India. There is   a huge demand for a good well lit moon that day.

And an enormous market for an affordable holographic moon Projector.

And if anyone in  SP is enterprising enough to start building and mass producing one, I can write out a detailed specs. 

A good rugged box that can be run on 110V or 220 Volts or portable

battery powered one  depending on the size and the height of projection you want.

And we can add some great features too and some fancy dials and rotary & slide  switches!!

Features for adjusting size and how high up in the sky.

Vary its color & shade , from bleached white to Golden yellow.

Add some texture too. Some dark cloudy shapes and a small dark point to mark our Chandrayan 2.

By the way we can also have 28 preset rotary switch settings!!

Then we can also offer the same box for EID new moon. And for Maha Ganesha Chatgurthi and so on !

Any Stece Jobbs in the making ??

I can support you with my Steve Wozniak genius !!

Krish & Jayanthi

Vellore & Yelagiri Part 1

Vellore, Here I come !

Yelagiri, You MUST Go !!

Last Sunday at 3 PM, I stood in front of CMCH, Vellore with a little bit of awe and a lot of confusion building in me .

  

I was born in CMC (Christian Medical College) Hospital some 64 years back.

And many times my mom used to say , “You know Krishnaa… Nurse Nandita told me that you were the most beautiful bonny baby she has ever seen!”

And every time, with that same spiel, she would con me into gulping down the last remaining portions of the Thaiyur Sadam (Curd-rice) .

For some nostalgic reason I had always wanted to go back and visit Vellore & CMCH.

Over the last 12 years we must have done the Bangalore – Chennai- Bangalore road trip more than 15 times.

And each time as we shuttle past Vellore on our way to Chennai,  I would look up at the RatnagiriHill  Temple that is clearly visible from the highway and say  - I must visit Vellore some day!

And each time on our way back to Bangalore we pass Vellore and then would come to a signboard Pointing the way to Yelagiri Hills. And Jayanthi would ask me -  When will you take me on a holiday to Yelagiri ??

  

We finally managed a 4 day road trip spending 2 nights in Vellore and another 2 in Yelagiri.

And I have ticked off Vellore from my bucket list and so did Jayanthi for Yelagiri from her list!

Back to front gate of CMCH Vellore! Now what do I do ??

Feeling a sense of Déjà vu, I look up at the freshly painted Bluish Grey and White main building with a prominent red cross on its top and  hesitate .

Do I just walk into the maternity ward? And proclaim loudly “ I was born here!!”

Or do I go to the nurse’s station and ask for the doc and the nurse and the attendants who were on duty on the night of 1 June / early morning of  2^nd  July 1955 ??

By the way, I am very scared of entering a hospital, one of the 3 places where I would never like to go voluntarily.

NEVER, EVER -  unless there is a dire necessity!!

And I would most sincerely hope and pray that none of you have to. Unless your child or grandchild is a Doc or a Lawyer or a Police officer !

The three places filed with misery – Hospitals (except the maternity wards) , Court houses and the Police Stations (except for passport address verification).

Finally I gather up enough courage and resolve and walk into the main building.  A small space that retains the original structure, a small room on the left  is the reception to direct folks to the various departments. And right in front I walk into a small but spacious chapel.  Its is open to well maintained gardens on two sides, a raised platform in front, a  podium and 2 mikes.   A single aisle and rows of   pews on both sides. Calm, serene and a cool breeze sets up a wonderful peaceful atmosphere.  

I sit down, close my eyes and pray for the quick recovery and good health of every one admitted here. Then I slowly walk around the entire hospital complex.

CMC has grown huge with a number of massive buildings on all the sides . Fortunately it was Sunday. So the crowd was less and  the human plight and the misery was lesser too.  However the small anxious crowd in front of the casualty ward , a couple of gurneys lined up at the entrance, the two ambulances and a police jeep  made my stomach churn.

A 9 storied A-ward stands imposing on the right , a huge 6 storied OT block at the back, the maternity ward, the cancer ward and the OPD and causality section – all built and expanded on a large scale. I shudder slightly at the typical smell of strong disinfectant and the damp hospital atmosphere and quickly rush back to my car.

Mission accomplished ! Thank You CMCH.

We drove up to my Thatha’s house.  Salawanpet, Msilamani Street, that area of Velore which is frozen in time. Narrow roads, sweltering heat and dust. The temple complex in front of our house looked the same albeit a little better maintained with freshly erected signage.  The veraghu thotti (Firewood stockpile yard) was gone, and a new building stood in its place. The huge stretch of Thennam Thottam (Palm Grove) is transformed into an apartment complex.

Erattai Maadi Iyer veedu (double storied Iyer’s house) that is what they called our house, stood majestically even in its dilapidated condition. Thatha had sold it some 50 years back . And the owner did not see any necessity to get the house painted  even once let alone remodel it. Except he spoilt the majestic frontage on the right by building two rooms which he rented out to a browsing center and a shop. And the neat staircase on that side was replaced by one on the left.

Felt very sad. But was  consoled by the fact that the house still existed, instead of getting razed to the ground and some unfamiliar structure erected in its place.

 A thought occurred to me. Maybe I should buy back this house and restore it to its original magnificence. And then what ?

Maybe hope that one of my grand daughters get an MBBS admission in CMC and then join CMC and settle down in this house .

A long shot, but worth looking forward to ..

We visited the famous SriPuram golden temple ! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Temple,_Sripuram

I was totally awed by this structure. This temple is gilded with 1,500 kg of pure gold, double the 750 kg gilding of the dome of the Golden Temple at Amritsar!

There is a separate shrine housing an idol of Goddess Lakshmi made out of 76 kgs. of pure Gold. And you can perform abhishekam yourself!

And this place must truly be the abode of the goddess of wealth, Goddess Lakshmi.  The 100 acres of beautifully designed garden and well manicured lawns with beautifully carved statues and fountains are breathtaking!

Without any prior plan, we suddenly decided to drive  into the famous Vellore fort and visit the old Jalakanteshwara Temple built during the mid 16^th century (100 years before the Taj Mahal). 

Jalakandeswarar = "Lord Siva residing in the water"

It was once called ‘swami illadha kovil” and it remained un-operational for more than 400 years . Following the desecration of the temple during Muslim invasion and rule, worship in the temple was stopped and the main deity was moved away. The temple was re-consecrated in 1981 and the first kumbabishekam after re-consecration was held in 1982.

The huge Gopuran stands majestic and imposing against the blue sky!

The stone etched mandapam wonderfully restored to its original elegance,  which is now used as a marriage hall !

The stone carving and the intricately carved pillars are a beauty to watch

And the ubiquitous Poo kaari right opposite the temple !!

Vellore, we went all around this small town, soaked in the atmosphere, checked out the latest tamil movies running in PVR.

Not much surprised to notice the large number of hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacy  and medical shops. And ofcourse an equal number of snall boarding lodges, restaurants  and hotels!

And finally, we drove up Ratnagiri hill to get a good darshan of lord Murugan and a spectacular arial view of Vellore as well!.

And the Velllore skyline from our Hotel window.

And with a deep sense of satisfaction we started for Yelagiri.

And Yelagiri, you MUST go !!

Krish..