Diwali Greetings

Almost my entire family here...

Well its that time of the year which we wait..Yes its Diwali..I wish everyone a very happy Diwali and a Prosperous New Year...

Diwali at my place is the most awaited festival...It brings the entire family together and as a kid the only thing all of us used to look forward is bursting crackers. But today when i look back at those days, I wish I never grew up. Those petty fights I had with my cousins just because he had one extra packet of what we used to call 'lavangi' or fire crackers..

Traditionally everyone used to assemble at our grand parents house the previous night..The excitement used to build on what we have purchased for Diwali. I remember my grandmother and grandfather neatly arranging the clothes.. Ladies in our family used to proudly display the sweets and savouries they had prepared. And the celebrations began. I don't remember one Diwali night when we slept. We cousins (seven) used to wait for the day to dawn. Since we were 17 members in the family we kept talking the whole night and pulling each others leg...What next?

My guiding beacon (My Parents and Grandparents)

Well the day dawns and its 3Am to be precise...My grandmother used to apply oil in our hair (all kids..the mischievous lot)..Well what next..gulping down the marundu (This is something that we are supposed to have after taking bath..) And then starts the big bang stuff..And then the day just passes off playing some pranks...Since in Mumbai the celebration continues the whole night, we used to celebrate laxmi pooja with our neighbours...As i have told earlier here that though i lived in Mumbai all my life, I was fortunate live in an apartment where the majority of the members were Tamilians.. Also my family ensured that we valued our traditions...

Diwali is just not a festival, for me it has strengthened our realtionship and held our family together...For 24 years having celebrated with all cousins, this year I am all alone...Reason, my cousins have settled abroad, its just me and elders...The family of 17 has now been reduced to 5 in Paradise (That's my building's name) .....The number has shrunk but our love and care for each other has increased two-fold...Patti's demise has left a void..But she is there guiding us...If not for her we wouldn't have celebrated each festival the way we do it even today...Patti this Diwali is for you and Vijay who is celebrating his Thala Diwali (First Diwali) with his wife and Ramya...

Here's wishing everyone a happy Diwali once again...

Its Navaratri..

This is the golu kept in my house.

Yes its that time of the year where nine days goddess durga, lakshmi and saraswathi are worshiped, woman, kids are invited for Haldi Kumkum... I don't know when and how the tradition of keeping dolls only during Navaratri began. But we have been keeping it for almost 19 years now... On this occassion I do miss my grandmother who was instrumental in begining this tradition in my house....I remember how eager she used to be and arrange all the idols...I think whatever i have done this year is because of her and I believe she will always remain my guiding beacon...

How can Navaratri complete without mentioning about the Navavarnams composed by Muthuswamy Dikshithar...The eleven composition on goddess Kamalamba is one of my favourites...Composed in ragams, Thodi, Anandhabhairavi, Kalyani, Shankarabharanam, Kamboji, Bhairavi, Punnagavarli, Sahana, Ghanta, Ahiri, Shri, only MD can describe it so beautifully. May be i should dwell on each krithi at a time. Everytime i listen to it sung by DKJ, he transcends me to the shrine of Kamalamba in Tiruvarur...

It is believed that the goddess does penance for nine and on the tenth day she triumphs over the demons.. On the day of Vijaydasami, it is a tradition to start learning anything new. Generally students are enrolled to music schools and it is also on this day we pay our respects to our guru who have guided us all along...I pay my repects to my guru Late Smt Mangalam Muthuswamy who has been intrumental in imparting knowledge and whatever little i know or enjoy music is only because of her...Sri Gurubhyo Namah...Let us all pray the goddess to give us peace and prosperity and guide us...

Kamalamba Navavarnam: Wikipedia