The Navarathri transformation:

 

Seeking the blessings of Devi to write this piece and spread the message of Navarathri to as many as possible.

Sanathana Dharma has its own unique way of reminding us about the Supreme Being, throughout the year, by way of festivities. If only we were asked to remain in prayer and penance constantly, we’d certainly frown or disengage ourselves easily. Hence it’s a gentle reminder of The Supreme Being by way of beautiful festivals year-round.

The Navarathri transformation:

1.      Sundal: While the humble Sundal is still part of the give-aways for Navarathri, a full-course meal - either lunch or dinner is doing the rounds amongst the affluent. Isn’t this already a trend for birthdays, anniversaries or some generic celebrations? Couldn’t we stick to the basics?

 

2.      Small-talk vs. Golu-talk and Song-talk: Back in the days when people visited for Golu, they’d see the arrangement of the dolls, talk about the stories of where they got some of the dolls from. They’d talk about how some dolls made it to the stand… how it got passed down through generations… from mother-in-law to daughter-in-law or mother to daughter… there is no digression in the topic from Golu to people or family matters. If there’s anything new amongst the dolls that was bought newly, the Golu keepers would showcase it as a prized possession. Each doll is after all meant to be an ambassador of tradition, puranas, culture and are meant to be deep-rooted value drivers. They’re not mere pieces of decor that adorn showcases or shelves. So for a moment, think of how much cultural education could be imparted in one-go, through the Navarathri Golu process. Leaving all this behind, sadly people engage themselves in the same vicious rut of talking about petty things. It’s to avoid this that, perhaps, the elders of the past get the children or women who visit the Golu to sing a Bhajan/Krithi (devotional song - mostly based on Devi) or two, so that the attention isn’t disarrayed and gets routed to small-talk and generic talk about household stuff. Some households tactfully engage themselves in chanting Lalitha Sahasranamam and Mahishasura Mardhini stothram – the very powerful Aigiri Nandhini – a much easier way to avoid delusions and chit-chat. General afterthought: there’s no need for peer pressure to compete with Golu in one household vs. another. It’s completely left up to your economic discretion. The base is to convey and educate about our scriptures and culture. I don’t want to transform this post about what could be part of the Golu, that calls for a separate piece altogether.

 

3.      Shakthi to Saree: Everything has been commercialised, so is Navarathri. While saree is an integral part of our culture, it seems to have hogged most of the limelight vs. understanding the true essence of Navarathri. A color is associated with each day of Navarathri… (haven’t heard of this until the last couple of years to be honest). It’s certainly beautiful to look good and feel good, that’s not the only motive behind the Navarathri season. While there are many demons that form part of the stories of Goddess Durga, it’s Mahishasura who stands out. Killing of Mahishasura and victory of good over evil, celebrated as Vijayadasami on Day 10 is perhaps the simplest one-liner about Navarathri. However, if you look at it in a day-to-day point of view, there are inner mental demons which stand in our way from doing things or thinking positively. So as we dress up beautifully in that saree of ours, let’s also take a few minutes to invoke the Supreme Feminine Power to help us fight our own inner demons. Imagine giving a name of an Asura for each negative thought. Try listing down 9 negative thoughts in you and see how you could convert them to your advantage rather than giving that Asura more power by fuelling it. The 10th day then would naturally become victory of good over evil, with a renewed wisdom and energy. At the end of the Navarathri, we'd have 10 virtues that would be part of our mental framework - rendering positivity and spiritual reinforcement.

 

4.      The humble Vethalai Paaku vs. peer-pressured, Back-presents: gifting is nice for sure, not to the extent that it’s transformed to almost an event management of sorts. This is still Navarathri, and the concept is as basic as giving some flowers, kumkumam and manjal, vethalai paaku and coconut, which is already of Supreme spiritual significance. It is so that the woman is blessed with long years of marital life - with pottu and kumkumam and if you’re un-married and are interested in getting a groom, may you find a suitable one 😊

5.      Pictures vs. actual experience: social media appeasement and messaging appeasement is great, as long as we’re not too held up in just the pictures vs. the first four points in this write-up.

6.  Lastly, let's close this piece with a myth I thought - That Navarathri is meant only for women. Well, the demon Mahishasura wanted to be so indomitable that when he asked for a boon, he said he could be destroyed only by a woman. The rest is history, Ma Durga ensured to take a form so ferocious that Mahishasura couldn't even dream of. So how are men related to this festival? There is another side to everything. You can't be all masculine, there's a need to invoke the Feminine Supreme Being as well for all the wellness - Shakthi, Dhana and Vidya (Power, Wealth and Knowledge) - Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi, sans which, we'd be reduced to zero. So the next time you sideline this festival and call it a mere ladies night-out, re-think of the magnificent Trio - Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi. I hope you're looking to at least listen to Lalitha Sahasranamam to begin with after reading this. Well, you can't really blame the men though, simply because of the commercial importance given to this festivity. So ladies, the onus is on each one of us as well, in spreading the correct message behind Navarathri.

So how are you fighting your demons? Leave some comments here. Happy Navarathri.

 

Suprabhatham

 

A household tradition just got revamped – as though with sounds emerging from the skies, with the entire solar system waking up and coming to life, with the purpose of waking up the Supreme. Every word chanted with immense lucidity. The background score is perfect and complementing, it is intended to wake up the Lord after all, so it has to be special.

It’s almost as if you’re transported to the sanctum sanctorum of a temple and standing before Maha Vishnu with folded arms, with rapt devotion and attention. The chant echoes better in the ears as it has special effects which makes it sound like you are listening to a group of people who are standing before the Lord, chanting, in order to wake up the Lord Himself.

Suprabhatam, indeed. For it isn’t just a morning, or a good morning. Suprabhatam has a better ring to it – for it truly means auspicious morning. Su = auspicious and prabhatam = morning. And this isn’t a trite tradition, cliched with the picture of a coffee cup. It’s an adjectivized waking – studded with colors, fragrances, flavors and stories about the Lord. Imagine if someone woke you up like that every day, wouldn’t the morning be auspicious, a gratifying way of waking up? But there’s only so much to a mortal human’s limits, it can get contemptuous. Not quite the case when it comes to the Immortal – there’s no dearth for satiation, there’s beauty oozing out every day, there’s silence and a never-ending satisfaction.

This is the tradition of Suprabhatham, dating back to 14^th century, (Wiki fact – written in 1430 A.D. by Prativādibhayaṅkara Śrī Anantācārya also known as Annangaracharyar, and P B Annan). The first sloka in suprabhatham is from the epic Ramayana written by Vathmiki maharshi who was Ratnakara, a decoit earlier. Sage Viswamithra in order to wake up Sri Rama said "Kausalya Supraja Rama......"This happened in Tretha yuga. We’ve grown up listening to our dear MS Subbulakshmi who still continues to divinize each morning with her voice and rendition of the Shri Venkateshawara Suprabhatham. It is so ubiquitous, that the smell of coffee, combined with the fragrance of incense sticks and MS’ voice in the background is the formula for a perfect morning scene. Not sure if anyone of us wanted to necessarily pay attention to the lyrical glory embedded in it though.

This is no degradation of MS’ version, for it could’ve been so due to external constraints – of which we’d not want to get into the details here. Probably none of us (we laymen) thought that there could be another version of the Shri Venkateshawara Suprabhatham, with such divine, calming fervor in the rendition.

2 weeks into its release, this version of Suprabhatham from Madhavan’s movie – Rocketry, has already replaced my existing morning routine and it has been nothing short of a blissful morning, every single day. As much as I’d like to avoid banality, this version of the hymn is certainly worth replacement, for it helps give a great jump start to the day, regardless of how hectic the day might unfold to be. There’s a certain impetus that it renders to the day, and makes mornings really Su, Prabhathams – quite free-flowing and glowing. For that matter any version of it should still impact the day positively because it’s the Lord’s glory that’s being sung after all. Personally, this version has a slower cadence, which is what makes this one stand out. This post is not written with the intention to compare. What’s key is the divine hymn itself, every day.

So good morning or Suprabhatham? Have a good day ahead 😊

 

A chat that’s dead

The rapid death of a chat: in person and in groups.

WhatsApp’s newest feature of a collection of pre-decided standard emojis (possibly decided based on a survey of the most used emojis - a highly data-driven output): 

thumbs-up, praying symbol, heart, surprise, cwl (crying with laughter) and a sad face with a tear drop. Well, this is how it started with, and then Whatsapp decided to add the rest of the emoji library in say 2 weeks, very magnanimous with emoji options hahah!

What used to be a chat that’s quoted and replied to, has been truncated to a mere set of emojis that Meta decided to introduce as a recent feature. 

Instagram has this feature as well, however there somehow seems more personalisation to it. At least, there is a notification on the inside of the app (in-app notification?), showing how someone reacted to a certain message of yours. 

WhatsApp does tell you if you received an emoji response to what you shared with so much fervour (lol), however, it gets muddled with the many notifications on your phone, that when you open the app, you don’t have something in-app to filter out and show you what emoji you got. Hahaha.

The time spent in writing actual responses seems to be rationed, even if someone truly had a lot to say or comment on a post or a picture. New features are supposed to tighten ties and not sever, aren’t they? After all, with every process improvement you add, you’re expected to gain efficiency and time. In the work world, you add more work to this newly gained “pocket of time,” that was hiding somewhere behind the clock, and you suddenly feel as though someone gave you an extra couple hours in a day, as a bonus for being smart and efficient! Congratulations, you’re rewarded with more work!! Haha 

Ok and in the WhatsApp world, it’s your personal space after all. What would otherwise be a well-thought of, time-spent written message, is now just a double tap with some emoji that sticks out. Poof! You’re done ‘replying’ to someone, at least, so you think. Like really? Since we’re talking personal time here, you can do anything you want with this newly gained time, by not actually bothering to reply. 

What does this activity give back to you? Mindless scrolling and that’s it. The internet and its messaging offsprings are sure great inventions to stay connected with our near and dear ones. There are those genuine people, who actually take the time out, EVERY TIME, and reply to messages, and also use the new feature to the conversation’s advantage and fortify a messaging relationship. That’s if they wanted to. 

For that matter, anything can be used either to make or break. The choice is ours. But that’s where the challenge is - you throw the feature out there and expect people to do what they want with it, however we’re just not too very adept at using good discretion. Features will need to be forced on us to be more responsive perhaps. Truly there would be no such thing though, for it boils down to what you’re habituated to. Simply put, if you wanted, you could.

On the other hand, Everyone is busy and wants to get back to some mindless scrolling where there is no response required. You’re only a spectator after all. 

Thus died the chat, a rather rapid death?

Passion Fruit - an experience.

 

Strictly for someone who is already highly romantic, a little romantic, or at least someone willing to understand what it is like, to be romantic.

Having said that, I’d rate this as an erotic fruit, so much so that, I’d elevate it to the state of The Forbidden Fruit. Such is the beauty of this passion fruit. 

Eat it with a spoon, and the charm is lost. Eat it with your hand, slightly better. But when you suck it up slowly, as though you are gently in search of a pair of lips in front of you, you do justice to this passion fruit’s very existence. 

For there’s no better way of relishing, (not eating) this juicy, sweet and sour, slightly fleshy, like a thin layer of fruity derma. 

A nice looking small-sized red cricket-ball like structure on the outer. Within this house, lives this seedy passion. The inside of the fruit’s skin is softer, which makes it compatible to hold the fleshy fruity derma and its antioxidant-rich seeds. This is one of those few fruits, whose seeds double up as the fruit itself. 

You slide a knife through its centre to have two equal halves. What you behold is pure passion, that’s oozing out, waiting to be sucked up. Just as how you wait with passion when you meet your significant other after a brief separation. 

A passion fruit is not just eaten, it’s relished - by first taking in a deep breath of its fine natural fruity aroma. A touch is irresistible after all, when you have something that passionate in front of you, so you feel the fruity derma by running your index finger through it for a quick few and then without further ado, just slurrrrp!! You can’t but impulsively close your eyes while doing this. Can anyone kiss for long with their eyes open, after all? And without a doubt, the experience is surreal. You cannot stop until all of the seedy fruit derma is sucked up like a noodle. This is the very reason why eating it with a spoon kills the charm of eating this fruit. It’s a new, passionate, experience each time you lay your hand on this beauty.

Perhaps this is how and why it got its name - Passion Fruit.

What are you waiting for? Go find a passion fruit and relish it for yourself to experience a fruity romance. Even if you aren’t a romantic, I hope this post changes you from being a hopeless, to a hopeful romantic. ❤️😍

Signing off, after a passion fruit high. See you soon with a new post! Until then, I’ll have a fruitgasm with this nature’s bounty - Passion Fruit. 

What’s your address?

“Pottu vaitha oru vatta nila” rightly plays in the background as I put thoughts to pen on this one. The case of a forgotten pottu, kumkumam on the forehead and an address. You’ve known me for over 2 decades now and you still don’t have my address? Bang came a very valid question. Oops! That’s when you realise how enslaved you are, to the cell phone. The consolation that it’s all there online…and poof! You just don’t know where exactly!

Because you think it’s safely residing in the cloud, you’re tempted to not go back and check if it’s still there, was it deleted, or if anything has changed! You just tend to take it for granted and when the opportune moment arrives, you don’t get to the cloud, you get to the person instead and ask for the info first hand, as though you were getting introduced to them for the first time! 

Now this may be a teeny-weeny act of remembering things, but it would go a long darn way in determining the value and respect you have for your people, at least your “most immediate” near and dear ones. 

Then comes the sticker pottu, which keeps slipping away from the forehead, just when you are supposed to have it intact. An excellent excuse for not wearing it at all, you know :) ! It starts with not replacing it when it slips off, to not wearing it while at home to not wearing it at all, all because it’s gonna fall off anyway! And not to forget, the evolution of pottu with every fashion you slip into. No pottu with a pair of jeans and tee, no pottu with casual wear… How easy to have ifs and buts for the wonderful pottu. But wait, they always embellish corners of a bathroom mirror, also the center of the mirror too. Somehow, the adhesive seems to work well when it’s stuck on the mirror. 

And now for the kumkumam. There’s a romantic and prosperous charm to the kumkumam, for it adds glow to your face, as though you were wearing the miner’s helmet with an attached light. Such is the positive radiation of this beautiful kumkumam, shining all the way from the forehead, to your eyes, nose, and cheeks. This speaks volumes - of romance, of happiness, of grace, of togetherness with your husband and of culture too. When worn, your face looks adorably adorned as though with a piece of jewellery. Excuses for not wearing it are galore… with fashion being directly linked to it. But, Excuse Me, it’s not a fashion statement, first of all!

So the address, if it had to be remembered in the time of need, would be hand-written in a pocket notebook and carried along, just like your cell phone. The pottu, even if it slips away, could find its way into a sticker pad and act as a backup, just in case. And hey, it can be slipped into your purse very easily. As for the kumkumam, there’s a paste available, which holds the kumkumam all day long. You’d first wear the paste and the kumkumam, right on top of it, so its remnants don’t fall off on your chest, through the surface of the nose! It leaves a mark though, marks its presence, everywhere… in the center of the pillow cover, with you rolling over in oblivion during sleep, on the padding, which is on the  inside of your helmet, each time it is taken off and worn back, on the inside of your dress, each time you pass it through your head. These go to show marks of existence, of a significant other, in every walk of life.

That the pottu and the kumkumam have a spiritual significance, is a different discussion altogether. But think about it, it’s all about the effort you put in to retain things. It’s just that! If you wanted, you could.

Relationship goals:

 We set measurements, targets, milestones, or may be even KPIs in relationships to showcase how we’re faring or may be for others to judge how we are doing. 

An expensive gift, a dine-out, or a holiday getaway and boom! It’s already gaining points in the index of the relationship. Go one step further, you have a highly empathetic partner who is flawlessly good with financial independence and super duper supportive with your work schedule and acknowledging your creative skills. Definitely appealing and no way questionable. 

However, is that really all? It’s not so much about being greedy of what you want in life, rather wanting it all in life. Yes, if the positives outweigh the negatives, heck yes, you’d want to shut up and be happy with what you have. However, is that “little want,” hidden in the aisles of your  heart, wilfully ready to understand this logic that your brain is making?

Aren’t we really compromising one wish for another, if you look at it closely? 

For example, how can good listening be equivalent to a costly gift? How can a beautifully mindful sexual experience with your partner be equivalent to a dine-out with them? How many times are we able to let our guards off with partners and have an open conversation about our deepest fear, our biggest worry, our constant prayer, the worst dream or may be a pressing issue that’s been interrupting the day? Everything is not always hunky-dory. You have to be able to talk about fear and confidence in the same vein - Cry, laugh, cringe, feel the emotions in every sense. 

Are you able to openly ask that you want to make out, and if so, do you get it back? How many times have you been on the initiating end to begin lovemaking? Forget lovemaking, how about a quick exchange of a hug or a kiss during the course of the day?

What’s the attempt that you are making, to get a step closer to your significant other? Or does it even matter?

We’re constantly caught in the whirlwind of getting one wish solved for another, thereby forgetting the open points we have had long pending. There’s a constant confusion in the scope of a relationship. For example, as a woman, being able to wear what you want, being able to have a career without problems, without being judged, is considered as being “allowed” to do something, rather than it being viewed as a basic need and individual preference. The scale is always measured on man vs. woman, still, thanks to fellow womenfolk who continue to contribute towards glorifying this aspect.

Plants require watering plus a little bit of a caressing and pep talk for them to feel nourished and then bloom. This isn’t an overnight process. It requires daily nurturing, for that matter, anything you’d expect to grow, requires nurturing.

Many seemingly good relationships still crash like a pack of cards one fine day, making it look there’s no rhyme or reason to do so. Everything would look picture perfect on the periphery, with fissures and cracks in the inner.

So if you are living with a fellow human partner, you are obligated, and have responsibility towards daily nurturing vs. a checklist you’re ticking off, saying it’s done. 

Are you silently silencing or being silenced about your relationship wishes? Have a hearty conversation instead. Everything has to begin with communication, as a first step. If you really care, start with that. 🤍❤️