Paati - Letter

पाती तुम्हें लिख रहा हूँ,
दिल थाम कर पढ़ना।
बातें तो बहुत हैं,
पर आज कुछ विशेष है कहना।
चाहो तो मुझे ही दोषी कहना,
पर मेरा हाल भी समझना।
जो सपने हमने देखे थे,
उन्हें जीवन मत समझना।
जिन राहों पर चलना था,
उन पर बबूल उग आये हैं, ज़रा देखना।
मेरा धीमे चलना तुम्हें नापसंद था,
पर तेज चलना कठिन है, ज़रा समझना।
तुम दूर जा चुकी हो,
पर मुझे आज भी अपने आंसुओं में पाना।
अब जो भी है, वही जीवन है,
इस जीवन को सुख से जीना।
मैंने भी जीवन से बहुत सीखा है,
तुम मेरी चिंता मत करना।
अब भी सपने देखना,
पर मुझे नायक मत बनाना।
इस संदेसे को खूब पढ़ना,
और जो अनकहा है, वह भी समझना।
दोषी न तुम हो, न मैं,
पर इस सज़ा को तो पड़ेगा सहना।
मैं हर गम सह लूँगा,
बस तुम्हारे सुख की ही करूंगा कामना।
फिर से विनती करता हूँ, कभी अलविदा ना कहना,
मुझे अपने आँसुओं में छुपा कर रखना।
पाती तुम्हें भेज रहा हूँ,
दिल थाम कर पढ़ना। 

Nine days & Nine ways of Navratri

The more I learn, the more I am amazed and realize how little do I know! 
I wrote about Navratri and its significance a few months ago - Navratri. Also, I tried to explain the Golu puja as per Tamil tradition in my previous blog - Celebrating Navratri through toys – Golu. In these blogs, I did cover and explain the importance of each of the nine days of Navratri. 

Decked up in beautiful shimmery attires people were dancing to the tunes of Bhajans and Bollwood numbers on the Dandiya floor. Being heavy on foot, I silently watched them from a corner. Though Garba and Dandiya dances are folk dances of Gujarat, I saw friends from almost every part of India and even foreigners enjoying in the dance. And then I started thinking of how the same festival is being celebrated by many in different ways. I shall try my best to summarize the nine different traditions being followed in different parts of the country for this fantastic festival. 

1. Uttar Pradesh - The land of Rama has a lot to offer during the Navratri. Almost every one locality hosts a Ram Leela on the nights of Navratri. Local actors play the various roles from Ramayana depicting the stories and reliving the Ram Rajya. The drama finally culminates in the killing of Ravana on the Dusseha day followed by burning effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarana and Meghnad. The burning of effigies is followed by fireworks display and much fanfare. The day after the Dussehra, also has a special attraction – a procession locally known as “Bharat Milaap” – signifying Ram’s return from exile to Ayodhya. During this journey, Rama is joined with many other gods and important people on the way. The journey completes on the Deepawali day. Also, Navratri is celebrated in the honor of the Goddess. People observe fasting and give up on something very close to them for nine days. Along with the fasting, “Jaagran” are held to sing devotional songs of the Goddess through the night. The fasting is broken with worshipping mother Goddess in form of young girls. All the activities are community activities to bring the society together. Most of North Indian states perform the Jaagrans and Ram Leela in different names.
2. Himachal Pradesh - Kullu Dussehra is a world famous celebration which has become a custom ever since the 17^th century. The entire Kullu valley in Himachal recognized Lord Raghunath as its ruing deity, once patronized by the Raja Jagat Singh. At the start of the Navratri the idol of Sri Raghunath ji is saddled in a chariot and is pulled through from the temple to the central ground where it stays for the duration of Navratri. During this time, the entire ground is filled with fairs. On the last day, the chariot is pulled back towards the temple and on the way, the procession stops by on the banks of river Beas where a pile of hay is burnt to symbolize the burning of Lanka. The state government has declared the festival as an International festival to attract tourism.
3. West Bengal - West Bengal's Durga Puja is well known to the world. During Navratri, Maa Durga descends from her heavenly abode to her maternal home on the earth in the form of Durga Puja. Her coming alive is celebrated with much pomp and glitter all over West Bengal. Beautiful and extravagant pandals are constructed for the Durga Puja. The pandals are decorated with breathtaking statues of the Goddess Durga, her sons – Ganesha and Karthikeya, Lakshmi and Saraswati.
4. Gujarat - Gujarat introduced the world to its wonderful folk dance forms – Garba and Dandiya Raas. Men and women dance in vibrant clothes around a clay pot or an image of the Goddess. The clay pot with the lamp signifies the womb or the Garbha – the source of the life. This is what gives the name to the Dance – Garba. The Dandiya Raas played later with the sticks is a reminder of the maharaas danced by Lord Krishna with the ladies in Vrindavan.
5. Mahrashtra - For the Maharashtrians, Navratri is an auspicious time to initiate new beginnings, buying a new home or a car. Women invite their female friends to their homes and gift them with a coconut, beetle leaves and beetle nuts. They put haldi and kumkum on the foreheads of the married women as a gesture of 'Saumangalyam' (remaining the wife of her husband until her last breath). The Navratri celebrations in Maharashtra, especially in Mumbai, bear resemblance to Gujarat owing to its geographical proximity to the state. Each and every locality has its own garba and dandiya nights celebrations and the whole family drenches itself in the festive spirit.
6. Andhra Pradesh - Batukamma Panduga or the Festival of Flowers is a festival of feminine felicitation. This festival represents the cultural spirit of the Telangana region of the state. The women prepare a Batukamma – an arrangement of unique seasonal flowers in a stack. The stack thus consists of seven concentric layers and looks like a potter's clay cone. In the evening the women get together and arrange their batukamma in the centreof a circle. They then sing folk songs, hymns and dance together.Batukamma means coming alive of the mother Goddess. This festival thus celebrates the motherhood. On the ninth day of the festival, the women take their batukamma and set it afloat in the local water body.
7. Karnataka - The Dasara of Mysore needs no introduction. Celebrated in the same historic fashion as started by Raja Wodeyar in 1610 at Srirangpatnam. Raja Wodeyar had rekindled festivities once done by the Vijayanagara kings. The Mysore Dasara festival is marked by its main event – lightening of the Mysore palace. It is said that the palace is illuminated with the help of about 1 lakh(100,000) bulbs every evening for ten nights and approximately Rs 10 crore(Rs 10,000,000) is spent towards maintenance of illumination procedure every year. On the Vijayadashmi day, a large procession is held on the streets of Mysore. The main attraction of the procession is the idol of Goddess Chamundeswari atop an elephant on a 750 kg gold mandapa.
8. Tamil Nadu – The households in Tamil Nadu celebrate Navratri by decorating Golu in their homes. At the same time, it is a custom to invite other married women to one's home and offer them a gift. The gift consists of bangles, earrings, vermillion, turmeric and other items reminiscing of their marital status. Along with these items, a coconut, beetle leaves and nuts are also included in the gift. It is a common belief that the offering is a prayer for their husbands and their long life.
9. Kerala - Kerala is known to have the highest literacy rate in the whole of India. Possibly their devotion to the Goddess Saraswati is something to be credited for. Unlike the rest of the country, Keralites celebrate Navratri only on the last three days were they worship Goddess Saraswati. They celebrate their books, knowledge and consider these days as the most auspicious to initiate learning.

There may be more than the above ways to celebrate. But the common theme seen is happiness, community get together, respect for all and working together. Not sure if the festivals are loosing their charm or our dictionaries to find meanings have changed. 

Celebrating Navratri through toys – Golu

I have been visiting my Tamil friends' home celebrating navratri and looking at their Golu. Out of curiosity and my interest in knowing their culture, we have always discussed the various aspects of the ritual and the festival. This year our kids started showing interest in observing the arrangement. And thus came the idea for this article. A lot of the information here is well known to many and can be found on many websites or other blogs. So please do not charge me with plagiarism for the common knowledge!

Golu or Kolu is an arrangement of dolls usually done in the Tamil and Telugu households. Also known as Bommai Kolu iin Tamil, Bombe Habba in Kannada, Bomma Gullu in Malyalam and Bommala Koluvu in Telugu. In Tamil, Golu or Kolu means the divine presence and in Telugu it means a court of toys. Some call it Golu while other call it Kolu. Since it represents an 'arrangement' of toys on the steps, it could have been derived from the word kolum – an arrangement of dots which is used to draw complex rangoli.

It is a belief that the divine presence is maintained in the house through the arrangement of the dolls and the Goddess herself visits the household blessing them and driving the evil away. The kolu dolls represent the victory of good over evil.

The dolls used for decoration are usually from our Indian mythology depicting the various tales. The dolls are arranged on steps that are always in odd numbers. The household determines the number of steps depending upon the number of dolls available or the convenience. Setting up of steps and dolls can be very effort taking and space consuming. The kolu setup displays the thought process of the household and their creativity. Some households try to be creative and create themed scenario depicting an idea either for fun or giving a story to the onlookers. In the arrangement, the top three steps usually contain the dolls representing Goddess Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati and the Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh and other gods. The next three steps are for saints, teachers and other people of importance. The next step (seventh from top) may have dolls representing customs or marriage and other family traditions. The eighth step or last but one is the place for the famous Chettiyar and Chettichi dolls representing the prosperity. On the last step, the traditional wooden dolls – Marpachi dolls are kept. The wooden dolls are handed over through generations and must be decorated well before putting in the kolu.

There are some dolls that have become the staple of every kolu. They may differ in size or vary a little in color but are very easily identifiable. These are –

• Marapachi Bommai – For togetherness – 'Mara' means wood and 'pachi' means carved. Its origin can be traced back to Andhra Pradesh. It comes as a pair of husband and wife. Usually the dolls are not clothed, leaving some fun activity time for children to dress them up before it is being displayed. They represent the togetherness and bonding between a couple.
  
  
• Chettiar Bommai – The signs of prosperity – An old, bulbous and wealthy looking couple. Any kolu is completely incomplete without this couple. The Chettiar community is traditionally associated with being a business community. In addition to the dolls, a handful of grains, rice and jaggery is placed in front of them to make the typical Chettiar kadai- the grocery shop. The couple stands for growth, prosperity and happiness.

• Dasavathram - The 10 Incarnations of Lord Vishnu – In a golu of stories, this set has plenty to fill days and nights. Children are drawn towards the story usually told by grandparents and it becomes a good chance to familiarize them with these most loved and oft-repeated stories from Hindu mythology.

• Rama set – Wife, companion and faithful servant
• The big fat Indian wedding – Gods and goddesses getting married are a favourite display of many kolu. Some display the baaraat scene, some the Srinivasa Kalyanam – which is the marriage of Lord Narayanan and Goddess Lakshmi blessed by the other Gods and Goddesses, some have the Meenakshi Kalyanam and some have a regular couple getting married, accompanied by musicians on the nadaswaram and percussion.

• Shiva, Parvathi and family

• Tanjavur Bommai – dolls that rock – Tanjavur or Tanjore is known for its uniquely painted moving dancer dolls. An all-time children's favorite, they are very beautiful and vibrant to look at, and come in different colours. Each part is balanced on the one below and with one touch to the bottom most piece, the effect derived is very similar to that of a dancer.

Kolu arrangement is a good family and community event. While decorating their own house, the entire family is involved and is a great chance for the kids to learn about their culture through the stories from each of the dolls. Also as a customary practice, the women and children visit other households and view their kolu in South India. This way they not only learn about stories others have depicted, but also get a way to get connected.

At the start of the navratri ceremonies, the Goddess is invoked and is established in a Kalash topped with a coconut. This kalash is well decorated and covered with cloth and is placed along with the Marapachi dolls and is worshipped all the days. Finally on the Vijayadashmi or the Dussehra evening, one of the dolls is symbolically put to sleep and the kalash is moved to the North to mark the end of Navratri kolu.

Teamwork

Dakhsha Prajapati is a famous character in Hindu Mythology. Most of us remember him as a loving father who adored his daughter and doted her so muc that he did not approve of her marrying a hermit. His only flaw being the love of his daughter that eventually drove him to limits of sanity and eventually claimed the life of his daughter – Uma and thus forced Shiva to perform the tandav.

What we overlook is that Brahma created Daksha as his son to be a "Prajapati" – a provider for his creation and help Brahma's creation grow. Of all the Brahma's son, Daksha was chosen to be a ruler who would create a mankind and would establish ways for it to grow. He was known to be the skilled one in every field and hence got the name – Daksha. He is known to have more than a thousand sons.

Once Daksha wanted to teach his sons important lesson for future. He invited them all to his palace for a grand feast. He asked his cooks to prepare the best of the food and make sure that they cater to the needs and favorites of each of his sons. On the day of the feast, when all the sons arrived his palace, he asked them to sit in columns facing each other. When all of the sons were seated, he spoke to them about a few rules for the feast –

1. No one should waste any food served to them – This is considered an insult of the food and indirectly to the host
2. No one should bend their arms to be able to eat the food – The arms are where the strength lies, bending the arms are like showing weakness

Some of his sons left the feast listening to the rules calling it an insult to their dignity. Some were seen to be lying on the floor with their faces smeared with with the food as they tried to eat it directly from their mouth. Daksha was disgusted at the sight and was about to resturn back to his antechamber filled with sadness, when he heard sounds of laughter and burps. He turned around to see a group of his sons laughing and enjoying the feast. He looked at them affectionately and saw an innovative solution to his rules – they did not bend their hands but chose to feed the person in front of them from their plates! Daksha was thrilled – he had taught his sons the lesson of teamwork.

I had read this story in a book by Devdutta Pattnaik a few months ago. When I saw this rendition from Caritas International (See blow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhU5JEd-XRo), the story just reverberated itself. As important as it can be, there is no alternative to teamwork and the food must be respected. It is our lifeline and some of us are really fortunate to have enough of it. Just the thought of not having enough food for future invokes the animal instincts in us that drive us away from humanity. Remember – we worship 'Pashupati nath' for having overcome the animal instincts and not relishing them.

Dera - Settlement

चहचाहते पेड़ ,

मस्तानी पवन,

शोर करती चंचल सरिता ,

और संजीवनी देता सूरज। 

यही पा कर ही,

कल ही तो डेरा लगाया था। 

पेड़ भी मिले , पक्षी भी मिले ,

सरिता भी मिली, और सागर भी मिले,

सूरज भी मिला और चाँद संग तारे भी मिले,

उछलते कूदते जानवर,

और शिल्प गाथा गाते पत्थर भी मिले। 

तभी तो,

यहीं डेरा लगाया था। 

सब कुछ मिला पर कुछ अधूरा था ,

इस सुन्दर प्रकृति के बीच मैं अकेला था। 

जो भी पाया वह मैं था और मेरा सपना था। 

पर अपनी खोज में मैं सभी से दूर हो गया था। 

और जो साथ थे, अपनाते ही ना थे। 

तभी तो आज डेरा उखड़  गया।  

क्यों था मैं अकेला?

क्यों छोड़ गए मुझे सब?

प्रकृति की रचना अच्छी तो मैं क्यों नहीं?

मैं तो सोच रहा, तुम भी सोचो ना। 

सोचना फिर तो खोजना मुझे,

क्यों की कल ही तो डेरा लगाया था,

और आज उखड भी गया। 

Relief to ancestors

The river Ganga – one of the pillars of Indian Vedic culture is also known as "Bhaagirathi". This name came from Raja Bhagirath who is said to be reason why Ganga had to leave her heavenly abode and descend to flow on Earth. It is said that once there was a great king Sagar of the Surya dynasty. He was a Suryavanshi and a forefather of Lord Rama. Once he performed an Ashwamegha yagna in which his army follows the yagna horse. All the area that the horse travels upon then belongs to the king who performs the yagna. If anyone resists, he shall face the king's army. Unfortunately, Sagar lost his horse and then he ordered his 60,000 sons to find the same. They went all over the place uprooting life and burning forests to look for the horse. Finally they reached the ashram of Sage Kapila and found the horse tied in a corner. Enraged, they thought the meditating sage was the thief and disrupted Sage's meditation and tried to burn the ashram down. Horrified at the accusation and the enemity of the princes, the sage cursed the princes and turned them to ashes. Prince Bhagirath, one of the surviving descendants of King Sagar, approached Sage Kapila to forgive his forefathers and allow them to move to the next world by freeing their souls. He learnt that if the Ganga flows through the land where the ashes of his forefathers lay and the holy water carries the ashes, they shall be absolved of their sin. Bhagirath then worshipped Indra, Brahma, Shiva and Ganga to make her flow through the land.

Sage Agastya had a dream and saw his ancestors hanging upside down in darkness above the river Vaitarni. Upon inquiring the state of his ancestors, they responded that their condition is due to Agastya's celibacy and his refraining from producing offsprings. They told him to allow the nature to grow and help them pass on to the next world. Sage Agastya then married and had children. He found his ancestors happy then.

One of the sages held his desires close, practiced celibacy and thought of controlling nature through the power thus achieved. As a result, all women, animals, land around him became barren. The land around him started to experience draughts as there was no rain or water. In his attempts to control nature, the cycle of nature was stopped. To allow the nature to take its course, the sage had to enter matrimony and lead a the life of a household. This was Sage Rishyashranga – husband to Shanta – Lord Rama's elder sister.

In the chapter 1 of Srimad Bhagwat Geeta, Arjun examines the Kaurava army and then lays down his weapons in grief and tells Sri Krishna that he cannot fight. The most populist reason we all have heard is that how could he harm or kill he loved ones and relatives. But on detailed reading, he explains that through this war the Kauravas and their sons along with the sons of many others would die in the battle. This would destroy the families and finish off the family tree. Per his explanation, the sin of killing descendantss and one's family tree is more than not fighting in the battle.

All of the stories emphasize on the cycle of the nature. And another important aspect – when the next generation is born, the previous moves on to the next world. The cycle repeats itself. There are multiple rituals that take place during the course of this cycle. In my previous article, we saw some of the reasons for the pind daan ritual. This article emphasizes the role we play in the afterlife of our ancestors.

Pind Daan – Homage to ancestors

We celebrated Ganesha Chaturthi about a week ago. Right after the great veneration all of us immerse the Ganesha idol into water symbolizing he deportation and mingling with the five elements of the nature. When devotees carry the idol to the nearest water body or the place for immersing the idol, they chant hymns to invite the lord again next year. What we often overlook is the philosophy we emphasize through this ritual –the cycle of nature.

Hinduism follows the lunar calendar – based on the cycles of the lunar phases – waxing and waning of the moon. Following the lunar phase where we bid farewell to Lord Ganesha, the phase is used for remembering our ancestors and paying them homage. Well known as Pitra Paksha, this lunar phase lasts 15-16 days.

During the Pitra Paksha, it is expected for everyone to pay homage to their ancestors in form of "Pind Daan" and pray for their wellness in the other world. The "Pind" is actually a ball made of cooked rice & barley along with Ghee and black sesame seeds. While rice and barley define the rejuvenation hinting at the cyclical nature, the ghee and the black seeds denote the "Punya" (Good Deeds) and "Paap" (Bad Deeds). The pinda daan ritual is followed by a prayer to Lord Vishnu and Yama. Yama being the god of death and the keeper of the nether world is prayed to allow our ancestors a better stay. And the prayer to Lord Vishnu is to help our ancestors attain freedom from this cycle of life and death.

The pinda daan is performed by the living for their parents or siblings who have passed away. It is said that when the newer generation moves to the nether world after death, the generation before them enters the world again through a rebirth.

An important aspect and rather an unusual one is the prayer to crow! A good part of the pinda is separately arranged as an offering to crow. A crow is never considered as a symbol of beauty or happiness. A crow is considered as a bad omen and a piece of irritation as they sound like squeeking or Caw. Hence it is never invited into a household. But, the crow is considered as a messenger of Yama. His sound is actually understood as the first letter in Hindi alphabet – ka. The sound is also the start of many questions like what, when, how, why and where. It is said that in form of a crow, Yama comes to ask these questions for us to retell the stories that we have for our ancestors. These stories shall help him in his judgement.

As a ritual, after the prayers and the pinda daan, the devotees are expected to offer their gratitude to the Brahmins acting as agents connecting them with their ancestors. Incidentally this period is considered inauspicious for carrying out new initiatives. Practically speaking, with all the learned people busy dining and connecting the living with their ancestors, there aren't many left to bless the new initiatives. Thus come the inauspiciousness. Who is to blame – the ancestors or ____?