Go Global Stay Local

It was half past 7 in the evening when our doorbell rang nonstop. The first time it rang I could hear from inside my house a group of people conversing loudly. I opened the door to my amazement - Boom, it was a group of kids dressed like vampires, zombies, ghosts, witches, and whatnot. I was shocked for a second and the kids wished me a ''Happy Halloween" aunty and asked for candies and gifts. I was not prepared for this. So gave them toffees. So one set of little Halloween left. But, this phenomenon occurred repeatedly in the period of every 15 minutes and I was running out of candies, as at my home we store very little or no candies in our refrigerator. We avoid sugar and packed snacks. Every time the doorbell rang R used to run towards the fridge to find toffee to give to his friends. Our stock of candies got over very quickly. But the doorbell was ringing until 10 pm in the night. Where R was fast asleep, being my early raiser kid. I was awake with my half-eye open, I kept on telling the little cute witches and vampires - Sorry our stock got over. hmmmmmm. And yes, R was not part of this celebration, he didn't like the idea of celebrating. According to him, it is not written in any of the Indian scriptures. And also because, he knows its origin, why this festival came into existence. Yes, I had told the story of why and when it dated back that this festival was celebrated and came into existence. And somehow he is not in favor of celebrating ' Bhoot Divas', I call it this way. And I being a good understanding mom completely respect his decision, and also of those cute little kids who were rooming around the entire society in celebrating Halloween until 11 pm dressed like witches. 

That night I was happy to talk with kids whom I had known for more than 9 years and never even exchanged a smile when I tried to smile at them, nor did they try to greet me when I wanted to have a conversation with them. At least with this celebration, I was able to talk to them and know their name and exchange smiles, and most importantly, I gave them toffee and candies. The next day morning when I went down to drop R off at his school bus at the main gate of our society, where most of the kids wait, I saw a few kids who were at my place the previous night asking for candies and gifts, I was expecting them to give a smile or just say hello, to my amazement, they just turned their face. I was not so elevated by this behavior, thinking let me break the ice and I smiled back at them, thinking one or the other day they would understand. A week passed by there came the biggest festival of the year, which is celebrated on a larger scale. This festival is like home calling for an Indian. It is a festival of love, laughter, and lights - Diwali- The festival of lights. Where elders and the ladies of the house start being busy in the preparation for this festival 10 days before, making yummy snacks along with kids. Cleaning and decluttering the old things which are no longer used. At my house, R and I make small goodie bags for his friends. R paint the mud diya and make handmade cards to send Diwali wishes. And I prepare snacks at home which will be packed in a silk bag along with diya and card. R distributed these goodie bags going to his friend's place and wished them "Happy Diwali". And takes this to his school too and distributes it to his friends. We both just love making this every year. Wearing new clothes and bursting crackers should not be the main thing of this festival. Of course, it is a part of it. But the main idea of Indian festivals is, that they unite people. Festivals help us to embrace our culture and religion. And it is very helpful in breaking the monotony of life. To my amazement, any of those kids who were rooming around dressed like witches and whatnot were neither bothered to wish on "Diwali". This made me write down this post.

R along with his friend brusted crackers. He is not keen on polluting the air, but this year he wanted to show me that he is not afraid of crackers anymore and he busted a few rockets and very few small bijjli and bombs. I being a spectator was just standing by his side to see his enthusiasm and smile. But my mind was constantly thinking about days that I cherished from my childhood, especially during festivals and pooja. That enthusiasm about taking part in all the small things to big. Where we wanted our outmost contribution and make our parents feel happy and proud. We used to get up early in the morning, and take a bath then decorate the house with flowers and the ladies put beautiful rangoli and those yummy mouthwatering dishes that we used to just gulp. I don't see that in today's generation. When we enjoy our kids celebrating  Halloween so enthusiastically, why can't they follow our culture and go to houses wearing traditional attire and wishing people who live in their neighborhood and get their blessings? Doing this kids will get blessings along with yummy traditional food. We cannot blame the younger generation. Kids do what they see. So people wake up our cute little people watching us. We have to set an example for them. But we keep blaming our kids for not listen etc etc. It is not only important to teach our children about the importance of our festival, culture, and knowledge behind each festival we celebrate, but most importantly we need to follow it. 

There is no problem in celebrating a festival that is not even routed in India. We Indians truly believe in the concept of 'Vasudeva Kutumbakam". and have no problem celebrating " Halloween" or "Ancestors Day" or anything for that matter. By the way 'Halloween" dates back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. These Celts who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly lived in the area that is now Ireland, it is believed that on this day, the souls of the dead returned to their homes, so people dressed in scary costumes and lit bonfires to ward off spirits. I doubt any of these kids were educated who were celebrating this festival rather than knowing its origin. In India, we don't wear scary outfits to ward off our ancestors but we do pooja and get their blessings in the month of the Hindu calendar ''Pitru Paksha". (I know it is debatable) Studying ancient history allows us to have a better grasp of our cultural heritage and intellectual growth. We all know that we couldn't be who we are today if we don't understand our culture. We are a land of belonging rather than blood. India is a country in which every great religion finds a home.

But we should tell our kids that Indian festivals are a time to live, love, celebrate, and enjoy with family and friends. It is a time for endless joy and excitement. There are perks of staying in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Mumbai, we get to witness different cultures in one place. I feel it is very important for our kids to see and get involved in all the festivals. Diwali, Navaratri, Kartik month pooja, and Ganesh Chaturthi are the biggest festivals which are celebrated by being at home and welcoming positivity into our life. Engage kids in being creative, cooking, and baking. Exchange food with neighbors. Enjoy the different cuisines and their delicacies during festivals. Encourage them to participate in various cultural activities (Not only Halloween) going around as there is no better way to learn than this and showcase their talent. This is a way to let them be a part of the dazzling fairs and festivals and discover the real life of India in a very special way filled with endless joy and excitement. Festivals are a time to rejoice and cherish memorable experiences. I see people going on vacation, locking the doors. It is an individual's choice. But now things have changed for our times. As we now talk about not busting crackers on Diwali. Save water on Holi. So, let our kids not miss out on everything related to their culture.

A country as diverse as India is symbolized by the plurality of its culture. It is the seventh-largest country by area and the second-most populous country globally. For ages, it has been a land of sages, and saints. Epics like Ramayana and Mahabharat are the real evidence that depict the strong Indian culture.  Once a great scientist said, "We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made". These lines were said by the great - Albert Einstein. Embrace the diversity of Indian festivals and celebrate the unity it symbolizes. Because the greatness of culture can be found in its festival. Don't allow that to fade away. Throughout the year, in all religions, in all seasons, we Indians find a reason to worship almost everything and everyone, from people to Gods, from animals to plants, from planets to stars. So don't forget the roots where we belong.

Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly" lines by -"Martin Luther King Jr".  It is in the roots, not the branches, that a tree's greatest strength lies. Set high-level benchmarks for the future generation. So people "Celebrate globally but don't forget to stay local". Being Indian we believe in "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" & "Atithi Devo Bhava" but don't lack behind saying "Vande Mataram"......... 

Go Global - Stay Local........

Temple Diaries ( Part - 3 )

The third day in Madurai was relaxing and a shopping sphere. We bought a few famous Madurai Sungundi cotton sarees, a fabric which is made in the city of Madurai. That night we packed our bags and went to sleep early the next day journey was to one of my favorite destinations which cannot be missed en route Rameshwaram. Which has great mythological facts and history. Dhanushkodi, which is located at the southeastern tip of Pamban Island. It is located around 20km away from Rameshwaram. The name "Dhanush" literally means ' end of bow', which denotes the legend of Lord Rama and the Hindu sacred text Ramayana. One of the smallest towns in the world, with a length of just 50 yards, Dhanushkodi is the land border between Sri Lanka and India. It is around 15km away from Sri Lanka. The town has a vast stretch of beach, running up to 15km, which is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean on the other side. Dhanushkodi is also called the 'Last land of India'.

According to legend, Dhanushkodi is the place where Lord Rama, Lord Lakshmana Hanuman, and his vanara army had built a bridge to Lanka to rescue Goddess Sita who was under the captivity of the demon Ravana. This bridge was known as Ram Setu. After winning the war, Lord Rama won the battle and crowned Vibhishana, brother of Ravana, as the king of Lanka. Vibhshana later told Rama to destroy the bridge of Ram Setu, upon his request Lord Rama broke the bridge with the end of his bow. This is the reason why the place has been named Dhanushkodi, which means 'end of bow'. We enjoyed the drive watching the ocean on both sides while reaching the tip of Dhanushkodi. It was 5 pm, and we witnessed the mesmerizing sunset. One can see the TV tower of Sri Lanka which is only 15 km from Dhanushkodi. R was very happy to see the beauty of the ocean and was eager to play in the water. We were dropped off by the driver at a certain point where one needed to walk to reach the tip of the land. In that zone, there was no network and our phones were out of reach. 

Witnessing the vast huge never-ending ocean, there were no boundaries for my happiness. It made me feel tiny, humble and inspired. At sea, I learned how little a person needs. Not how much. After spending a nice time near the ocean, we all started towards KothandaramaSwamy temple, which is believed to be 500-1000 years old. This is where Lord Rama did the Pattabhishekam of Vibhashana after Ravana was killed in the war by Rama. This story is depicted in paintings across the walls inside the shrine. After blissful darshan, we walked 30-40 steps towards the sea which was connected to the Indian Ocean, opposite this temple, where one can see the stone which is kept in front of Shivling, which was once used by Hanuman and his vanara army to built Ram Setu. Even to this day these huge stones are preserved by the Government of Tamil Nadu and are kept for darshan. To our amazement even to this day, the stone floats in water. We all took darshan of this stone which was kept on our head for blessings. Isn't amazing. Later we visited our famous "Missile Man of India, Dr. APJ Kalam sir at, the central residence, which is a 10-minute walk from Rameshwaram. This house has been converted into a small museum with the photos and memorabilia of Kalam sir.

Later we reached our hotel which was a beautiful resort, and spent a relaxed evening, as the next day we got to visit the Rameshwaram temple. This temple is considered a holy pilgrimage for Hindus. Mythological accounts depict the presiding deity the Lingam of Ramanathaswamy (Shiva), as having been established and worshipped by Lord Ram before he crossed his bridge to the island of Sri Lanka, it is one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites comprising Badrinath, Puri, Dwarka, and Rameshwaram. According to the Hindu epic - Ramayana, Rama was the 7th avatar of the god Vishnu prayed to Shiva here to absolve any sins that he might have committed during his war against the demon-king Ravana in Lanka. As per Shiva Purana, the jyothirlinga shrines are believed to be the places where Shiva is said to have appeared as a fiery column of light. Originally there were 64 jyothirlingas, of which 12 are considered sacred to Lord Shiva. Each of the 12 jyothirlingas sites is a different manifestation of Shiva. This was our 5th Jyothirling darshan. We wanted to have the best darshan of lord Mahadev, hence we opted for a VIP darshan, which includes MahaRudra Abhishek, along with the entire family. My parents, sis, and my family. My family R, myself, and N this was our 5th Jyothirling darshan. And this was one of the most mesmerizing darshan we ever had.

The next morning we all got up and were ready by 3.30 am. Yes, early morning. One of the temple people who helped us and was in charge of our darshan. We started towards the temple at 4.15 am. We opted for two darshans, one the "Spatika Mani" darshan which was a lifetime experience and should not be missed. In Rameshwaram temple, this Mani darshan is held in the early morning every day. This"Mani" is made of 'spatik', which is a precious crystal in the form of " Holy Shivling". According to legend, this is "Mani" of "Sheshnag" ( The snake on which Lord Vishnu rests). As part of the ritual, before the main darshan one has to do 22 kund (Wells) snanam (bath). This starts with Samudra snanam at Agri Theertham. It is believed that the first kund/theertham lies submerged under the sea. So we all reached this Agri Theertham at 4.30 am and took the holy dip. later entered inside the main temple to have an entranced darshan of 'Spatik' mani. Once we entered the main sanctum there were thousands of devotees to have this once-in-a-lifetime darshan. We entered the VIP darshan lane, and upon taking the ''Spatik'' mani darshan there were no boundaries to my happiness. I felt like a small feather in front of that glaze, the brightness of that mani darshan. Felt blessed.

After mani darshan, there comes the 22 kund/well snanam or bath. A medium-sized bucket of water is poured on the devotee's head before entering the main sanctum. All these kunds/theertham are inside the premises of the main temple. With my hands folded, head down, eyes closed and I continuously chanted" Om Namaha Shivay" and "Om Namo Narayanaya". Took the 22 Kund bath. I was worried after taking 22 kund snanam, R should not catch a cold or cough. I was in the middle of my anticipation when the man poured a bucket full of water over me, in the early morning hours, my clothes got wet and heavy and my body felt light. I didn't feel the water was cold. There was so much energy through my head to toe, that I was getting goosebumps all over my body. This phenomenon is to be repeated 21 more times to complete the 22 kund snanam. R was jumping in joy holding an empty bottle on his head which I had carried to collect all those 22 kund water back home. Every time the water was poured bottle was filled. Holding my dad who is in his late 70s, and a great Mahadev bhakt. He had tears in his eyes and chanting Har Har Mahadev. My sis was holding my mom, who was on a race to reach the kund/well. Since we had taken VIP darshan there were hardly any people in Kund Snanam.

We all followed the directions of the person who was heading us through our darshan. The 22 kund water goes in this direction - firstly, Mahalakshmi theertham the one submerged in the ocean, followed by Gayathri, Savitri, Saraswati, Gavya, Gavyaksha, Nala, Neela, Sethumadhava, Gandhamadhava, Brahmahatya, Vimochana, Shanku, Surya, Chandra, Chakra, Shiva, Sarva, Satyamrita, Gaya, Ganga, Yamuna and finally Kodi. It is believed that sprinkles from Kodi theertham are equivalent to taking a dip in the holy Ganges. As I moved from one Kund to another, I had an observation that the temperature and salinity of the water kept changing. While the water was mostly warm, the taste varied from neutral to sweet. Every Kund has a green board that shares anecdotes from the epic Ramayana which talks about sins washing off your body. The Kund has been arranged in such a way that by the time you come to the 22nd Kund, you are absolved of all the sins. After taking 22 Kund baths we all were drenched from head to toe. We were told especially not to take tap water baths at least for that day. And then let the body soak in the holy water and all its healing properties. 

After 22 Kund snanam, we all changed our clothes and started towards the main Sanctum where arrangements were made for our MahaRudra Abhishek. Verses from the Rudram Chamkam were chanted by two pandits. We all sat and did pooja and started towards the main scantum holding Kalash in hand filled with milk. I had taken Ganges water which was bought from Gomuk, which is in UtarKashi of Gangotri glacier by my BIL. It is believed that lord Mahadev will be pleased with whoever gets the Ganges from Gomuk the starting point of the Ganga in the the Himalayas. After 22 Kund snanam, we all felt calm and peaceful and felt light and more conscious in the present moment. One has to witness this once in a lifetime. We along with my entire family watched the Abhishek to Lord Ramanathswamy from Ganges water and milk, all chanting Har Har Mahadev, my heart was pounding nonstop with the energy looking at lord Ramanathswamy. Every person under the roof was chanting some or the other verses. In that chaos, I felt so much peace in my heart. I found myself standing alone in front of the gleaming Shiv ling, As I got a nudge to move forward I saw Shiv ling and closed my eyes to capture it. Thank the lord for making this life clear from all the sins that we did knowingly or unknowingly and for starting a fresh life with a lot of positivity, contentment, love, and belongingness with my entire family.

After having a blissful darshan we were handed over the flower mala and prasad by the pandit who was with us on this entire journey and walked towards the exit of the temple. It was 7.30 am and we were out of the temple witnessing the best darshan of our lifetime. While walking towards exit we used to halt every 2 minutes to admire the architecture of the temple with 1000 colorful pillars and ceilings adorned with depictions from epic Ramayana. Time to start towards our hotel as we had 3 hour's drive to Madurai where we had to catch our train to back home to Bengaluru. I thanked and prayed for all his blessings which go far beyond anything we could ever dream of. I thanked god for protecting me from what I thought I wanted and blessing me with what I didn't know I needed. One should stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey because Life is a journey. Travel it well."

Concluding my Temple Diaries. Until I travel to a next expedition......

Temple Diaries ( Part - 2)

A temple visit is a reminder of the sacredness of time and the importance of spending it in meaningful ways. In the temple, we seek solace from the chaos of the inner world and find inner peace. Tamil Nadu has more temples than any other state in India. It is said Tamil Nadu is home to more than 400,000 Hindu temples and is aptly called " The land of temples". These temples are shining examples of our cultural heritage with the finest architectural creations that take you back to the Dravidian, Chola, and Pallava dynasties. Most of these temples were built in Medieval times. On our first day in Madurai, after Meenakshi amma darshan we visited Balaji temple and Kartikeya Swamy shrine which was a one-hour drive from Madurai city. These two temples are situated on the hills. We enjoyed the lovely evening pleasant drive, to our surprise Madurai weather was cool and windy due to rain. It was no less than Bengaluru weather, which was a blessing in disguise.

After having a soulful darshan we reached Madurai and had dinner in the famous outlet called " Sree Sabarees", who serve the yummy dosas, Idly, Vada. We all relished the food and went to sleep early since we had a 2 hour of journey the next morning. Our second day tour was to one of the most sacred temples. Tiruchirappalli is an ancient city in India's southern Tamil Nadu state. The Kaveri and Kollidam rivers flow around Srirangam Island. The Ranganatha Swamy is the main deity worshipped largely in this city. The temple and its artwork are subjecte to numerous different Tamil legends in regional Puranic texts. Srinranga Mahathmiyam, for example, is one of the compilations of the temple mythology about its origins. According to it, Brahma was performing austerities during the Samudra Manthana (churning of the cosmic ocea) , and Sriranagam Vimanam emerged as a result. It remained in Satyaloka for ages and was brought to Ayodhya by king Ikshvaku. After Rama, an avatar of Vishnu had killed the evil demon Ravana, he gave it to King Vibhishana who wanted to be with Rama. When Vibhishana passed through Trichy en route to Sri Lanka where he had become the king, the Srirangam Vimanam would not move from the island. So, he gave it to a local kind Dharmavarma, if the king consecrated the Vimanam to face the south cardinal direction eternally, blessing him and Lanka. Hence, it is that the diety (in a reclining posture) faces South, his body aligned to the east - west axis.

The temple complex includes over 50 shrines. These are dedicated to Vishnu, Lakshmi as well as Vaishnava scholars and poets. The shrine to Vishnu displays him in his various avataras, as well as his iconography. For example, Sri Ranganathaswamy temple shrines include those of Chakkaratalvar, Narasimha, Rama, Hayagriva, and Gopala Krishna. It was the 3rd day of Navratri, and expecting the crowd we took special darshan. Being a devotee of Lord Vishnu, I was thrilled and eager to get the darshan. At my home and my mom's house one can hear the hymes chanting from Vishnu Sahasranama morning and evening time. My mom regularly chants these scared hymes of Lord Vishnu religiously. Upon reaching inside the temple suddenly my mom's leg started hurting her so badly that she was barely able to walk. We along with my dad and R were almost   inside the line, mom and sis got stuck outside the line way to darshan. Mom was in great pain. We were very worried, seeing her in that condition, and were apprehensive thinking how she will get the darshan. But the Lord has his plans. Within a minute a guard came along with a police security who is in charge of the temple authorities took mom and sis from the special entry, and they both directly entered the main sanctum within minutes in front of us.We were in shock and were equally happy in joy, seeing this beyond belief happening. My mom walked and took the darshan of Lord Ranganatha Swamy and was in a teary eye with heart full of gratitude. This clearly shows the presence of God to his devotees who do his service without any expectations in return. Whenever God calls us for a task, he will equip us and enable us to complete that task.

I was in great hurry to get the darshan of the lord. Finally, we all reached the main sanctum and people chanted Govinda - Govinda. The main shirne of lord Ranganatha is in the innermost courtyard. The sanctum has a golden vimana (crown tower over the sanctum sanctorum). It is shaped like a Tamil Omkara (Om symbol), shows anthropomorphic Paravasudeva on its gable, has an etching of Ramanuja as well on it, and is plated with gold. Inside, a 6- metre (20ft) edifice of Rangantha reclining on Adisesha, the coiled serpent, can be seen. My heart was at the race the moment I saw the lord . There was no boundary for my happiness and I was outbursted with tears and emotion. Took a while for me to settle down. It happens when one's life journey is filled with almighty's blessing. When one focuses on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance. Indeed, it was a blessed darshan. We all took the prasad and started walking towards the exit, watching the beautifully carved pillars with detailed art.

India is rich in art and architecture, which is seen in the temples of India. Architecture is a visual art and the building speaks for itself. It is belived that this temple is the most illustrious Vaishnava temples in South India, rich in legend and history. Beyond the ancient textual history, archaeological evidence such as inscriptions refer to this temple, and these stone inscriptions are from late 100 BCE to 100 CE. Hence, making it one of the oldest surviving active temple complexes in South India.

After having a blissful darshan we all started towards the famous - Jambukeswararar Temple in Trichy. Jambukeswararar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is located in Thiruvanaikaval in Trichy district and is one of the Pancha Bhoota ( 5 element temple). This temple is dedicated to the water element - Jambu Lingam. It is said to have been built by the early Cholas around 1800 years ago. It is one of the major 5 Shiva temples that represent five great elements. The temple represents the element "neer" which is water. True to its powers, the underground water stream at the sanctum of the temple is always filled with water, irrespective of any season. Underneath the Linga form of Shiva, a spring comes and is a divine gift of the God. In the temple one can witness Monolithic stone pillars and stone chains and12 zodiac signs which are beautifully carved.

A legend says this temple is endowed with 5 praharams. (corridor) As lord Shiva himself built the 5th praharam, appearing in the form of a spider, it is knownas " Thiruneettan Thirumathil". It is here lord Shiva blessed a spider and elephant to attain moksha. I feel so proud of the ancient and mythological stories of our temples, devotees are blessed both in this birth and next birth. One who worships Goddess Ahilandeswari will be blessed good education and intelligence, marriage, and wishes for a child to be fulfilled. By coming around the fifth divine wall known as "Thiruneettan Thirumathil" one's wish will be fulfilled. By this, we covered one of the Pancha Bhoota temples - dedicated to water element.

On our way back to Madurai, with a heart full of gratitude and blessing, watching the bright blue sky and open fields, those long open roads, I was enjoying the journey and felt so content and happy. I believe in creating happiness rather than looking for it through other means. Because very little is needed to make a happy life. A warm hug, elders blessings, a child's love towards his mother, loving family, and grace follow you.

To be continued......