After the invitees started trickling in, it was time for me to take up my Tour Guide duties. One after the other, I took people around the house.
Luckily, except for the first couple of people, the rest arrived in batches and so it made my job easier.
I am not going into the attendance list, but at the end of the day, we found at least 20-25 no-shows! That sure lead to a lot of food going waste, but we packed off most of the left overs to the maids who had come to help us out.
I had my lunch a bit late, but luckily, for the last pandhee, I had enough company. I was too gassed out to enjoy the lunch, but what little I tasted, I liked. Based on the feedback I got from the others, the caterer had done a good job.
Slowly everyone started leaving and finally it was left to my parents, chithappa, chithi, cousin and myself to stay back. My father tried a siesta but failed miserably in the absence of a bed.
After an hour or so of just lazing around and bidding farewell to the helping staff, I started to feel the pain of hard work. The pain from having to go up and down the stairs every 5 minutes or so to check on the guests. I stretched myself out on the plastic chairs we had rented for the day.
Around 3 'o clock, my mother asked me to prepare coffee. Of course, she wanted me to prepare the decoction using the new coffee maker. In my eagerness to make a strong decoction, I used a lot of powder and got the machine going. In a minute or so, I saw decoction coming out of all places in the machine. It was not supposed to happen that way. So I stopped the machine and took out some of the powder and had the machine resume its duties.
When my father started preparing the coffee, he realised how bad the posish was. While I did use a lot of powder, I'd also used a lot of water. So ultimately, we got quite a watery decoction. Needless to add, the coffee we all had to drink was quite BAD.
Anyways, we all continued our chit-chat and around 5.30, we realised that it was time for my chithi, chithappa and cousin to go home. So they packed their bags, took some more of the food from the afternoon and by 6.15 or so, they were off. We also gave instructions to our driver to drop them and then leave the car at our B'Nagar house.
By 7.30 my parents and I got into our dinner and then cleaned out the surplus food. After that was done, we started assembling all the items we brought in for the function, so that we could move them all into the car the next morning.
There were quite a lot of gifts given by my friends. And that alone took up most space in the car.
Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I didn't sleep that well. But the next morning, we started loading the goods into the car and we were out the door by 6.45 or so. We reached home by 7.20.
Without much further ado, I will conclude this narration of my grihapravesham. It was definitely a success and all credit goes to my folks for arranging 95% of the show. My contribution was certainly limited to transportation, handling of accounts on the D-day and of course looking after my friends who had come over.
Before I close out, a quick note on the gifts. Each and every item was fantastic. We opened up the gifts only on the 30th (night) but it was worth the wait. I have already placed some of them in the display shelf at B'Nagar. The rest will have to wait for my relocation to Shollinganallur.
Showing posts with label Grihapravesham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grihapravesham. Show all posts
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Grihapravesham on 29-Apr-2007 ::: Part 03
To put it in Chennai Senthamizh, the navagraha homam "bend-a kazhatidichu baa". In other words, that part of the whole ceremony warranted 9 namaskarams with about a minute's gap between each.
The priests let me go after that. A little later, they asked all of us to come to the homam area and asked us to do 3 pradhakshanams around it. And even as we were doing it, they started putting stuff into the pyre and it increased its smoke output manifold. Needless to add, all the smoke getting into the eyes, made the walk around the homam quite difficult.
The eyes were watering like crazy and I had to take a pit stop after every 2 steps or so. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one facing that ordeal. It was experienced by all of us. I came out of this episode quite shaken and apparently, Superthumby felt that my eyes were bloodshot - probably due to the excessive rubbing.
All this while, Superthumby was quite keen on taking pictures. Not of the function per se. His focus was more on how I was going about the namaskarams, pradhakshanams et al. I had brought my digi cam in the hope that some good pictures of the whole function would be taken. But he had other ideas and thankfully, to negate his goal, the memory stick on my camera was near full and so he stopped taking these voyeuristic pictures.
Anyways, as part of the closing ceremony of the religious aspect of the function, my parents and I were asked to sit near the homam and give the dakshinai to the priests. It included cash and clothes. And BTW, I was intentionally wearing one of my cargos that day, just so that I could keep all the cash needed for the function in different pockets. My uncle was quite impressed with this!
So we dished out the dakshinai to the brahmnaall and in turn we were asked to drink the milk that was boiled specifically for the function. I am totally averse to drinking plain milk and that if its warm. I cannot stand the smell and the taste. But like they say about porcelain (like the sand has to be mixed in water to make a yucky paste; then be spun around in a wheel; finally get baked in an oven), one has to sahichufy such tortures in the bigger frame of things. (I am actually not sure if the milk drinking part came at the end or somewhere in between itself, but that doesn't really matter).
So the brahmnaals finally went to have their breakfast. After some time, Superthumby, Madhu and I had breakfast and we were the last ones. Nilu was coming in late and so we'd decided not to wait for him. The breakfast was cold yet, quite tasty!
A while later my invitees started coming in.
The priests let me go after that. A little later, they asked all of us to come to the homam area and asked us to do 3 pradhakshanams around it. And even as we were doing it, they started putting stuff into the pyre and it increased its smoke output manifold. Needless to add, all the smoke getting into the eyes, made the walk around the homam quite difficult.
The eyes were watering like crazy and I had to take a pit stop after every 2 steps or so. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one facing that ordeal. It was experienced by all of us. I came out of this episode quite shaken and apparently, Superthumby felt that my eyes were bloodshot - probably due to the excessive rubbing.
All this while, Superthumby was quite keen on taking pictures. Not of the function per se. His focus was more on how I was going about the namaskarams, pradhakshanams et al. I had brought my digi cam in the hope that some good pictures of the whole function would be taken. But he had other ideas and thankfully, to negate his goal, the memory stick on my camera was near full and so he stopped taking these voyeuristic pictures.
Anyways, as part of the closing ceremony of the religious aspect of the function, my parents and I were asked to sit near the homam and give the dakshinai to the priests. It included cash and clothes. And BTW, I was intentionally wearing one of my cargos that day, just so that I could keep all the cash needed for the function in different pockets. My uncle was quite impressed with this!
So we dished out the dakshinai to the brahmnaall and in turn we were asked to drink the milk that was boiled specifically for the function. I am totally averse to drinking plain milk and that if its warm. I cannot stand the smell and the taste. But like they say about porcelain (like the sand has to be mixed in water to make a yucky paste; then be spun around in a wheel; finally get baked in an oven), one has to sahichufy such tortures in the bigger frame of things. (I am actually not sure if the milk drinking part came at the end or somewhere in between itself, but that doesn't really matter).
So the brahmnaals finally went to have their breakfast. After some time, Superthumby, Madhu and I had breakfast and we were the last ones. Nilu was coming in late and so we'd decided not to wait for him. The breakfast was cold yet, quite tasty!
A while later my invitees started coming in.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Grihapravesham on 29-Apr-2007 ::: Part 02
We entered the house, even as one of the shaasthrigall showed up there. The other 3 were en route.
The single dude then started belting out instructions asking for this and that. All of us started running around catering to those commands. Just then, Ramaraajan came there, with the cow, calf and a lady carrying a jug of milk - all part of the rituals.
Then all the priests showed up and as usual chaos set in - "shitha, rendu thaambaallam eduthundu varaella" or "maami, maami, homathukku kolam podungo" or "maamaa, dharbaya ready pannikongo" or "ambi, konjam neiy kondu varaya" etc etc.
We were then asked to produce the pomegranate, sweet lime and apple that was ordered earlier. Sounds of "aahaa" and "achachacho" filled the air. That was because all of us had forgotten to take it out of the fridge and keep it in the bag, when we started from B'Nagar.
I was then "politely" instructed to fetch the aforementioned fruits. The cow-man and also another local guy from the nearby departmental stores, categorically told us that the shops selling fruits would open only at 8.
But me folks would have none of it. So I drove out to the main road and enquired at the two veg shops that were open. One pointed to the other and the other told me that he doesn't have any. And that the shops open at 8 and also that if I needed one immediately, I could go to some juice shop somewhere and ask them for the fruits.
Thanking him for the very original idea, I headed towards the city. But even before I left my panchayat ellai, I called my mother. She asked me to head back saying that other rituals were waiting to begin and that was more important than the presence of those fruits.
While returning, I made a call to Superthumby and asked him to buy these fruits. The great friend that he is, he agreed without even a nanosecond's hesitation.
So all things being set, I came back home. Just in time, coz the cow and calf were being held tightly by the cow-man and all were standing near the first set of steps that lead to my main door. The head shaasthrigall was there and so were my parents.
The "gho" pujai was completed and we then spread out big jamakkaallams for the cow to enter the inside of the house. The j'k'lams were used mainly to prevent the cow from slipping on the new floor.
I think the cow was well trained in doing these things. Whether it was trained in the shed or it picked it up on the job, I will never know. But it came in with an air of "been there done that", looked around and then started walking away. Of course, the cow-man was still holding its reins, but it still seemed to have a nonchalant way of going about its activities.
After we paid our respects to the cow-man and the milk-woman, the priests started doing more rituals. I simply cannot go into each and everything, mainly coz the whole sequence is a bit of a blur for me now.
Then we were all called for the navagraha homam.
The single dude then started belting out instructions asking for this and that. All of us started running around catering to those commands. Just then, Ramaraajan came there, with the cow, calf and a lady carrying a jug of milk - all part of the rituals.
Then all the priests showed up and as usual chaos set in - "shitha, rendu thaambaallam eduthundu varaella" or "maami, maami, homathukku kolam podungo" or "maamaa, dharbaya ready pannikongo" or "ambi, konjam neiy kondu varaya" etc etc.
We were then asked to produce the pomegranate, sweet lime and apple that was ordered earlier. Sounds of "aahaa" and "achachacho" filled the air. That was because all of us had forgotten to take it out of the fridge and keep it in the bag, when we started from B'Nagar.
I was then "politely" instructed to fetch the aforementioned fruits. The cow-man and also another local guy from the nearby departmental stores, categorically told us that the shops selling fruits would open only at 8.
But me folks would have none of it. So I drove out to the main road and enquired at the two veg shops that were open. One pointed to the other and the other told me that he doesn't have any. And that the shops open at 8 and also that if I needed one immediately, I could go to some juice shop somewhere and ask them for the fruits.
Thanking him for the very original idea, I headed towards the city. But even before I left my panchayat ellai, I called my mother. She asked me to head back saying that other rituals were waiting to begin and that was more important than the presence of those fruits.
While returning, I made a call to Superthumby and asked him to buy these fruits. The great friend that he is, he agreed without even a nanosecond's hesitation.
So all things being set, I came back home. Just in time, coz the cow and calf were being held tightly by the cow-man and all were standing near the first set of steps that lead to my main door. The head shaasthrigall was there and so were my parents.
The "gho" pujai was completed and we then spread out big jamakkaallams for the cow to enter the inside of the house. The j'k'lams were used mainly to prevent the cow from slipping on the new floor.
I think the cow was well trained in doing these things. Whether it was trained in the shed or it picked it up on the job, I will never know. But it came in with an air of "been there done that", looked around and then started walking away. Of course, the cow-man was still holding its reins, but it still seemed to have a nonchalant way of going about its activities.
After we paid our respects to the cow-man and the milk-woman, the priests started doing more rituals. I simply cannot go into each and everything, mainly coz the whole sequence is a bit of a blur for me now.
Then we were all called for the navagraha homam.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Grihapravesham on 29-Apr-2007 ::: Part 01
A minimum 1.5 years behind schedule, I finally got to celebrate the Grihapravesham of my new house at Shollinganallur. The delay was only due to the builder doing his level best in not completing the house on schedule. We didn't have any issues with him throughout and probably because we didn't have any, he took it easy and caused the delay.
Anyways, the event was held on the 29th of April 2007. I was on leave on the 27th (Friday) and was able to do my small bit towards the preparations. My parents had taken care of most of the things and I turned my attention to whatever little was left.
Friday evening, all 3 of us went to the new house in the evening. Main agenda was to "put the kolam" with "arisi maavu" and "kaavi". In the world of kolams, the wet "maavu" and "kaavi" are used for special occasions.
Obviously, my dad and I had no contributions to make in the drawing of the kolam. At best we were carriers of the maavu dabba from one place to another.
We also brought some odd knick-knacks for the function. But Saturday (28th) was going to be the main day for moving most of the goods from Besant Nagar to the new place. We packed both cars with stuff and went there. And in the evening, I had to go back there, because our plumber was coming to the new place to inspect couple of points where water was leaking.
He promised to come at 6 PM, which then became 6.30 PM and when he finally showed up, it was 7.50 PM. After a quick check of the easily accessible leakage points, he fixed up something. I finally came back home at 9.30 PM or so.
On Saturday evening, a chithappa, chithi and cousin from my mother's side had come over to my place, to accompany us for the function on Sunday. So, after working out the logistics, it was decided that I could sleep in the hall and watch TV till 11 PM only, since I was supposed to get up early the next day.
I watched the Finals till 11.30 PM or thereabouts (basically till the first wicket fell) and then I went to sleep on the sofa itself. That sofa is quite a heaven-send for sleeping and I slept well.
But I was woken up at 4.15 AM itself. I consider that an unearthly hour and when I sleep-climbed the stairs to my room, I saw my father in the hall - he was practically ready to leave, having taken his bath et al. That sight really jolted me and I actually woke only then.
We all left in the Baleno by 5.45 AM and reached the venue by 6.15 AM.
Anyways, the event was held on the 29th of April 2007. I was on leave on the 27th (Friday) and was able to do my small bit towards the preparations. My parents had taken care of most of the things and I turned my attention to whatever little was left.
Friday evening, all 3 of us went to the new house in the evening. Main agenda was to "put the kolam" with "arisi maavu" and "kaavi". In the world of kolams, the wet "maavu" and "kaavi" are used for special occasions.
Obviously, my dad and I had no contributions to make in the drawing of the kolam. At best we were carriers of the maavu dabba from one place to another.
We also brought some odd knick-knacks for the function. But Saturday (28th) was going to be the main day for moving most of the goods from Besant Nagar to the new place. We packed both cars with stuff and went there. And in the evening, I had to go back there, because our plumber was coming to the new place to inspect couple of points where water was leaking.
He promised to come at 6 PM, which then became 6.30 PM and when he finally showed up, it was 7.50 PM. After a quick check of the easily accessible leakage points, he fixed up something. I finally came back home at 9.30 PM or so.
On Saturday evening, a chithappa, chithi and cousin from my mother's side had come over to my place, to accompany us for the function on Sunday. So, after working out the logistics, it was decided that I could sleep in the hall and watch TV till 11 PM only, since I was supposed to get up early the next day.
I watched the Finals till 11.30 PM or thereabouts (basically till the first wicket fell) and then I went to sleep on the sofa itself. That sofa is quite a heaven-send for sleeping and I slept well.
But I was woken up at 4.15 AM itself. I consider that an unearthly hour and when I sleep-climbed the stairs to my room, I saw my father in the hall - he was practically ready to leave, having taken his bath et al. That sight really jolted me and I actually woke only then.
We all left in the Baleno by 5.45 AM and reached the venue by 6.15 AM.
Jet lag without crossing any timezones
I experienced major jet lag yesterday, between the hours of 10 AM and 1 PM. Of course, me being in the office didn't help matters.
Since I had the grihapravesham (separate post will follow soon) of my Shollinganallur house on Sunday - 29/Apr/2007 - I didnt get enough sleep on Saturday night and Sunday night. And naturally, I had a lot of work to do during the function and the net effect was that I was quite exhausted by Sunday evening.
We kinda overlooked the saasthram of having to sleep at the new house and forgot to take proper bedding with us. So on Sunday night, we had to sleep on a jamakkaallam without pillow. Am not used to sleeping without a mattress and a pillow and so it was quite difficult. I had enough pain all over my body and lying on the floor did nothing to alleviate it.
And to make things worse, we realised that the servants of Count Dracula were present in the house in full strength at 6 PM sharp. I have not seen such big mosquitoes. They are so big that when they land on your hand and start looking for a good spot to pierce your skin, you can actually see small craters left behind on your skin, along the path they walked on.
We had two mosquito repellents working but even their combined might didn't work against these creatures. (On a related note, we were using two different brands in the same room and probably, the chemicals from one negated the other and so the mosquitoes were having a party).
In effect, I had a very disturbed sleep and for the first time in recent memory, I actually had to wake up my parents and ask them to get ready and return to Besant Nagar.
Anyways, I settled down and opened my Inbox. Had a quick scan of the mails and realised that it was not going to be a difficult day. That's when jet lag hit me. I started feeling drowsy. I could feel my eye lids getting heavy and falling prey to gravity. Luckily I didn't cause too much of a spectacle by falling asleep with a thud or even simply leaning back on my chair and sleeping. I somehow managed to push myself to stay awake. It was an ordeal for an hour. Luckily I started getting few phone calls and messages and I kinda recovered.
The experience was pretty similar to the one I had on my very first trip to the US of A. My first afternoon at work there, I was looking at the application on the screen and making notes. At least that's what I thought. When I was called for a tea break, I looked into my notebook and found lots and lots of lines going in every possible direction. It was a classic case of being physically present but mentally absent.
Anyways, I had a decent sleep last night and hope to log more hours tonight as well.
Since I had the grihapravesham (separate post will follow soon) of my Shollinganallur house on Sunday - 29/Apr/2007 - I didnt get enough sleep on Saturday night and Sunday night. And naturally, I had a lot of work to do during the function and the net effect was that I was quite exhausted by Sunday evening.
We kinda overlooked the saasthram of having to sleep at the new house and forgot to take proper bedding with us. So on Sunday night, we had to sleep on a jamakkaallam without pillow. Am not used to sleeping without a mattress and a pillow and so it was quite difficult. I had enough pain all over my body and lying on the floor did nothing to alleviate it.
And to make things worse, we realised that the servants of Count Dracula were present in the house in full strength at 6 PM sharp. I have not seen such big mosquitoes. They are so big that when they land on your hand and start looking for a good spot to pierce your skin, you can actually see small craters left behind on your skin, along the path they walked on.
We had two mosquito repellents working but even their combined might didn't work against these creatures. (On a related note, we were using two different brands in the same room and probably, the chemicals from one negated the other and so the mosquitoes were having a party).
In effect, I had a very disturbed sleep and for the first time in recent memory, I actually had to wake up my parents and ask them to get ready and return to Besant Nagar.
Anyways, I settled down and opened my Inbox. Had a quick scan of the mails and realised that it was not going to be a difficult day. That's when jet lag hit me. I started feeling drowsy. I could feel my eye lids getting heavy and falling prey to gravity. Luckily I didn't cause too much of a spectacle by falling asleep with a thud or even simply leaning back on my chair and sleeping. I somehow managed to push myself to stay awake. It was an ordeal for an hour. Luckily I started getting few phone calls and messages and I kinda recovered.
The experience was pretty similar to the one I had on my very first trip to the US of A. My first afternoon at work there, I was looking at the application on the screen and making notes. At least that's what I thought. When I was called for a tea break, I looked into my notebook and found lots and lots of lines going in every possible direction. It was a classic case of being physically present but mentally absent.
Anyways, I had a decent sleep last night and hope to log more hours tonight as well.
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