Chauthi- A family festival!

As soon as I lay my hands on the first copy of the coming year's  calendar, if there's one thing I almost always immediately look out for, it's to check on the Ganesh Chaturthi  in the coming year! Ganesh Chaturthi or Chowthi as we refer to in South Karnataka, has been special to me for as long as I can remember! Spread over almost a day and a half, Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in my ancestral house in Dharmasthala that has been an integral part of my father's family and has now, post my marriage, come to represent a regular annual feature in my family too. 

We come from a culture where most families along with their extended kin, join in the celebration of one or more ( if not all) Hindu festivals in a year.... and those occasions are not just about performing religious rituals but rather a socio-cultural affair in the form of family Bhajans sessions, or hosting local artistes or folk culture,etc.  Be it Ganesh Chaturthi, Navaratri or Deepavali ( to name a few Hindu festivals), extended family celebrations of the same have a charm of their own.. While they may prove to be hectic and strenuous (especially for the hosts), no can deny that they make for some of the best family-time memories and offer unique family experiences for children that are otherwise hard to come by in today's nuclear age! 

So it gave us immense pride to see our little millennials nearly dominate the all-nighter family bhajan session, even vying with each other over singing some of the traditional family bhajans that have been passed on by our previous generation... while adding their own “bindass” style to the mix! As the festivities culminate in the immersion of our Ganesha in the Nethravathi river, we seek blessings for the coming year..... and hope to grow more, evolve better and let go a little.... until next year when we get ready to welcome Lord Ganesha in into our family home yet again!! 

We’ve been reading many books on Ganesha over the last few years on the occasion of Ganesha Chathurthi, this time I thought I’d introduce my little one to some of the Hindu deities through Sanjay Patel’s “The Little Book of Hindu deities”. While we have read Sanjay Patel’s earlier works on Hindu Mythology and his unique illustrative and narrative style through his take on Ramayana and Ganesha’s sweet tooth, this book is an all-encompassing account of Hindu Mythology beginning traditionally with Lord Ganesha, moving on to the Trinity and various manifestations of Shiva to the revered Hindu Goddesses and a birds eye view into ten avatars of Vishnu. The book also delves into the contextual background of the mythological stories from a brief introduction to the chronological periods - Satya Yuga to Kali Yuga, to the Nava Grahas or nine planets while also touching upon the various Demi Gods from Indra to Yama and Animal Gods from Naga to Surabhi, giving us a glimpse of the Hindu epics like the Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Bhagavadgita. Presented in his one-of-a kind breezy narrative that makes our deities more relatable, with modern equivalents to some of their traditional attributes, like the "Howler" Rudra, or the Kali "the Black one" or the "chunky money" Hanuman, and his various feats, all accompanied by light-hearted animation style illustrations...  Sanjay Patel's book on Hindu deities is sure a hit with the curious personified next generation millennials. Season's Greetings to everyone this festive season...celebrate the spirit of the festivals  with your kith and kin! 

Colours in life!

My little one is fascinated with colours... and every object that she sees and points out to always precedes with a question "Which colour is it?" .....which is a rhetorical one as it's a question meant only for her to answer.! No sooner does she confidently identify the colour than she compliments herself on it..."Very good Aadya"! ( as if to role play her teachers!)

So it's no surprise that she appeared to have enjoyed the burst of colours at her school's Holi celebration this year. On the occasion of Holi, I was on the look-out for some books on colour and I realised what better book on colour is there than Tulika's  Ranganna by Arthi Anand Navneeth and illustrations by Kavitha Singh Kale! My little one loves elephants and also loves nail polish and to find a book that has an elephant wearing nail polish is like a double bonanza!

Of course, Ranganna is a familiar story as we have read and featured the Kannada translation of the same on Onestoryaday before. While we have revisited some of our earlier reads, the responses they evoke from my little one are however quite different from those of her brother's. For instance, Abhay was obsessed with Teddy bears and hence loved Corduroy but my little one did even give it a second glance! on the same lines, I must confess that .Abhay has never been a great fan of "Ranganna".......not sure if it was because he was too old for the book when it first released or because he couldn't really relate to the nail polish fetish .....or so on and so forth. But my little one just cant have enough of the adorable little elephant and her love for colours!!!

Ranganna, a sensitive little elephant living in Dhobi ghat seems to find pleasure in the small things in life....be it the sound of the clothes being washed or the ensuring soap bubbles! But one thing he finds irresistible are the colours ....that are everywhere from colouful clothes that are left to dry...or the colours of women's bangles or the brightly coloured nails of Anushka and Adithi......! ( Whom Aadya fondly calls as akka!) As Ranganna expresses his wish to have his nails painted .....Anushka and Adithi are unsure as it will probably be the first for an elephant to ever wear nail polish! Not wanting to disappoint Ranganna though...they bring eighteen different bottles of nail polish..and spend an entire day painting ten nails in the front and five nails at the back .....in myriad bright colours ...that has Ranganna dance with joy!!! Well...my daughter always demands a follow-up activity after reading this book ....and no prizes for guessing ................painting her nails with colourful nail polish! Never a fan of nail polish myself, thanks to Ranganna I have to now stock bottles of nail polish for my already fashion conscious two year old daughter!!!! May the festival of colours spread colours of joy ....happy holi everyone! 

The feast of Ganesha Chaturthi!

Every year around the time of July and August, as I drive down some of the city’s roads like R V Road along VV Puram, I see rows and rows Gowri-Ganesha idols lined up …and my heart swells with a warm feeling that that Chowthi is here!  There are a few annual rituals that we look forward to and Ganesh Chaturthi has always been one such family event that we make it a point to join in the celebrations at my father’s ancestral home in Dharmasthala. In fact, the run up to Chowthi is even more exciting …… as we plan our trip, book our tickets or get ready to drive down and  connect with other cousins and extend family as who may attend and who else may give it a miss. As the day nears and we pack our bags and are all set to catch the overnight bus to Dharmasthala only to realize that the whole of Bangalore has landed at the Kempegowda bus stand intending to travel to their respective hometowns for the festival….. literally making it a nightmare to get out of Bangalore! J

Anyway, the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi as a family fosters a community feeling and helps to continue the family tradition and pass on the legacy to the future generations. It is delightful to see the next generation participate in the event will full rigour and enthusiasm and the new members involve themselves without any inhibitions and this only strengthens the family ties and relations…which is after all the true spirit of celebration of festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi.

Every year during Ganesh Chaturthi, we read a book or two about Lord Ganesha and other mythological stories, and this year I picked up a Puffin publication “Lord Ganesha’s feast of laughter” by Meera Uberoi. As much as I would have liked to read Ganesha’s stories to my little one, I felt that it would be appropriate for us wait a year or two for introduction of mythology to my two year old. So we settled for a chapter book from our favourite library “Kutoohala” pegged mainly for kids over eight years to read on their own, however can serve as read-aloud for kids above five years. This book is a compilation of over twenty three well-known and not-so-well known tales of Ganesha “dug up from ancient texts”, delivered in a breezy narrative so as to engage young children. In fact, I found that the language got a little too contemporary in some places (especially with the usage of words like idiot and moron) so as to get today’s kids to relate to the perspective and mindset of the mythological characters, however without diluting the underlying message therein. From the famous tales of Ganesha winning the race around the world, how he stopped Ravana from becoming all powerful and how Ganesha came to be known as “Remover of all obstacles”, the book moves to lesser known stories about how Lord Ganesha about how Ganesha is creator of the instrument of tabla and was responsible for the birth of river Kaveri, etc. The collection also includes stories a few ordinary people who attained immortality by their devotion to Lord Ganesha and the grace of Lord Ganesha, that always has a touch of shrewdness, humour and unmatched brilliance.  Season’s greetings to everyone this festive season! 

My Brother!

Last week began with Rakhi, the Indian festival celebrating the brother-sister bond, which has acquired greater significance in our household, since the arrival of Abhay’s little sister. While the last two years had been a one-sided affair with the little sister too young to even comprehend what was happening, Rakhi was celebrated more for Abhay to accept the fact that he is now a big brother. This year, however, with the little sister already looking up to her ‘anna’ for many a things at home, and the concept of Rakhi also reinforced by the celebration in her playschool, it felt as if ‘Rakshbandhan” has truly arrived and will always be a special day in the lives of Abhay and his baby sister.

Of course, with Abhay too young  (or should I say too self centered?) to pick out a gift for his sister on his own, it was our job to fill the gap…well at least until he grows old and mature enough to understand that Rakhi is not all about “the brother”! But I must say that the transition of Abhay from being an only child to a big brother has been more or less smooth, with an occasional hiccups, quite expected of a young boy that we often forget that he is, after all! Well done ...big brother!! 

On the occasion of Rakhi, we read what the little sister loves to call the book “Anna-book” – Anthony Browne’s “My Brother ”. Narrated in first person from the perspective of a little brother who almost worships his big brother, who believes that his big brother is capable of everything – from climbing walls to flying, from standing up to bullies to containing monsters, from being a rockstar-like singer to grooving like Elvis Presley, from being avid reader to a talented artist, big brother is sure a cool cat (at least sometimes!) and you can almost feel the little brother wanting to emulate him as as he considers himself to be as cool as his big brother! Narrated  by way of simple one liners that come alive with brilliant illustrations archetypal of Anthony Browne’s books…this book makes for a splendid Rakhi read!!  Belated wishes to all the brother-sister duos on the occasion of the Rakhi season! :-) 

Gajapathi festival!

Previous weekend was Ganesha Chaturthi and as every year we travelled to my native town Dharmasthala to celebrate Chowthi ( that we fondly refer to)  with my father’s extended family in our ancestral house. Abhay has always enjoyed celebrating the festival along with his second cousins from my father’s side, and has even actively participated in the all-night-long family bhajan sessions that culminate in the immersion of the idol, the following morning, But this time, we were delighted to find that his younger sister too followed suit and had a fair share of family fun herself, not to mention her dancing and grooving to the “jagante-chande vadya” (percussion recital) that quintessentially accompanies all Poojas or religious rituals in South Karnataka. Though this is her second Ganesha Chaturthi, it is technically her first Chowthi experience, considering that she was hardly aware of her surroundings as a three month old last year.  Here’s hoping that with Lord Ganesha’s blessings, she grows up to enjoy each and every of her  experiences to the fullest.

So on the occasion of the Elephant God festival, we read ( and as have been reading for the whole of last month) my little one’s new favourite, Tulika’s Gajapati Kulapati series. Revolving around  everyone’s favourite elephant named Gajapati Kulapati, Ashok Rajagopalan’s three books have the beloved elephant in three different endearing situations that in many ways mirror the ‘predicaments’ faced by our little ones – from catching a cold to suffering from a terrible stomach ache! What happens when the center of the household ( read town in the case of Gajapati) isn’t feeling too comfortable? …Trust him or her to bring the whole house down right?? So as Gajapati Kulapati goes Aaaaaachchooooo!…. Or Kalabalooosh………! or Gurrburrroom……!, the whole town from  the fruit seller to postman, from the village cow to Paati amma, and from children to the school teacher are sent scampering about trying to find a solution for Gajapati Kulapati’s current challenge…. Whether it is his giant sneeze or his giant leap into the village pond or the loud wind that he passes following a bad stomach ache!  With a simple yet engaging storyline, playful and hilarious narrative, accompanied by words and sounds that toddlers would love to repeat and imitate…it doesn’t take you long to understand why this one is an instant hit with the kids! Of course we all know Ashok Rajagopalan through his bright and vibrant illustrations in many of Tulika’s publications but here's  full marks to Ashok Rajagopalan  as an author as Gajapati Kulapati series (at the risk of sounding  presumptuous to say so!) is one of most enjoyable, laugh-out-loud funny, and thoroughly entertaining read-aloud stories for young children. We will always remember Gajapati Kulapati as one of the first books my little one began responding to….. and when asked how does Gajapati Kulapati cry out when he has a stomach ache…”Owowowooooohh!..” says my little one!!! As Ganesh Chaturthi symbolizes the start of the festive season…season’s greetings to everyone…enjoy the festive season!:-) 

Amma, tell me about Diwali!

First published on Parent Edge blog 

No matter which part of India you are in, it’s hard to ignore the festive spirit this season brings in! Whether it’s bursting crackers, or attending numerous religious or cultural events lined up in the neighbourhood temples, or the shopping frenzy and lightening Diwali sales put by all retailers, off-line or online, or enjoying the extended Dusshera-Diwali vacations with the kids, holiday cheer is everywhere!

While it’s our second cracker-free Diwali, it’s the first Diwali experience for the little one at home, which for a five month old, it would mean more than anything else noise emanating from the crackers!!  While bursting fire crackers, gorging on sweets and treats is fun, there’s more to Diwali than just the merrymaking, how do we get our children to realize the importance of the same? Here’s a delightful series that does just that and what’s more …it’s presented in a format that combines the power of story-telling with rich imagery to engage and educate our kids on Indian tradition and values.  Here comes the “Amma, tell me” series by Bhakti Mathur and illustrations by Maulshree Somani brought out by Hong Kong based Anjana publications. Comprising of a series of picture books on Indian festivals and Indian mythology for children between the age group of 3 to 9 years, these books are a great way to enlighten the kids on the stories and sentiments behind the observance and celebrations of our festivals. Besides many titles on festivals such as “Amma, tell me about Holi” or  “Amma, tell me about Ganesha” or the series on Mythology such as “Amma, tell me about Ramayan”,  this vibrantly illustrated series also presents interesting tales from the Hindu epics in a trilogy format such as the trilogy series on Krishna and Hanuman. 

For this festive season, however, we picked out “Amma, tell me about Diwali!”  which believe me, will have you and your little one feeling festive on the first reading itself!  As most titles in the series, it starts off with the little boy named Klaka excitedly waking up to a typical Diwali morning characterized by new clothes and gifts followed by the lighting of Diyas, fire crackers in the evening, and the family offering prayers to God for good fortune, prosperity and health. As the children wonder about the story behind the celebrations, whom do they approach? Amma…of course, who at bedtime regales them with stories that explain the significance of the festival of lights. While elaborating on the meaning of Diwali, Amma in the story also delves into the multiple dimensions to festivities that includes remembering Lord Rama and his triumphant return to Ayodhya on Diwali day, while also encapsulating a brief account of Ramayana.  Of course, Diwali is not only all dazzle and fun, but the children are subtly reminded of the value of honesty, hard work and dedication through the story of Goddess Lakshmi and the poor seamstress. The beauty of this book not only lies in free-flowing narrative and engagingly rhyming text, but also in the simple message that the author attempts to convey to today’s kids brought up in a consumerist world that we live in.  The colouful illustrations are not only striking, but also present an authentic setting of Diwali celebrations in a typical Indian household, and not to forget the amiable images of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, particularly when Klaka is shown seated beside Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth! As this series also caters to the Western audience, each story ends with a Glossary on Hindu names and symbols, which is quite educative to the Indian audience as well. Though a little pricy as compared to some of the Indian children’s publications, “Amma, tell me” series, is a wonderful “Mythology made simple and meaningful” that is sure to capture the imagination of young minds and will have them begging for ‘Amma, tell me more’!! Enjoy the festive season and happy Diwali everyone! 

Ganesha's sweet tooth!

Every year during this time, we head to my native town, Dharmasthala  where we join our extended family from my dad’s side in the celebration of Ganesha Chaturthi at the family ancestral home. This has been our family tradition ever since I can remember and so it was only natural that I continued the same post marriage and now have Abhay and in the future have our little one tag along with us! Barring the three years that we were in the US, we’ve been regulars at this annual family event and given our busy lifestyles, this is often the only time we get to meet our relatives and extended family. So much so that this is something Abhay has come to look forward to every year wherein he does not remain a mute spectator to the festivities but whole-heartedly participates in some of events surrounding the celebrations like the pooja and the bhajan session that goes on till the twilight hours followed by the visarjana next morning.  It feels nostalgic to see Abhay get into a competition mode with his cousins in the singing of bhajans, taking time off to rehearse the same in advance before the ‘final show’! Can’t blame him as I guess it sort of runs in the family as I used to exhibit the same spirit during my growing up years and I see the same vying attitude still displayed by my father and his hexagenarian brothers! :-)

Though it is more than a week since the festival, Ganesh Chaturthi festivities extend a whole ten days in many parts of the country with many neighbourhoods hosting their own Ganesha events around many cities, including Bangalore..…so the celebration of “Ganesha” is far from over. So my post on Ganesha Chaturthi (a must post occasion on Onestoryaday) can hardly be deemed out of place..isn’t it?? Anyway….there’s never a wrong time for good books and for this occasion, we read “ Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth” by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes and illustrated by Sanjay Patel, an Indian American animator with Disney’s Pixar who has authored many books on the Hindu Mythology for western audience, whose retelling of Ramayana we’ve read before. Often deemed as a  hipster’s guide to Hindusim, Sanjay Patel’s books present the mythological tales in an entertaining narrative packed with tongue-in cheek humour and quirky dialogues mirroring the recent Disney flicks that we’ve come to enjoy. Aided with vibrant illustrations, the authors take the creative liberty of adding a few fun elements and amusing scenes, while retaining the overall essence of the legend. We all know the story of how Lord Ganesha broke his tusk that eventually proved to be a blessing in disguise for the great Vyasa to put down his story of Mahabharata in writing.  But did you know it was the “Super-Jumbo Jaw Breaker Laddoo” that was responsible for him landing with a broken tusk, despite being warned by his best friend, whom he fondly called Mr. Mouse? Or as Ganesha hurls his tusk at the moon in frustration, it lands on an old man who happened to be the great poet Vyasa looking for a scribe to pen Hindu Mythology’s most famous epic. With a little goading, Ganesha no longer resents his broken tusk as he realizes it’s true worth and with the able assistance of Mr. Mouse who helps Ganesha understand the “terms of agreement”, Ganesha sets out to do the formidable task….and the rest is history! We loved the authors’ contemporary presentation of an age old tale in a manner that the children are able to relate to. Of course, the graphic illustrations are the book’s piece de resistance, that are not only striking in colours and imagery but truly represent India’s rich and vibrant mythological heritage which sets this book apart from any other mythological series we’ve read before. So along with all the goodies and festive treats to satisfy your sweet tooth…bring home Ganesha’s too!! Enjoy the festive season everyone…!!:-) 

A Kite filled with hope!

Makara Sankranthi, also known as Pongal, Bihu, or Lohri  across  different regions, is the harvest festival of India that  also heralds a new phase in solar calendar.......bringing in new and auspicious beginnings in the year to come.  Sankranthi also marks  the end of winter ...however I am not sure of the same this year as its been unusually cold in Bangalore over the last few days!  Though personally our celebrations are pretty much low-key for Sankranthi, the first Hindu festival of the calendar year always takes me back to the days when as a little girl I would go door-to-door along with other girls distributing  the sesame seeds  mixture and sugar treats amongst our neighborhood.....almost like a "desi" version of trick-or-treating circuits that kids go during Halloween in the  US. However, distributing "Ellu-Bella" (as it is  traditionally called ) being a "girls only" activity, my eight year old son has never had that experience ....which explains the absence of Sankranthi-related posts on Onestoryaday so far!:-) Hoping that the year 2015 would be a special year in as much as signaling the arrival of someone to carry forward the "ellu-bella" legacy in our home..........  So, I decided to key in a post for this year's Sankranthi..... one filled with hope!:-) 

 

 

 In some parts of the country, the harvest season is celebrated by flying kites, with people roaming around streets and converging on roof-tops to engage in good humored battles with others' kites. This week's "Young World" a children's newspaper from "The Hindu" has a special on the kite flying activities in Gujarat. Going by the said tradition, we decided to pick up a kite story from Tulika publications titled  "A Kite called Korika" by Sharada Kolluru and pictures by K.P.Murleedharan. This is a story of a nine year old boy named Yellaiah who lives in a village in Andhra Pradesh. Sensitive to his surroundings, Yellaiah is fascinated by the sounds emanating therefrom – “Gala, Gala sala sala" of the river, “tingu tangu” of the bell over Lakshmi, the cow’s neck or “hrrrr prrrr hrrr” of the bees that trouble Rajamma sitting under the peepal tree. Yellaiah has little brother named Mallaiah who he feels is always trying to pocket his older brother’s belongings. One hot day  when Yellaiah sat with Rajamma under the peepal tree, a beautiful black kite descended from the sky. The kite had the sun, moon, stars and the blue waves painting on its four corners – in short it had the whole universe on it! Rajamma believes that it’s sent from God and felt it was best left in the sky. But when Yellaiah had no plans to letting it go, she told him to keep it but send it back with a wish for God to fulfill. So Yellaiah had to decide what to ask for – a cycle? But soon everybody had a wish for the “korika”, the kite’s new name. His friends had their own wish list – marbles, bangles, new shirt, new ribbon, etc. Mallaiah meanwhile wanted a school bag with his name on it. But before anything, Mallaiah fell sick with fever which many villagers believed that would take him to God. The doctor too had said that Mallaiah may not get well because he was scared and had to be brave to recover. So Yellaiah just knew what to do, and  decided to send Korika with a message to God to help Mallaiah get well soon. But what about the cycle - Mallaiah wondered, to which Yellaiah assured him that he could get a cycle from another such kit. So the next day, his father carried Mallaiah in his arms and both of them watched as Yellaiah wrote on the kite and tossed ‘Korika’ gently into the wind. That night, Mallaiah slept soundly tightly clutching his older brother’s hand. The next day Mallaiah woke up feeling better with his fear gone! Although Yellaiah’s friends thought his wish was not fulfilled, Yellaiah knew that it indeed was fulfilled! Though not a Sankranthi story, this is a heart warming story on sibling love and is in the spirit of Sankranthi filling one with hope and expectation of things getting better or new things to come in the coming year!  Here's wishing everyone a Happy Sankranthi!   

For a Quiet Diwali........

The biggest festival amongst Hindus, Diwali or Deepavali is here! While there is no stopping for the annual festivities, family traditions or Diwali Dhamaka sales and offers, this Diwali has seen many people vowing for a greener and cleaner Diwali. With the recent spate of fire accidents in many parts of India owing to fire crackers, an appeal has been made in public interest by various Government and non-government agencies including schools to observe a cracker free Diwali due to ensuing the air and noise pollution and solid waste generated from bursting any kind of fire crackers. Personally, while we’ve never been big fans of noise causing crackers and our Diwali evenings was restricted to lighting the relatively noiseless sparklers, flowerpots and earth twisters, but this time we tried to do away with those too! Though our eight year old, (who has always had his ear plugs on every Diwali) was not gung-ho about the idea initially, we are on Day 1 and it’s been so far so good! Believe me, it’s not just us but many kids on our street are rooting for a quieter Diwali ….may be it’s only a matter of time for the whole neighbourhood to turn our biggest festival into our biggest pro-environment endeavour! Well…think about it….. Diwali evenings are probably best meant for other ways of celebration ..…like may be revisiting the long forgotten bhajans (Abhay is wincing!) or may be catching the latest Bollywood Diwali release with friends and family…..(Abhay is nodding rigorously!)….other than causing noise and pollution! So here’s wishing everyone a cracker-free yet a dazzling Diwali!  

 

As much as I wanted to read “Diwali gift” by Shwetha Chopra and Shuchi Mehta, I couldn’t lay my hands on a copy just in time for my Diwali post and found the pricing of the hardback a little too steep going by Indian standards. Since we are on the topic of going green this Diwali, I am taking the liberty of sharing an inpsiring true story found in the October issue of children’s magazine, Highlights Champs, in its Goofus and Gallant section.  “A Quiet Diwali" by Ashish Jain. This is a story of the 14 year old twins in Chindwada, Madhya Pradesh,… Yash and Yashika Jain who are asked to address their school on the eve of Diwali. The teenage twins describe their  life changing experience of having visited the burn ward of a local hospital during the previous Diwali and were so moved that they jointly decide to boycott crackers once and for all. From then the children have been travelling around Chindwada spreading the message of a quiet and a cracker free Diwali! Just as they finished their address, the teacher asks the students as to how many of the students  plan to celebrate Diwali without crackers …..and you can only imagine what the response was! So are you and your little one ready for a quiet Diwali??   

A Weekend with Ganesha!

It’s that time of the year again when RV Road or any market in Bangalore is lined with Ganesha idols of various sizes and colours… Yes….Gowri-Ganesha Chaturthi, one of the biggest festivals of Karnataka is here! Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations bring communities, neighbourhoods and families together…in a way that no other festival does…isn’t it? Besides worshipping Gowri-Ganesh idols at home, Ganesha can be found everywhere…….be it on almost every street of neighbourhood or apartment complex or one’s professional group/associations or a private Radio station, everyone has a Ganesha idol to call their own! Why? Even the Bangalore Civil Court complex boasts of Ganesha chaturthi festivities with a giant idol of Lord Ganesha …..!!! Of course…this has many knocking at our doors for collections/contributions with a promise of  “prasada” that is to follow….as if it were a bait!! :-)
Most celebrations also include cultural programs that range from music shows to story times and craft activities for kids, including making your own eco-friendly Ganesha or Ganesha made of leaves!

 

 

But whatever it is that is happening in Bangalore……we will have to give it a miss as we are off to my native village, Dharmasthala, like every year for the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations or chauthi as it is referred in the South Kanara region of Karnataka. Ganesh habba followed by the weekend……is more than you can ask for to …. feast, meet and for a refreshing retreat!:-)))))  

 

As far as Ganesha stories go, we remembered the apple resembling Ganesha in "Apple Ganesha" from Tulika's  Little Indians by Pika Nani, a story set in Kotagarh,Himachal Pradesh,  known as the Apple heartland of India. 

But for this year's Ganesh Chaturthi, we first picked up picked up "Ganesha" in a bi-lingual format by Appu series that explains how Ganesha came to have an elephant head. Another read on Ganesha is the Amar Chitra Katha publication, "Ganesha and the Moon" that features five different stories on Ganesha. We all know why the moon earned Lord Ganesha's wrath for laughing at Ganesha, but do we know the story of Ganesha and Atmalinga, or the story of how Ganesha wrests the Chintamani from the arrogant Gana or lastly the legend of Shami and Mandar, whose fate is sealed due to a curse, the effect of which that Ganesha helps temper down. It demonstrates that if Ganesha can be touchy enough to curse the moon, he can also be benevolent and shrewd enough to avert the impending danger and save the world! Hope this Ganesh Chaturthi destroys all obstacles and brings peace and prosperity to all your lives! Happy Ganesha Chaturthi! 

Happy Holi!

Holi, the spring festival of colours though not traditionally observed in South India has now caught on with Namma Bengaluru witnessing both spontaneous celebrations in local colonies alongside various paid events organized around the Holi theme. As usual everyone on the retail side is jumping onto the bandwagon and cashing in on the Holi spirit! Hey….even some of the Kannada serials are running Holi specials! J Anyway, it was a quiet Holi this time (actually it was always quiet except for some random colour splashing by neighbours!) as the festival of colours this time happens to fall inconveniently during Abhay’s final assessment week! L Added to it…..Holi is not yet officially a Government holiday in Bangalore. So in between getting him to revise his division and his Kannada vattakshara and my regular Monday Court schedule, splashing colours is not exactly a priority! J

 

But thanks to Bubble ink, we get to vicariously experience the festival of colours through the medium of books! “Festival of India” was a book I had picked up for today’s prompt “Holi-colours”, but since Abhay had just finished his EVS assessment wherein he’d already read the story of Holika, and Radha Krishna, he vetoed this one L We are talking about colours, and so what better book on colours than the Quentin Blake classic titled “Patrick”!  This is a story of a young man named Patrick who set out of his house one day to but a violin and finds it in Mr.Onions’ junk shop and buys it with the only silver piece he had and Boy! he couldn’t be more pleased! He ran as fast as he could to the fields and blew out the dust and sat by a pond to play the violin when colourful fish in the pond began to jump out and fly, dancing in the air! Just then two kids named Kath and Mick amble over to the pond and enjoy the music and Kath is delighted to discover red ribbon appear around her hairdo and Mick finds his boots turned into blue ribbons! The three of them walked down the road together and come to an apple orchard and when Patrick played his violin which changed the green of the leaves to all kinds of colours. Instead of apples, the trees began to grow pears and bananas and cake and slices of hot buttered toast and the children were thrilled to savour all the goodies.  As Patrick and gang continued on their journey, they are joined by a flight of pigeons and a herd of cows who also begin to sprout beautiful colours, a la Patrick and his violin!  The colourful entourage met a tramp who looked unkempt and had whiskers and smoked a pipe puffing out smoke from it. As he enjoyed Patrick's tune, he was transformed into a man wearing colourful clothes and the sparks from his pipe got bigger and brighter until they were a shower of colourful foreworks. They all continued on the road lead by Patrick, the fish, pigeons, the cows, the whiskery tramp puffing out fireworks from his pipe paint town red and spread music and cheer to the people around! Isn't holi about spreading colour and cheer in everyone’s lives …..here’s wishing everyone a very happy holi!!!!!

Happy Deepavali!

It is the longest long weekend here with holiday on Friday for Kannada Rajyotsava on November 1^st followed by Diwali which luckily happens to fall on a weekend this year…..so four days off for most establishments!! What more could you ask for …during the biggest festival of India - Diwali or Deepavali as it’s known in the South. This year, it was Diwali sans fire crackers partly due to bereavement in the family and partly due to reluctance on the part of the kids in our family. I guess more and more kids are saying no to bursting crackers for various reasons – environment, protest against child labour, animal rights, etc. Though we had our own reasons for refraining from bursting crackers, nevertheless our Diwali celebration did have its usual trappings like tidying up the house the previous day, ushering the first day of Diwali with a traditional oil bath, lighting lamps in the evenings, family reunions and feasts! Well, whatever may be the reason, I feel there is much more to Diwali than bursting crackers! Diwali is the festival of lights and need not be the festival of noise..isn’t it?

This week’s Hindu Children’s supplement was a Diwali special and so I read the story titled " For Sparkling Diwali" by Fabiola Jacob. Akshay woke up with a start and was surprised that his neighbours had already begun bursting atom bombs when Diwali hadn't dawned yet! Akshay was keen on contributing his share with his umpteen boxes of fire crackers his dad had bought him. But before he could do that, he realised that there was something amiss today as his pup Spot hadn't woken him up. He searched all over the house, in the car park, garden but Spot was nowhere in sight! Akshay then started looking around the neighborhood by which time, the sound of crackers reached such a crescendo that he could hear his own voice and panic had set in! What if Spot could not be found and Akshay couldn't imagine life without Spot! It was dawn break but the streets looked like a war zone with all the smoke and crackers! When he made enquiries at the near by tea stall, he was pointed to the storm water drain and when bent down to look, he saw Spot wet and shivering with fright and too scared to come out! Relieved, he took Spot home and gave him a bath before getting ready for Diwali festivities. This is when a thought struck him - " what if Diwali was quiet and elegant with Diyas and sparklers minus the noise! " Diwali without noise will sure be easy on his grandpa,a heart patient who is forced to wear ear plugs during Diwali!  So notwithstanding the fact that he may be teased by the neighborhood boys, he asked for all his noise making crackers to be exchanged for sparklers instead, as he wanted Diwali to be fun and pleasurable for everyone, including Grandpa and Spot! Here's hoping that more and more people resort to celebrating an all inclusive Diwali meant for everyone! Have a happy and a safe Diwali everyone!

Reading in Kannada!

Today is "Kannada Rajyotsava", a day to commemorate the formation of our state on the basis of the Kannada language in the year 1956 that was rechristened as Karnataka in 1973. Though I am a proud Kannadiga well versed with the spoken language, I confess I am not very proficient with the written word!:-(  The other day when my husband, (the in-house Kannada expert) worked late, it was a challenge for me to get Abhay's Kannada homework done! What was merely an inconvenience soon became a catastrophe when my husband had to travel on work for a couple of days right when Abhay had his Kannada test! Well, I could barely manage to read the Kannada newspaper, let alone coaching someone in Kannada, that too as CBSE II  language!  But the funny thing is that  amongst my colleagues at work....I am considered the best at deciphering Kannada documents!:-) Anyway, this got me thinking that if this is the language standard of people like me who are supposedly localities, what about others who’ve recently made Bangalore their home? Of course, one can’t expect everyone to be familiar with the Kannada script, but is it too much to expect an earnest attempt to speak the local language or at least accurately pronounce the kannada names or place? I have known so many people who’ve probably lived their whole lives in one place without knowing an iota of its local language!  What’s the false prestige in anglicizing the vernacular language when you can make the extra effort to  get a French or German word "right"!! So here's to all the people in Karnataka......Kannada Rajyostavada Shubhashayagalu!  

Today being Kannada Rajyotsava, we read a story in Kannada, but I was also on the lookout for a Kannada picture book that Abhay could read with assistance.  The Kannada version of “Ranganna” by Arthi Anand Navneet, illustrated by Kavitha Singh Kale and translated by S. Divakar was perfect for his reading level in Kannada. An endearing tale  of an elephant named Ranganna who lives in Dhobighat. Ranganna loves to look at the colours around him – whether it’s the colourful clothes left to dry, or the colourful flowers being sold near the temple, or the vibrant shades of the saris, dupattas or bangles or the rainbow painted across the sky or the nail polish worn by his little friends, Anushka and Adithi! So enamored he is with their nail polish colours, that one day he makes an unusual wish – to have each of his toe nails painted with different colours. Amused, Anushka and Adithi take an entire day to complete the elephantine task of painting Ranganna’s nails with eighteen different bottles of nail polish…..and Ranganna couldn’t have been happier……and well, who said elephants can’t dance?!:-) Complemented by vibrant illustrations and available in eight local languages, Ranganna  makes a delightful  read…especially for younger ones! 

 

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!

A drive along RV road  in Bangalore signals the beginning of the festival season with umpteen rows of Ganesha idols lining the sidewalk! For years, this very sight had me excited as it had meant that the annual Ganesha festival at my native town,  also known as " Chouthi" is here! Of course,  there was also a time when as a jaded teenager, I would rebel against observing these traditions! But as time passed,  I began to accept and appreciate these family customs, more so after marriage when everything of your family seems dearer.  Now life has come to a full circle as we try to initiate Abhay into the same traditions that I tried to escape from! 

On the occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi,  I read "It's all the same " by Nina Sabnani. This is a story of Ganesha that is narrated from two different perspectives by two different kavadi story tellers. Both stories explain why Lord Ganesha is worshipped first before all the other Gods. Pappuram, a traditional Rajasthan kavadiya story teller believes that the race between Ganesha and his brother Kartikeya around the universe resulted in Ganesha being rewarded for his victory and the reward being that Ganesha  being the foremost to be worshipped. Whereas, Kojaram,  another Kavadiya storyteller opened his storytelling box and describes how Ganesha being upset at having been left out from Lord Rama and Sita's wedding,  was finally appeased when he was assured of being worshipped first. Both of them finally conclude that it's after all the same! The author brings out plurality in thinking while intertwining mythology and folklore.  So howsoever you may choose to celebrate today's festival,  here's wishing everyone a very happy Ganesha Chaturthi!

The Indian spring!

Come March and it is officially the end of winter. Come March and it’s time for a sneak preview of this year’s summer! Come March and work gets hectic for the accountants towards the closing of the financial year.   Come March and it is officially the exam season, at least here in Bangalore. So much so that this time every year, my mind races back to the time of my exams (the last one being almost a decade ago!), like a pavlovian response to this weather! Abhay too has his quarterly assessment next week, but I guess he still has a couple or more years to go before the real exam fever sets in…..until then I can still breathe easy in March! For those of you who are already there …..All the best as parents need it more than the kids!

For parents of young children who are yet to feel the pressure of exams, here’s a look at some of the pleasant things around this time of the year. “Everything looks new” by Mala Kumar, Manisha Chaudhry and Priya Kuriyan, a Level 2 Early reader by Pratham publications and a part of the Rituchakra series on seasons, is a nice little book on spring. A  little girl named Meenu (who is the same girl in all the books in this series!) is excited to welcome Vasanth Panchami, which is supposed to be the first day of spring, called Vasanth Ritu in Sanskrit, a season between winter and summer. She notices the changes around her - new leaves growing on trees, flowers blossoming in the garden, birds and squirrels chirping around making the surroundings beautiful and pretty. Meenu's grandpa plans to a tree as spring is a good season to start something new.  Spring is also the time to celebrate Holi, the festival of colours. But the best thing about spring, according to Meenu is that spring is not cold, not hot and not wet and that she can play all the time! Enjoy this year’s spring, everyone (after your exams of course!).

Winter is here..!

I have heard people say that the end of the festive season marks the beginning of winter in India. Sure enough, it’s not even a week since Diwali and it already time to get those warm clothes out, at least in Bangalore. Winter was one of my favorite seasons until I experienced its extreme version in the US! Thankfully, with winters being much milder here than in the most parts of the western world, it can now go back to being my favorite season once again! J Though the winter chill is restricted mostly to early mornings and late evenings, Bangalore is a lot cooler even during the day in the months of November and December. In the US, winter is the time to head indoors whereas in India (at least South India), this is the best time to host any outdoor event as one does not have to worry about the scorching heat! For instance, most schools and colleges host their cultural fests and events during the winter months. Besides, what better time than winter for those silk and nylon fabrics that you can never even dream of wearing during other seasons! It is ideally suited for vacation in India as the weather is most tolerable in even the hottest places in India. Finally, the best excuse to go a little overboard on your caffeine intake as a cup of hot coffee or tea doesn’t taste the same in any other season like it does in winter! :-)

I had picked up this book in advance to be read when the time was right and well, I think the time has come! “Hot Tea and Wam Rugs” by Mala Kumar, Manisha Chaudary and Priya  Kurien, part of the Ritu Chakra series on different seasons brought out by Pratham publications gives a good introduction to winter in India. Narrated in first person, a young girl and her brother are excited to take out their winter school uniforms and wonder what’s in store for them this winter. When their mother takes them to the famous Groundnut fair in Bangalore, held during November, they also learn about the various other winter fairs like Ponkh festival in Gujarat and the Camel Fair in Pushkar and the Desert Fair in Jaisalmer. As she sprints to school wearing her bright blue sweater, she realizes that her hands are cold and notices a frosty cloud come out of her mouth as she talks. She learns from her friend Rajni who hails from Shimla about how children play in the snow and make a giant snowman in the hilly regions, how they can’t get out without their winter gear (OH!…I know that feeling!) and stay warm by drinking hot tea or milk with jaggery. She also can’t wait to snuggle up her grandma with a book, this winter. Winter ushers in the festival of Sankranthi, where specialities are made with sesame seeds and jaggery which help one stay warm in the cold season! So I guess even though it doesn’t snow here, winter still has a lot to offer! Enjoy the winter, everyone!

Happy Diwali!

The biggest Indian festival, Diwali or Deepavali as it is known in South India, is here as a culmination of the festive frenzy that has been around since Dassera! I guess, when it comes to festive season or the holiday season as it is called in the West, it doesn’t matter which part of the world you live in, it’s all the same when it comes to the crazy traffic on the roads, stampede threatening crowds at the stores, markets, malls, and cracker outlets. Man!….even the book store was crowded making me wonder if people are actually reading more during festival time! Anyway, last year, since we were celebrating Diwali after a gap of three years, we felt as if we were re-discovering Diwali in India. This time around, I can say we’ve become more seasoned. For instance, we are no longer annoyed when people burst crackers well past 11 PM or no longer shocked at how much a box of  sparklers or flower pots cost, and no longer upset when four out of six flower pots in a box don’t light up at all!

Anyway, my cynicism should not come in the way of celebrating the true spirit of Diwali and so we indulged Abhay with all the traditional trappings of the festival that celebrates triumph of light over darkness. After some confusion over when does Narakachaturdashi (the first day of Deepavali) actually fall on,  we decided to go ahead and celebrate it the day the State Government says it does, that is today! (whereas the Hindu Almanac declares it tomorrow!) As far as crackers are concerned, our house is probably the only one in which the roles are reversed. Abhay despises bursting crackers because of his legendary aversion to loud noises whereas we insist on lighting at least a few, in order for Abhay to be rid of his Bhay (fear)!

This is the most we could get Abhay to do!

 

As for picture books on Diwali, I must say that there has not been much progress since last year. This week’s “Young World”, the Children’s Supplement of The Hindu, has a write up about Diwali and the way it is celebrated across the country. “Titto and the Fireworks” a CBT publication by Mrinalini Srivastava and illustrated by Saurabh Pandey. I’d picked it up seeing its title but then realized that it wasn’t an ideal book for Abhay, given his phobia for fireworks. Anyway, Titoo is the naughtiest baby parrot who is always trying  to escape his mother’s watchful eye. Titoo is curious about the world outside and longs to fly out just like his brother and sister. Since his wings are yet to develop strength, Titoo’s mom forbids him from flying unaccompanied. Diwali is the day when most birds stay in their nests and so did Titoo and his family. But Titoo somehow manages to get out and perches himself high on a tree branch.  He reaches out higher and higher until he settles on the highest branch to witness what he realizes are fireworks. As he is startled by the sound, he accidentally loses balance and falls off the tree branch when he is caught by a fellow parrot who takes Titoo back home safe. Titoo’s parents though worried at first are relieved that their son had finally learnt a lesson. Not much of a Diwali story save for the message to stay safe this Diwali!” Happy Diwali to everyone!

Dassera Greetings!

It is time to feel festive again with the onset Dassera closely followed  by Diwali! Well, what does the festival season mean? It means school vacations, less traffic on the roads (at least on festival days), festival offers and sales doled out by retailers, a host of religious, music and cultural events organized at various temples and cultural associations, a time to take some time off work or visit friends and relatives to join in their celebrations leading to a sudden increase in one’s calorie intake! J At the same time, festivals are an important part of our cultural heritage, to be celebrated, carried forward and passed on to the generation next. While our work schedules may not permit us to celebrate our festivals in the same way our parents did, yet it is important to ensure that our children don’t grow up oblivious to the true essence and the value of Navaratri or Diwali. So whether you observe the Navaratri Vrat (fast), or exhibit the Dassara dolls at home or go dance to the dandiya tunes or perform the Ayudha pooja to your car, make sure to involve your little one too!

So in an attempt to educate Abhay the significance of Dassera, we took him to "Bimba, the Art Ashram", located on DVG Road, Basavangudi that showcased the age old tradition of displaying dassera dolls during Navarathri along with a unique rendition of the story “Anjaneya” through the medium of still theatre in miniature art. So if you are around Basavanagudi, drop by Rasalok at Bimba to witness this indigenous art form transport you to a timeless era.

Navaratri is described as celebrating our connection with the “Devi” or the Goddess, be it Durga or Lakshmi, Saraswathi, (names of some of the Indian Goddesses) So today we picked up Amar Chitra Katha’s “Tales of Durga”  by Subba Rao and illustrations by Souren Roy. This book comprises three stories – “Durga – The Slayer of Mahisha, the story of “Chamundi” and “How Durga slew Shumbha” – three tales featuring the Goddess as an embodiment of Shakti or courage and power that destroys all evil and upholds justice for all. Abhay certainly seemed fascinated to hear the stories of the great Goddesses. His favorite story is that of Ambika who springs from the body of Parvathi to later create Kali from her forehead who goes on to kill the asuras Chanda and Munda and hence renamed as Chamundi. Reading Amar Chitra Katha is a certainly a pleasant throwback to my childhood that was dominated by the same series. It is also a great way to introduce our little ones to the stories from epics and mythology, and orient them towards our rich culture. Happy Dassera to everyone! 

A Family Tradition!

 Pooja at the temple

Yesterday was Anantha Padmanabha Vratha, a special pooja offered to Lord Vishnu every year on the occasion of Anantha Chathurdashi. My husband’s family has been observing this Vratha (Pooja) for over four generations and it is for us to continue the tradition and pass on the same to the generation next. Of course from generation to generation, there have been a lot of changes in the way in which Anantha Vratha has been performed. With rising costs, hectic work schedules, non-availability of dependable domestic help, and not to mention parents and family elders getting no younger day by day, it has become increasingly difficult to host such events at home. So what was once a grand three-day affair attended by over a hundred guests comprising of extended family members and acquaintances, has now been modified into a pooja organized at a local temple followed by a small celebration at home in the evening  meant for only close family  and neighbours. After all, the essence of all worship lies in its spirit and devotion and not in its ostentatious display, isn’t it?  J

Pooja at home

In this year’s Ananthana Vrita, we tried to initiate Abhay into the annual family ritual which we hope he will carry forward in the future, in whatever way possible. I went looking for some child- appropriate story of the Ananthana Vratha, but couldn’t find any material on print or on the internet (maybe I should write one myself!!!).  Hence I decided to read to him Amar Chitra Katha’s “Tales of Vishnu” instead. In the Hindu mythology, Brahma being the Creator and Shiva, the Destroyer, it is up to Vishnu, considered the wisest of the Trinity to preserve the peace and order in the universe. This particular series comprises of four stories revolving around the Gentle God, – Gajendra Moksha, Bhakta Ambareesha, and the stories of Vrakasura and Rantideva.  Abhay was amused at the story of Gajendra, where a king becomes an elephant because of the curse of sage Agastya and then his fight with the crocodile which he cannot win and Lord Vishnu’s grace saves him from the mouth of the crocodile. All three stories are examples of the benevolence of Lord Vishnu who always comes to the rescue of his devotees. On the occasion of Ananthana Vratha, the Kallamundkur family seeks the Almighty’s blessings for everyone’s good health and happiness! Om shri Ananthaya Namo Namaha!

Season's Greetings!

September is the busiest month of the year for us. With three of our most important annual events  more or less occurring this month, life has turned hectic, in its most manic proportions. For one, Abhay birthday is in September immediately followed by Ganesh Chaturthi (the biggest festival of my father’s family) and soon to be caught up by Anantha Chaturdashi (the biggest religious event in my husband’s family). So post Abhay’s birthday, we left for Dharmasthala to attend the Ganesh Chatuthi celebrations at my dad’s ancestral house. It was also a family reunion of sorts and a time to catch up with the family elders and cousins while we also felt a sense a dejavu watching our little ones get excited over those very same things that had once held our fascination too and continued to hold…..until we grew up! Dedicating this post to all my uncles, aunts,cousins, nephews and nieces without whom chauthi would not be the same! J

 

Since Ganesh Chaturthi is such a big part of our culture down south, I wanted Abhay to learn the story of Ganesha. Though the Amar Chitra Katha series would have been ideal for mythological stories, I didn’t have one handy and therefore found a simple power point presentation on the internet. “"The Story of Ganesha" is short but simple account of the creation of boy from out of mud by Goddess Parvathi  and his metamorphosis into Lord Ganesha. The story also underlines the importance of Ganesha as the remover of obstacles and a symbol of success, while highlighting the significance of Ganesha’s four hands, broken tusk and large ears. Though there are numerous videos on the story of Ganesha for kids on youtube, I found this one just right as it does not overcrowd the mythological tale as too much information may be too complex for their innocent minds. So if your little one is curious about Ganesha….have him look up “The Story of Ganesha”!  Phew! Now with Abhay’s birthday and Ganesh Chaturthi done, we are two down and one more to go this weekend…...and I cant wait for  the hopefully uneventful October! :-)