‘Cherunattiri Bagavathy sahayam’ – that is what we write on the center top of our wedding invitation. Earlier, we used to start our letters to relatives too, with that invocation.
Cherunatturi is our Kuladevatha and ‘sahayam’ is help. Please note that we are seeking the sahayam, help of our family deity and not her blessings. From whom do you take help? From friends and relatives. We treat our family deity as a member of our family! We are certain that Her blessings are already with us. After all, She is our ‘Amma’, mother.
When Megh told me that today is Vrichikamasam, Hastham, the star on which I entered this world, my first question to her was whether I was 80. My interest was to claim the Income tax benefit available for those above 80 and when she said, ‘no Appa, you have completed 79 and entering 80 today, I was a bit disappointed! It was then I looked at the picture of Cherunatturi in our pooja, which Megh brought from our Hyderabad house. In fact that was the only thing she wanted from me, when she came to settle her family here, after her wedding.
‘Cherunatturi sahayam,’ I said then, looking at the Devine Mother.
Was it to seek Mother’s sahayam to lead me to the next border line or to make it less thorny than the current one, don’t remember now.
Anyway, Her ‘sahayam’ only brought me to this far and I’m sure that she will continue to hold my hand to walk further.
Cherunatturi sahayam, for all my net family too.
Category: A12– Everything under the Sun
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Cherunatturi Sahayam
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Pulley and postbox
The spread of ‘net’ has taken away the joy of the writing and sending letters. To gain something, you have to lose something !
Appa used to write letters, mostly post cards or ‘inland letters’
and ask us children to post it, put it in the letter box, which was just opposite to our house, on our side of the road. And he used to confirm that we did insert the letters into the mouth of the post box. That red colour post box used to give me the impression that it was not a metal box but someone standing there, mouth- opened to receive whatever we inserted into it. I didn’t like its blood red colour and greedy mouth.
The terrible noise of the big wooden pulley, used to roll bucket down and up to pull water from the well was also unwelcome and even somewhat frightening for us children, at night. No doubt it did a good job by helping the bucket to come down to the water level and going up with water, but why proclaim so loud about its service. One should do silent service. Appa used to ask the servants to oil the joints.
Then, they were the shadows of big trees in the backyard and at times, an owl perking on a branch and making horrible sound. It was a bad omen for the elders but nothing bad happened except the fear induced in us.
Due its size and cold water it provided for drinking, body washing and cleaning vessels, our well had an affectionate nick name, ‘Kamalalayam’, though there was no lotus in it.
The neighboring shops used to collect water from it and my mother used to call it Olavakkode Ganges ! -
Ammalu is always right
‘Should there be a woman for every man?
Not necessarily one, he can have many to remain hot and hot and hot. Agreed Ammalu?’
‘should there be a man, for every woman, SP?
Yes, and only one, but like you. And also a mechanical wet granite grinder with pestle, so that she can rotate and rotate the pestle, holding its tip, whenever she thinks about him, and get cool, c–o–o–l and C—o—-o—l’
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‘Who is right and who is not, is not the question here SP?’
‘Then, what is the question, Ammalu?’
‘Who is husband and who is wife’
‘I’m the husband and poor you, are the wife’
‘Who is rich and who is poor, is also not the question. The question simply is, who is the husband and who is the wife’
‘I’m the husband and you are the wife ‘
‘No argument?’
‘No argument’
‘Good boy. Read the writing on the wall poster and nod ‘Yes’ to everything I say ‘
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Ammalu, many married men and women nowadays, seek and obtain divorce effortlessly, after living together hardly for 3 years, 3 months or even 3days and remarry happily and enjoy life. Only we lost the charm of life by staying together for decades. And I’m told that there are advocates in America, who arrange divorce for a small fee of 30/40 US dollars!”
“Thirty dollars will be approximately –?’
‘Eighteen hundred rupees’
‘Give me eight hundred rupees. I will sign and give you my diverse papers’
‘What will I do then, Ammlu, if you go away?’
‘I will ask the temple Muthuswamy, to give you a conch. Keep blowing it in the mornings and evenings’ -
Ammalu is always right
She wants perfumes from Paris!
‘If you don’t like me, tell me, Ammalu. I can get cosmetics from Paris and make me better -looking’
‘From Paris, how? None of our children are there’
‘Ammalu, I have my friends all over the world. I’m not a kitchen mouse like you’
”I don’t like you’, you said. Do you like me ?’
‘I do. Why ?’
‘Very sad’
‘Why?’
‘I expected you to say, ‘I don’t like you”
‘Why?’
‘To ask your friends to get a few bottles of French or Italian perfumes, for me and my mom’
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Who pushed 2015 to the gate ?
Thoroughly enjoyed the thanksgiving week end . Two birthday parties, a Thanksgiving party and a surprise Baby shower.
And all because of a narrow escape from a car accident which could have been disastrous, but for the God’s blessings.
A story on that.
We were almost at the destination; the vehicle was slowing down.
‘SP!’ There was a call from the top, I knew who called but didn’t respond.
‘Muni!’ – He called again. Again, I kept silence.
‘Mahamuni!’ That was almost an order to respond.
‘Yes dude.’ I answered casually.
‘Dude! Ha, ha! I’m indeed your dude!’
There was no sarcasm in that response.
‘What else to call you boss, for the tsunami you created in our life this year ? Anyway, I have pushed 2015 to the gate.’
‘You pushed it?’
‘Then who else, you did it, dude?’
After giving the signal to turn right, our car was slowly moving to the car path of the house of our destination, when another car crossed ours in high speed from the right side but we had a narrow escape . The speed with which that vehicle passed through was so high that our car would have been blown high and to pieces, had it hit us. I turned to the back seat where the two kids were still playing and stood speechless for a minute. That usual ‘ente Guruvayoorappa’ distress call too didn’t come out from my lips.
After sometime, regaining my calm I looked up and told my ‘dude’, ‘yes, you pushed the car which intruded when our car was entering the destination so fast to save us from a disaster.
Yes, boss, you pushed 2015 to the gate. You push me, you push the earth and planets to move. You push the Time!
And the ‘Kalaithookki nintru aadum Deivam, my ‘dude’ pushed me to dance in my grand daughter’s birthday party!
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Ammalu is always right, not this time!
Intelligent couple sort out their differences if any, by discussion. In our case, the pity is, my intelligence is on the top in the scale and yours at the bottom, though by virtue of my influence, it has gained a few points, that too only of late’
‘Knowledge goes up. Does intelligence go up and down, like temperature or tomato cost ? ‘
‘You are talking physics, to me, a GVC Physics major ?’
‘I talked about tomato too. Does it mean that you are a Secunderabad Monda Market tomato vender ?’
‘Ammalu, you are dragging me to an unnecessary fight. I hate to enter into a debate with women, as all women are made of lesser material’
‘You are made of cost iron and we, women are made of gold and silver, less heavy materials, right?’
‘No, it is not right. Women can be never right. I repeat, I stand up and you bend down before me, always, always Ammalu’
‘Not always, always. Only when you stand erect on the platform of the body weighing scale and ask me to tell you the meter reading’
‘Ha, ha, my favorite wife, for a change I win this time! You agree to my scale theory, me on the top and you at the bottom. Jai Anjaneya! ‘ -
I should not mourn death, even my own.
‘Was she crying for a long time?’, the young mother asked me, when I noticed a baby, hardly a month or two old, weeping in the cradle in the adjacent room. The worry and anxiety that the infant would have cried for a long time, was obvious from her face and voice.
I assured her that it was not so. The baby cried hardly for a minute.
There is none in the world to equal a mother in compassion
‘If she can’t stand the cry of her baby for a few minutes, how will she withstand the pains, problems and worries, her child will be undergoing in the process of growing and afterwards?’ I mused.
Then, I looked up, thanked God for taking away long ago, a mother closely related to me, whose son died recently.
I should never mourn death, I decided, even my own !
Sent from my iPad -
Then and now
You wanted to buy tons of things then, but had no money. Now you have tons of money, but need nothing!
You wanted to sing, dance, laugh and play then, but had no time.
Now, the time, plenty of it, is under your command but no inclination, no body support.
You wanted to come home early then, take your wife for a movie, play carom with your children and kabbadi with your friends but always returned home late.
Now, you stay throughout at home, but your wife is not interested in seeing movies and children and friends are not available to spend time with you.
Your wife used to prepare and serve the best food you liked and waited for a word of appreciation from your mouth, but you didn’t even try to look at her face while enjoying every bit of the food she served you affectionately.
Now you wanted to be lavish in praising her food but she has become deaf !
You wanted to sleep, which was prepared to stay whole time with you hugging you close to her chest, but you had no time for her. You pushed her aside and rushed to your work.
Now, you long for her lavish hug for long hours but where is she? She hardly spends a few hours with you.
The deities in the shrines at your home and on the road sides towards your working place, then, were waiting for a glance from you, but your eyes never turned towards them.
Now, you are looking for them in every corner and they are all still there, but you are not able to see them in their full glory and enjoy their magnificent forms, as your eye sight has dimmed.
So, what to do ? Take a Kinnaram, pair of hand cymbals and sing,
‘Paramapada, Govinda, Madhava, Padmanabha, Janardhana,
Dharanidhara, varaGaruda vaahana, deitya Balimadhabhanjana,nija-
daasamaanasa ranjanaa!
Saranu, Saranu, Harae!’
If your people at home complain that you are creating nuisance, get up early morning, tie a cloth around your head, open the main gate without making noise and walk through the street singing and clashing the cymbals, if you are in India.
If you are in America, like me, learn the security lock code and then only open the gate. Otherwise, the bell will shriek waking up the entire colony and within five minutes, cops will be before you in two, three jeeps.
If, on receipt of a complaint from a neighbor that you are creating nuisance, the cops surround to catch you, drop the cymbals down and raise both your hands above your head. Stop singing and tell them your son’s name and door no. Don’t move.
Life, though rugged and ravaged, is still valuable, for you, as it is your life! I can only provide you hand cymbals! Payment in cash in US dollars, please.
Sent from my iPad -
Pain is not a pain!
Pain is not a pain. It is a gain; it is a blessing. A diabetic who had to lose his toes for want of warning of the foot infection, will agree with me.
A mother who has delivered her baby through natural process, will agree with me. And that is the best form of delivering a baby. And there can’t be a bigger pain than that.
Wife is a blessing. Anyone who is lucky to have an accommodative woman as wife, will agree with me.
And I’m not comparing wife with Pain! Wife is NOT a pain, she is a gain. She is your pulmonary veins that carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the left side of the heart so it can be pumped to the body.
Remember, ‘Vaamae Bhoomisudha—-‘ Sita Devi was on the left side of Sri Rama!
To be frank, there was no necessity to bring the Devine couple here. You know that. I too.
But,
‘Kheladi mama hridhaye, Sree RAmaha:’
Sree Rama plays in my heart, yes. At times Rama, at times Krishna, at times, ‘Amba, meena lochana’ and at times, Ammalu !
Why Amnalu? She was not my pain; she was my pulmonary veins carrying oxygen- rich blood.
Enjoy sleep. Sleep is not a pain, it is a bliss. Like an affectionate mom, like a caring wife, like a loving daughter when you are on a sick bed, like death, who puts us to sleep, placing us on her laps, Sleep removes our worries and relaxes our muscles and rejuvenates us, making us fit for a better tomorrow.
‘Death rejuvenates us, making us fit for a better tomorrow?’
Yes, I didn’t say that. My knowledgeable elders said.
I remember my Devine Mother, Janma mrithyu jaraa taptha-
jana, visraanthi daayini.’ What a wonderful description ! I can spent an hour musing on this and each and every epithet of both the Sahasranamas and enjoy their beauty !
Have a better tomorrow. Tomorrow is ours, if today is going or gone.