My Late Ayudha Pujai Celebrations

Ayudha Pujai is a south Indian festival, means worship of instruments, and is celebrated by all working people towards their occupation of tools. Ayudha Pujai had once been my favourite festival next to Deepavali and Pongal, and I always looked forward for this day (until my maternal uncle was alive) since our house was attached to my uncle’s Maruti (car) workshop. My parent’s was an inter family marriage and my dad married his sister’s daughter, so our relationship with my uncle doesn’t need an explanation and we are close enough to celebrate it as a family festival, calling close relatives, along with his co-workers the festival will go off enthusiastically.

Actually it was the night before the festival day we (me and bro) enjoy lot. Throughout the night the employs will involve in activities of cleaning the workshop, whitewashing the walls and repainting the tools and machineries. The employs were like brothers and uncles to us and a step outside the home will land into the workshop which means we often end up playing with the employees and have fun during their free times. And when a night and day is left to spend with them, how could we miss the fun in helping them and decorating the workshop to look colourful for the festival. Even our parents put us in bed forcefully, we couldn’t sleep really and mind kept thinking about going out and joining the workers but we make certain being outside till midnight or uncle warns to go to sleep.

Photos from the archives of 2007 celebration

On Ayudha Pujai, the day begin with a fresh feel looking at the workshop, free from all the greasiness and floors washed off and walls painted neatly in white with colour papers and festoons adorning  the workshop. We play songs in tape recorder to keep up the celebration mood and two big banana trees will be tied on the entrance of the workshop and all our vehicles will line up in front of the garage with flowers and sandal sprinkled on them after the water wash. The items for worship like aval pori, fruits, sweets and snacks will be bought in bundles and after puja (or worship) the items will be distributed in carry bags to workers, customers, drivers whoever attend the festival and also to nearby shops and friendly neighbours. Pori (puffed rice) is the main part of the festival, so mostly it would be a big sack to go into many carry bags and I also like watching how it take place along with fruits and snacks. Added to this a set of cloth (to be stitched as shirts and pants) was given to each employ apart a month salary as bonus.

I don’t think anyone would have given such benefits to their employs like how my uncle did.   He always cared and been generous with his co-workers, friends (whom were standing beside him when he opened the workshop) and anyone comes in need of things. I would say he has been a philanthropist throughout his growth and until he was alive; and our comfort level has risen almost because of him and the love and affect he kept on us. For anyone their father used to be their hero but I would consider him. During the festival our close relatives (whom were cousins overall) is invited and all our aunts were honour by saris and sometime we all have dinners together. As kids joining with cousins doesn’t need to say anything and its joyous occasion overall. Today we quite miss the fun and celebrations; since my uncle passed away (in 12/2001) things turned different and faced an end. 

Hi Fi (high fly)

(click pic for enlarge)

Up in the air, birds

flying aloft kindle man

to fetch wings to fly

RGB Monday

A land promoter’s colourful gateway at the outskirt of south Chennai. Picture shot during a recent outing on Sunday

Lovely Sky Watch III

Traveling from Trichy to Dindigul on NH 45 is always my favourite route to sky watch and fluffy cumulus clouds are found a lot on this stretch. Being a bare landscape for almost, the sky is wide and vastly open and against the blue skies the floating clouds turned to be a magnificent vista. The fluffy white clouds turned grey and pinkish at some places where playing light and shadow throughout the journey. While nearing Dindigul and beyond the town more grey clouds arrived at the sky and started to drizzle slowly.  And further will be shared in future post.

Vast sky with fluffy clouds (all pics can be enlarged)

A beautiful Church on Trichy - Dindigul highway 

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Neem Bestow

Standing tall my neem

however hot the earth scream

it’s cool under your shadow

a unique layer of tree

blows a kind of wind

soothing the body and mind.

You grew up breaking the walls

bordered with neighbors

to show up unity is strength,

though we take care not

you support unconditionally

purifying environs n provide shadow.

You send nostalgic feel

through your cool breeze

triggering the lost sense or memories

of moments that never return,

glad I borrow you from the neighbour

and what u bestow is unparalleled. 

P.s Was having some problem in getting constant net connection for last few days and I have complained and waiting for them to resolve. Until then pls bear

The picture has the neighbor's Neem tree outgrown into our courtyard. The neem tree cracked down a part of the wall and it was rebuilt leaving space for neem. 

Floral Friday: White Oleander

Nerium oleander is a shrub or small tree grows from a neighbour’s house and the flowers were shot through the backdoor, across the open parking of the house next door. The evergreen shrub is a fast-growing with an upright growth-habit to 10-15 feet tall and wide. This sun loving and long-blooming variety features narrow glossy dark-green foliage with flowers grow in clusters at the end of each branch in pretty white, pink to red.

Oleander flowers are showy, profuse, and often fragrant, which makes them very attractive in many contexts and they bloom from mid-spring through summer attract bees.

All parts of this shrub contain a milky sap that is poisonous if ingested and one should be caution when pruning or working with this species. The shrub thrives in exposure of full sun and tolerates heat reflected coastal conditions, where it is extensively used as an ornamental plant in parks, roadsides and house gardens.

Linking this post for Floral  Friday Foto 

Fresh Waterfall

Driving from Athikadavu to Ooty, passing through Manjoor, we find some pristine waterfalls and freshwater streams/spring during the course and a part of my road less travel. This’s a route that passes through wild forest and private vehicles are allowed only after thoroughly checking or enquired which has been tightened since the intrusion of antisocial.  

Actually this is a river sourced from mountain sholas and it flows like a waterfall at a point where we stopped on the bridge across the river to watch the waterfalls in step format. I think this should be a check dam but in long run the washed off rocks and sand raised the river floor and from the bridge it looked awe with a pool and huge bounder beneath.

Since we drove slowly enjoying the pristine natural environment and forest along, we stopped at many places to watch and capture the nature and manmade that wonder us. I really don’t want to reveal much about this route and let people know themselves if they are interested because we really need to protect these areas and prevent anything disturbing. 

Close up on the falls

Touch-me-not

Was fondled to whine 

stretching arms together, she 

confined further touch. 

Lovely Sky Watch II

Following my earlier post, I’m sharing another set of sky photos from the travel (to Kodai in July) further on the NH 45 passing Villupuram and Perambalur districts, the sky you watch here is above Trichy. These photos were shot while traveling on the bridges across Cauvery River and railway crossing and I find these spots apt to shoot as it kept away the building interrupting the scene. The sky came up with different shapes of fluffy cumulus clouds that keep inspiring to shoot and watch with interest. But it was the sky between the Trichy and Dindigul that fascinated me a lot and it could be my next sky watch post. 

 

 

 

The pictures were all shot through the windshield 

Linking this post with Skywatch Friday

Idol Procession to Immerse

After long time, went for an outing on Sunday traveling around the southern outskirt of Chennai taking some road less travelled. When nearing Medavakkam junction we come across rows of Ganesh procession, where the idols are transported in mini tucks to immerse in Palavakkam Beach. There are three places allotted in Chennai for the idols brought up from the places nearby Chennai to immerse and Palavakkam is allocated to the southern region. Few years back I used to go to the beach to watch the procession and immerse of idols, but this time it came across my way and while moving in traffic I got to capture some photos on the idols transported in trucks. Many of the idols were facing back while coming opposite and I managed to take some using the iPhone. 

This idol is decorated by coins and rupees

The procession passed very quite with few beating drums and sounds

There was many walking with flags along the procession

A small collage  on the procession

NEET Dispute

Suicide is undoubtedly unacceptable whatever reason has been told behind one. Anitha’s suicide due to unable to attain medical course because of less marks in NEET (National Eligibility and Entrance Test, for Indian students who wish to join medical course) has gripped the entire state of Tamil Nadu. She didn’t give up just by that but has fought against the NEET, arguing in the Supreme Court, impleading herself as a respondent demanding an exception to NEET for Tamil  Nadu  when the state govt. let down the state board students without aid them in anyways.

The 17-year-old Anitha from Ariyalur, the most backward district of Tamil Nadu has scored 1176 marks out of 1200 in her 12^th board exams and was determined to be a doctor with cut off mark of 196.75 out of 200. But her NEET scores couldn’t make the cut as she scored only 86 out of 700 in the newly introduced entrance exam. It’s obvious that it wasn’t her fault in anyways and for the girl who scored top in board exams, NEET couldn’t be a trouble if she instructed properly.  Not only she, all students went to write the exams with a confused state whether the central govt. will waive or not for Neet in Tamil Nadu.

It’s completely failure of the deal between the state and central govt. and the education system with different syllabus for each state, how could they go for a common entrance exam when there’s lot of differences between the CBSE (central board of secondary education) and state boards.  Neet could be a better option only in the future when there’s a common education system and syllabus cross the country.   I think Neet isn’t’ included as a subject in schools and one has to take special coaching classes to train themselves to write the exam.

One of my nephews wrote Neet and they paid about 25000 for just a month course of Neet. Because of difficulty and to score high he shifted to state board after studying up to 10^th in CBSE to join medical course and in belief Neet will be waived off Tamil Nadu. Though he scored high marks in 12^th and less in Neet unable him to attend the council but without delay he joined engineering. Anitha seems to be intense about joining medical course despite the fact that she had an Aeronautical Engineering seat at the prestigious Madras Institute of Technology.

For the middle and above classes, taking the special coaching for Neet couldn’t be much difficult¸ but for a daughter or son of labour (alike Anitha) or farmer isn’t same. This isn’t the state of only Tamil Nadu, but all states face the difficult when the coaching for Neet doesn’t come free. A competition could be fair only if both sides are strong enough and CBSE consist of high standard compare to state and matric syllabus how could NEET be justified and be common to all. India is a diverse country and each state has a different language and syllabus to read and when things was like this the state wide entrance exam could be the right unless a common syllabus spread across India.