A village to remind

The Pongal holidays happens to be like memorable and revisiting memories. The first two days spent mostly on watching television, and next day I thought to get out somewhere, with no idea where to go and in fear of Kaanum pongal crowd. Suddenly mom got the idea of visiting kottamedu - my grandpa’s sister village, away from Thiruporur and just 50km from Chennai. First I don’t liked her idea and said quite no, but when she pulled grandpa I can’t tell anything then, so that he could get the chance of meeting his loved ones and siblings on this occasion of pongal, those would gather usually. It’s something like after ten years, I visiting my favorite place as childhood, roamed immensely around happily. Those are the days we could stable for a week or more in the village and enjoy going to fields’ everyday, playing in pump set water and canals, having palm fruits, tender water, and mangoes and getting into forest to pick cashew nuts and fruits… Many things persist and extend to my wonder, but life that does not remain same these years, resist me getting there.

We reached there home for lunch. Even they build a terrace home, they continue to live in that old red tiled roof house. I wonder to see that house continue to be stronger and constant immortal. Behind the house, there is a big backyard remains stable for cattle and to drought grains, in middle of the house, there is a rain and sun visiting open space. Being inconvenience I can’t get inside there house, rejecting many invites by relatives, I stayed within vehicle. After sometime we decided to go to field. It was the main intention of my visit, and long time wish. Those are the ways we used to wander to fields and fun rides on the bullet bike with uncle are just reminds driving through the half-road take us to fields. I managed to reach the limited distance on my wheels, even thought I can’t get to specific place where pump set, well remains, I got to see the green fields, listening to varies bird sounds and sharing grandpa’s stories and thinking those tender memories. There left only ridges and moreover around grown paddy green fields.

The times we visit to this village, we used to watch movies on cinema shed. It usually supposed to be a night show and alike comes in movies, there are two options to seat. One is on mud floor and the other is sitting on stool. On the movies I watched, I could only remember the movie title Puthu Vasantham. It would be more fun, when our uncle was alive. We used to roaming behind him, and he take us around the village in his bullet and yamaha explorer in velocity. About riding in the stretch between the village and the Thiruporur town then is one of a scary thing, because of its very darkness with either side of forests. It was late in evening when we return, remembers me the fear. Those are days, never gets back and only remains through memories.

Me, Grandpa and cousin

Country Pongal

The Pongal festival has something special than any other festival, where this only festival celebrates for 4 days. In foremost years, cultivation was the only main source of lives, so celebrating this in pomp way still continues till now for four days as Bhogi, Pongal, Maatu Pongal & Kaanum Pongal. In villages, welcoming pongal is such delight, so as cleaning the houses, whitewashing, coloring, and keeping surrounding clean and dignity, to draw kolam (drawing) to look better the place to make pongal. The pongal is mostly prepared with new rice, from the harvested paddies before some days to pongal, with newly grown sugarcanes without dullness of its greenish, turmeric bunch and vegetables, with newly did oven. Oven, not to think the one in our kitchens, it’s made out of three pieces of mud clays, that kept for dry a week before painting colors or to daub the dissolved bull dung on the old ovens to make burn with palm leaves.

The day before pongal is Bhogi. The things that remains after cleaning houses and those useless things to thrown away are burnt in front of there gateway. By this they believe the adversity clears and welfare spreads. On pongal, the elders in house wake up early to bath before sunrise, to lit oven and decorated mud pots to arrange in count of newly married couples, from one to three pots to prepare pongal. After worshiping sun and nature, the pongal pots brought into home for special prayers. The next day was Mattu Pongal (Bull Pongal). It’s the day to honor the bulls, which strongly support to cultivation and cultivators. On that day, bulls are bathed and there stalls been cleaned, to prepare small pongal within stalls, later the pongal is served little to bulls and distributed to others. On that day bulls are let free and mostly unused to works.

In some towns and cities in Tamil Nadu, on the bull pongal day they conduct bull catching festivals - known as Jallikattu, and other games that kept front bulls. The fourth and final day of festival is called Kaanum pongal. On the usual process, people go out with there families to beaches, temples and tourist space and spent there whole day entertaining themselves, forgetting there hard works and spared freely. Similarly the whole villages celebrate these four days happily and the main reason it continues for thousands of years celebration is because of its simply peoples friendly. As its needs no big worship or prayers, the only intention of this festival is happy celebrations. Let’s celebrate the Pongal, welfare to spread and delight to sunshine in our lives.

#Check for Chennai Sangamam below

Chennai Sangamam 2009

Before proceeding, just put on the current song at side bar, can give some feel. hehe…

The festival season is around, to indicate and by adding sugar, began this Chennai Sangamam – the traditional Tamil classic folk dance and music open festival. After successful two years of beginning, this festival ideal to develop the declining rural arts, the concept which was appreciated by everyone, that exhibits our own tradition and culture. The Chennai Sangamam 2009, which inaugurated on 10the January exists at many places around Chennai, stimulates the festival mood. In welcoming Pongal – the harvesting festival that falls on January 14th, this celebration gives a feel of nearly in traditional way. What this arts turn to be only temple festivals special in villages, which seen rarely in today’s world, this truly aware the need and significance of our unique arts. The idea comes out in supporting and raising the declining artists, and helps in discovering certain norms in public. Year by year I could think its popularity and we all began to look forward this festival around. In my view it has a bright future not alone being celebrated, and to make our existing arts to keep in active and some more in spreading to other districts, could certainly witness a growth.

Being in same city and knowing this festival, I could not make it a visit in past. But I had an interest and wish to watch those programs, which happens to be a distance vision. I get to know this time that one of the festivals open stage was setup near our familiar beach site in Palavakkam, which I happen to witness on Sunday. Well in advance took the cam in hope to see the festival sometime, it was rural beats welcomes at unexpected site to sight the festival near. I wonder to see a tall man, just walking around standing on high wood legs casually. Putting his long foot steps sounds like moving hooves… attracts. By the time we arrived, get to watch Karagattam and Poikkal Kudirai aattam, something unreal in memories so far; Kavadi aattam and Tamil folk songs singed by rural artist. It was a wonderful sense, shivering to glimpse those Tamil rural folk dance and music. We must praise those artists come across to remain our traditional style, to make us think why don’t we make it to core than sending them to verge, welcoming only western culture. It’s a pleasing feeling where no were in world has such rich and varies performing genre within a state. I think there are lots of art performances to get on stage till the festival concludes, and I hope to catch some more in coming days if possible. I know everyday there are different folk dances and music to take place, and along they conduct traditional food festival to taste the forgotten or strange. Just a day left for Pongal, there was lot of enthusiasm about the festivals, and the cymbal of Chennai Sangamam emits our sense along.

Karagattam was familiarly known by most, as they take places first and more in festivals and cultural programs. Karagam is mean to decorated vessel. So as one have to perform dance movements, placing them on head without let to fall the vessel. It’s uneasy to see how stable the vessel on head, to only active the body more or less towards music. Have seen this kind of dance in movies alone, and the one ever get out of mind is famous Tamil movie Karagattakaran (karagam dancer). The current song is Mankuyile poongkuyile... from Karagattakaran, do check for the karagattam.

Poikkal Kudirai Attam (Dummy horse dance) is a skill trained performance. It’s wonderful to see someone standing and balancing on two pieces of wooden legs, and caring a dummy horse on hip to move up and down to band music. Wearing colorful cloths hiding there legs, and wooden legs to hoof. It is unheard in the raised band music; called Naiyandi melam.

Kavadi attam is a devotional dance dedicated mostly to lord muruga. Unlike those carried on shoulders balanced by a stick and something curved like with fixed feathers on each end, what I see last evening was a stool like thing carried on head with a cone like decorated, as they roll, it revolves colorfully.

More pictures here in flickr

Abhiyum Naanum

I watched this beautiful movie in drive-in Theater, last evening with my dad. Just before getting tickets, I looked beside a poster of Silambattam. I shook whether they changed the movie, though it wasn’t, but Silambattam is a night show. From the day Abhi… announced, I looked forward how bond it comes on screen. The story is nothing strange; it’s simply collected moments and gesture of life and relationship, esp. between a father and daughter. Prakashraj lived as a father with more love for his daughter Abe and cares blindly and easily could not give up his daughter for any matter. To notice his visage, it carries much emotion and happiness wherever it needs and uncertain moments he lacks and fears to understand in love and care, the practical wishes of his daughter Abe. It’s so funny how well he prepares for getting admission to his daughter for Pre KG and keeping those innocent anger and shock on face to make us laugh. PrakashRaj did an awesome acting, steeling the whole movie, and it feels something when he fondles his child.

For Trisha this is a superior role than just being always a girl to dream. Introducing as school going girl, she proves her extraordinary talent to go along with any character except from being glam heroine. Here the cute Trisha is much loved. The kids replacing childhood Abe are such adorable, and they well acted in there innocent expressions. Ravi Shastry is a good selection, his dialogue delivery is simple superb, where he introduction as beggar is funny, but he touches hearts at being attached to the family. Jogi (Ganesh Venkataram) haves a hunk look. The dialogues talked in Hindi or Punjabi is hidden without giving meanings to those unknown language. And the reasons told to describe Jogi’s family is not inspiring or touching, in trisha’s lack of expression. The entry of Punjabi families in second half derives entertainment to more rattle. The two Punjabi kids come just like that and makes silent laugh at back. Alike mozhi, Abhi… has comedy within track, as it moves us to smile not separately. Manobala, like flashing lights, passes silly commentary on the way even at some serious situation to cool.

First, must salute director Radhamohan for not taking care about the commercial items to gives us what really exist. Without many arties, it seems clear with more space to breathe fresh breeze around. The environment is best suited for a pleasant story, where we chill around Ooty and Munnar backdrop. The camera captures some heavenly places and the song Ore Oru Oorile and Pachai kaatre is evident. The distance between PrakashRaj and trisha in relationship felt us, how well there emotions going to be expressed even in distress. At end they make us realizes that every women is someone’s daughter, thus make solace Prakashraj to think mature. Since Aishwariya acts like a similar responsible mother, who supports her daughter where to tight and lose the rope. At moment to think, self is the only thing remains and no one is belonging to none. Ones we get to practice the separation, life will always be beautiful.

Come let’s begin the journey

Pollachi – Day 1

Wonderful national highways

It took exactly 12 hours drive from Chennai to Pollachi, only stopping for breakfast, lunch and some rest. Throughout the day it was cloudy and least open sky to keep our journey sultry free and oppose from using AC, what I withstand this traveling. After packing luggage and then prepared breakfast we left home at 8am, coming across Kanchipuram we ate them all and our next stop for lunch in Dharmapuri. In seven months time, I see the road have picked up well across Dharmapuri, a part of Golden Quadrilateral project NH7 which links Kanyakumari and Varanasi in UP. The route we took is too long, minding the double and lack in kind of lane through center state, thus drive us through Mettur-Tirupur-Pollachi. Coming beside the huge trucks, wonders me the pressure and struggle involves in driving them. I could see them hit to climb the sloppy ways and to find reason those stable besides road is due to heat, which is reduced in night so as easy to drive.

Until midday, there was foggy in atmosphere to unclean views of hills around. It’s so much to glimpse villages, towns and rivers, the Tirupur sounds triple more than T.Nagar in Chennai, kindly known as small Japan. The sun begins to set bright in color coming around Tirupur, and its dark evening by 8pm we reached Pollachi, waiting for the warden whom to guide us to govt. guest house, arranged by dad’s friend in Coimbatore. After having dinner which brought by warden, we went to an adjustable slumber. The next day dawns lately by 7.30am, after taking some pictures and breakfast, we get packed and headed towards Valparai which is some 60km from Pollachi...

me before the guest house