Karthigai Deepam @ Home and Neighborhood

Karthikai Deepam is a South Indian festival observed by Hindus on the full moon day of Tamil month Karthikai, which falls amid November and December. It is an occasion where rows of oil lamps are lit in every home and temples. Karthigai Deepam is essentially a festival of lamps and lighted lamps are considered as auspicious symbols and believed to drive off evil forces and let in prosperity and joy.

Though generally lighted lamps are important in festivals and rituals of Hindus, Karthigai Deepam is indispensable. We hold the festival of lamps yesterday at home and lit some limited oil lamps at the entrance and windowsills. A few of our neighbors had some splendid arrangements of lamps around their compound walls and stairs across our house-made feels good to the eyes and mind.

The construction office opposite our side entrance did wonderfully by lighting rows of lamps on their wooden stair and someone stood there to make sure all lamps kept burning. Our oil lamps couldn’t light long due to the wind but to my surprise, the lamps lit on the compound wall of our neighbors keep lighted. Only later mom said those are candle lamps. So what? I can’t understand the logic here.

Usually, mom used to light the lamps once Thiruvannamalai Deepam (a huge fire lamp, which is called Mahadeepam) was lit up on the hill, following a live relay on TV. Tiruvannamalai Karthigai festival is well-known, and millions of people go to the temple town to watch the Maha Deepam lit up on the hill.

Sishya School (Gate and Arch)

Sishya is a very popular school in my area called Adyar, in Chennai. Studying at this school seems to be prestigious for many (as it is believed to give best education), since the school accommodate minimum number students to facilitate balancing efficiency and quality education, with economy. From KG to Class X there are not more than 30 per Class with just 3 sections each. I know this school from my childhood days only by name and it has been described to provide higher standard of education and getting admission here does need to be   literate and wealthy parents.

Though most of students here are from luxurious background or economically fwd, I find money isn’t the prior to get a place at this school. Since moved opposite to this school, we aren’t to avoid receiving things happening with the school and the tenant who reside upstairs of this house succeed recently on his endeavour to get a place for his 3-years-old. During our occasional conversations he conveyed that he had registered for his son when he was 6 months in womb! Though both of his parents are educated and well placed at jobs with enough income they haven’t won the admission easily.

There seems to be lot of people in the waiting list, whom should have been registered in the same way (children at birth), as admission is given on first come basis for the minimum number of seats apart certain numbers that are reserved for Christian children, since the school received Christian Minority status. The school comes under the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination has been well equipped with state of the art facilities. Almost student come to this school via only cars and one could come across parades of cars coming in and out of the school, at specific times twice. It was a mild entertainment to watch different kind of cars though it cause annoy and traffic jams sometime.

It’s interesting to note that the school admits minimum number students to not to give away certain aspect of the school. They are certain about the quality of education and encourage activities that involve much physical and mental ability. The school’s ground is an advantage and being one of the big school grounds in city they conduct all kind of sports that student interest. Unlike other school, Sishya commence its first term in January and end with third term in December. The school has two vacation periods that marks with Christmas and summer in May.

I link this post for Run A Round Ranch’s Good Fences! 

My favorite season/months

December and January are my favourite months/season as it is the only time in Chennai where weather seems to be embracing and cold. Though each season has its own essence and uniqueness to cherish like the summer cool (sea) breeze, there is so much wish for cold season which is limited with Chennaites. Margazhi is a Tamil month celebrates the winter season with festivals of dance and music. The birth of December has brought cold here right now, though it wasn’t abundant like other part of the world, we enjoy the chillness followed by northeast monsoon.

One fog moment in suburb shot last year during same season

The meteorological department has been predicting rains prolong but Chennai doesn't seem to be its favourite place always, unlike it poured few weeks back. They kept announcing rain as usual in one or two days despite already dew set it. I don’t believe there’s chance for rain anymore although I wish there was, as we aren’t sufficient with rain this year there’s risk of water scarcity. I feel cool/cold in evening and early morning for last few days (and even feeling feverish by night) following dampness in weather and low pressure in Bay of Bengal. The sun wasn’t anymore hot and it feels cool even at mid-day. I also prevent sitting under the fan and almost switch off or let rotate at least number.

This is the season where I feel travelling a lot. Due to less in temperature it’s the best time to hit the road and explore places mostly on plains to enhanced cold in mountains. The Christmas, New Year and Pongal that fall during this season also make it cheerful and stimulate the mood to celebrate. It is the season I always want to wake up early morning and relish upon the chillness that we get to experience without paying electric bill or travelling sum to some hill stations. But except few occasions I ever lived up to the moment and it’s only the warmth that binds me inside the blanket leaving not the comfort being.

For those interested can check my previous posts related to December (here) and Tamil month Margazhi (here)

Parry’s Corner, Chennai

Parry’s Corner is a well known junction in Chennai, named after the EID Parry’s building that stands at the corner of the intersection of North Beach Road and NSC Bose Road near Madras High Court. Paris or Parrys is a household name among Chennaites, which is an important place for commercial banking and trading and also very famous for bazaars, is one of the most congested areas in Chennai. The NSC Bose Road has many historic buildings and EID Parry’s was the second oldest business house in India exists for more than 200 years.

The EID Parry’s (India) Ltd., date back to 1788 when Thomas Parry arrived in Madras and registered as a free merchant and setup a model business of piece goods and banking. Acquiring the plot and garden house across the way from the High Court, Thomas Parry developed it as the office of Parry and Lane and remodelled the house in Palladian architecture. Followed by several partnerships the firm became Parry & Co in 1839, made it the premier house of business in the South and one of the leading businesses in the country.

The EID Parry’s building, also known as the Dare House is named after John William Dare’s contribution to Parry & Co, as the most significant partner. He was recognised in the name of the Art Deco building that opened its doors on the Parry’s site in 1940, is now houses the headquarters of Murugappa Group. Next to the Parry’s building (on the NSC Bose Road) is the head office of the TNSC Bank.

The six-storied Art Deco building/home was built in 1970 on the pulled down of Ramalingam Building, owned by the Madras Provincial Cooperative Bank. By 1974, when the Bank moved into the new home it become Tamil Nadu State Cooperative Bank come head office.

Between the Anderson Church (see the steeple in left) and TNSC Bank on the NSC Bose Road are the buildings of State Bank of Mysore and LIC Bombay Mutual Insurance. Both the building sits on the site where the Anderson Hall and College exists once. The organisations also used the old buildings till their new once opened in 1957 and 1955 respectively. Interestingly both the buildings are constructed in Art Deco style and the Bank of Mysore (center) is architect by B.R. Manicam who was the architect of Vidhana Soudha in Bangalore.

Source of Reference : Hindu Metro Plus, The house that Parry built

Fenced Paddy Field

During one of my outing on the outskirts of Chennai, I come across a meadow of paddy which I find amazing. The thing to feel amaze was not that I haven’t seen paddy fields before, but their existence. Though villages and farm lands around the Chennai are rapidly convert into plots and buildings, it’s wonderful to see the lands that are still cultivated. Perhaps sooner or later the landscape going to change but the sights will remain nostalgic like what many places used to be right now for me.

Linking this post for Run A Round Ranch's Good Fences.  Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends here