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. 

Neighbourhood Fences

During an evening walk at neighbourhood last week I shot on few fences and gates using my iPhone Se. Usually I don’t take my phone while going for walk and this time purposely took the iPhone to test the camera and I could manage taking photos from single hand and the picture outcome is better than my previous mobile at this position.

The fence belong to a newly build house and I really liked their simple and neat design protecting their garden plants. Following the fence I stopped to take shot of a simple wooden  gate and gateway décor of a house next to it. 

Linking this post for  Good Fences by Gosia 

Cart procession from our street temples of Ganesh

On the evening of Ganesh Chaturthi, there was couple of cart procession from our street temples.  There are two Ganesh Temples in our area and one was at the end of our street and other in the back street. Each year on the evening/night of Ganesh Chaturthi the temples out here come up with their own cart procession of decorated idols of Ganesha and prior to the festival an amount is collected from the residents by the organisers of the temples and the money is spent on the occasions for special rituals and cart procession.

Cart from back street temple (click all pics for enlarge)

Since shifted to our native area 2 years back, we got to see both the processions again and the temple at the back street was familiar to us then and the temple was built upon the stone sculpture of Ganesha that was brought by my grandfather. The first cart came from the back street temple but due to loud band played in front of the cart I didn’t come out to check it and I really hate such loud bands and what they played was worst because it was a funeral beat. Playing such band for an auspicious event like Ganesh Chaturthi is quite senseless.

Cart from our street end temple

The picture on the cart (first one) was shot by mom on the back street temple and she went out for few minutes of worship and she too hated the loud band. Usually Nadaswaram Melam or Thavil (the traditional instrumental of Tamil Nadu, played for special and auspicious occasions) takes place in front of the cart procession but what they did squirm the faces of residents and many didn’t come out to receive the Lord. But the cart from our street end temple was right opposite and made a peaceful entry into the streets playing my favourite Nadaswaram Melam.

The cart procession by this temple went at leisure pace and I took many photos when it come closer and stop in front of our house. They did nice floral decoration for Ganesh and other two idols and the installed focus light helps capture decent photos. I also got interested shooting the players of Nadaswaram Melam sending beautiful notes to ears and the street was lit by tube lights on one side along with color flag poles. 

Nadaswaram Melam or Thavil playing in front of the cart procession

Home Ganesh and Reason to Immerse

Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated at home on Friday and as usual parents bought clay idol of Ganesh and after the worship the idol was immersed in a tub of water in the evening. For last 10 years we have been immersing the idol in same way rather dropping at sea or river (what many others do), and the muddy water is later used for watering plants.

Actually the clay idols should be immersed in rivers, where those days there used to be flood in rivers during this time and the running water wash away the sands on river bed to let water flow easily into the sea instead of slow and steady progress which rise up the groundwater table. The dissolving clay idols control the flow of water by blocking and turning it harder and the dry clay idols suck the water at the floor of river help increasing the groundwater level.

The clay idol put into a bucket of water to dissolve

Our ancestors had a reason to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi and the practice of dissolving clay idols was beneficial then, but what we dissolve these days only pollute the water bodies. The clay was transformed into various toxic substances to give colors and different shapes to Ganesha. These days all rivers run into the state are dry but the reasonable practice, which supposed to take a break turned into a ritual where the choice of immerse becomes anything and most of the times it was sea or lakes.

For those unaware: Ganesh Chaturthi is a grand festival in India, devoted to Ganesha – a prime deity worshiped by Hindus. It is celebrated as ten-day festival in northern states of India and is usually celebrated privately at home as well in public, and is organised by local youth groups mostly where they collect money from public to form pandals (temporary shelters) to install Ganesha idols.