Ayyappanum Alcoholism'um!

Generally, I avoid speaking about religion, faith, or caste, which separate individuals from being human. And as I indicated above, the aim of this post is not to offend or outrage the sensibilities of any one religion or creed but to communicate the truth that deceives everyone. 

Every year, during the Tamil months of Aipassi and Karthigai (October-November), many people (mostly men) will wear holy beads in devotion to Lord Ayyapam (a Hindu god) and embark on a 48-day fast, abstaining from non-vegetarian foods, alcohol, and any other impure habits before visiting the Ayyappan temple on Sabarimala hill in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala.

Every year, Hindus from all over the world travel to Sabarimala to show their devotion and dedication to their devoted god; however, most are from the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is a challenging trip for the devotees since the temple is located within the Periyar Tiger Reserve; vehicles are stopped beyond a line, and the pilgrims have to hike a few kilometers through the forest to reach the temple. 

I know some people who go to Sabarimala regularly; I have seen how committed they were to following it as a tradition and preparing themselves well for the fast and the change in approach earned them respect, which isn't to suggest they weren't respected before. But cleanliness and fasting are thought to be everything - though cleanliness has a different meaning for me, and when I wasn't mindful of my decision, I followed it mindlessly.

Coming to the topic at hand; was also about the cleanliness of not the outer layer but the inner behavior that will never change, no matter how many times you mask with the holy beads.  "First, behave like a human before trying to become a sage!"  I know some families where the women go to work or do business for the family's survival and also take care of the requirements of the husbands, who lead an idle lifestyle whose only intention is drinking and smoking.

However, when the Ayyappan season arrives, we see those men dressed in holy dhoti and shirts, with necks full of beads and foreheads smeared in ashes to give a terrifying look of devotion and holiness. I believe there are two reasons for this: the family, which forces them to wear the holy guise so that they don't drink or smoke for at least 48 days of fasting, and the other, to convince themselves and society that they are pure. 

I'm not here to name all those who visit Sabarimala the same, but I'm sure at least 30-40% fall into the drinking category, and staying sober for 48 days must be a hardship for them (there are even fewer days of fasting, but I am not sure on the number of days). If they can do it for 48 days, why couldn't they do it indefinitely or make it occasional for the goodness of their family? Even occasion is terrible because I believe that anything that causes us to lose our sense of self is unhealthy and should be avoided for the sake of ourselves and society. 

Alcoholic! It has become a bloodsucking leech in many men's lives, which they willingly accept or are pushed to accept by some pals, and it is becoming unavoidable. Alcoholism and the unstable mind it creates are responsible for almost two-fourths of all crimes committed in the country and all around the world. Why do I value it now when it has been around for so long? 

Yes, the crime rate has increased; the income from liquor sales is rising gradually (you could say that it is due to price increases), as are drinkers, and perhaps because of that, devotees to Sabarimala have increased like never before. I may be wrong in my speculation, but it looks like a holy revolution where garlanding in beads is highlighted in the media (perhaps because it hasn't taken place during the covid period). I see many young people wearing sacred beads passing on the street. Yet, many look to have never gone to a temple or have any connection with faith, yet they rush to the temple. They may even see it as a fun activity to hang out together with friends. 

We don't need an expert to analyze this; the eyes of an experienced watch could pierce the individual hidden beneath the holy cover. I don't have a judgmental viewpoint here, but a concern that it could be varied, and I only want to share my anxiety that some deceive themselves and others with their false beliefs. Faith is being loyal to what you believe, and if you don't entirely believe anything, don't hide behind it; faith is not a game, though I believe god does not exist; trust is something the heart feels, and you can only feel it if you are faithful to your conviction. 

Skywatch Friday: Contrail

Evening, I noticed a jet flight pass through the sky, leaving a contrail; it was passing at a high enough altitude to be easily missed unless you are a skywatcher. At that point, I remembered that I had a couple of contrail images from last month, and because it's Friday, I don't want to miss out on sharing them at Skywatch Friday. 

(Just tried a filter in photoshop)

The contrail was snapped at midday. I enjoy seeing contrails cross the sky, and I think I became attracted to them after seeing many beautiful and colorful photographs of them on social media by friends. So, if I see a flight with a contrail in the sky, I shoot it if I have my phone in hand.

Signs2: Café Coffee Day

 

Café Coffee Day (CCD) is an Indian multinational coffeehouse brand headquartered in Bengaluru. And this coffee shop and its sign were captured when we stopped at a petrol bunk on the Coimbatore-Salem highway during a trip. 

Café Coffee Day Global Limited Company is a Chikkamagaluru-based business that grows coffee on its 20,000-acre farms, making it Asia's largest producer of arabica beans and selling them to nations such as the United States, Europe, and Japan. 

V. G. Siddhartha founded the café business in 1996, and it quickly extended to other cities in India, with over 1,000 cafés open by 2011. Unfortunately, following the death of its founder in 2019, the company's number of cafes was reduced to 550 in various cities across India by 2021. 

My Tea Travel

Tea and rain are often combined to create an ideal time for a tea break! 

Tea has become inevitable in our daily lives, and many of us have become obsessed with its flavor and the refreshment it offers with every cup. The monsoon we are going through (right now) has become a favorite time and reason to have some hot cups of tea.

The weather in Chennai is unusually cool for the last few days, thanks to a depression in the sea that's moving slowly, and it's impossible not to compare it to the weather in hill stations or highlands; I'm mildly shivering in the open. I turn off the ceiling fans, something I rarely do in Chennai unless the weather is cool enough. A cup of hot tea would feel great. 

Actually, I was and still am a coffee enthusiast; tea came into my life in 2013 when I was bedridden for nearly two months owing to a femur fracture and cast. I sipped tea and coffee between breakfast and lunch and also took that as an advantage to sit on the bed -   I hate lying down for a long. Tea became my regular beverage.

Not that I hadn't sipped tea before, and I shouldn't forget that I'd been traveling with tea since childhood because my grandfather owned a tea shop, and my first tea may have been at his stall. I remember drinking tea solely to dip butter biscuits in; however, I liked tea when my grandfather made it personal. Tea and butter biscuits are my favorite combo.

I'm always looking for good tea, but that doesn't imply home-brewed tea is poor. When I travel, I prefer to explore different tea shops to acquire a varied taste of tea since I believe the flavor of tea varies from person to person, perhaps which is why someone who brews good tea is called a tea master. But if I see Kumbakonam degree coffee, I would land there!  

The Kumbakonam-degree coffee and Filter coffee are my favorites. If I were given a choice between tea and coffee - of the type mentioned above, I would go for coffee.

I attempted to recall some of my favorite teas, but I could think of a couple. The tea at the Waterfall Estate outlet in Valparai was one of them. Among the three journeys I took to Valparai, south India, no trip is complete without tea at the outlet. I also enjoyed a tea I drank in the Nilgiris village of Yedappalli, and the Chamraj Tea Estate outlet has the best tea. 

(Waterfall Estate's cute little hut tea outlet.)

More than a month ago, I only drank milk-made tea, which is still the same I enjoy most of the time. I'm always looking for the finest tea and the best among them. My parents drink a specific brand of tea, but I used to switch brands to taste something better and better, but after a few cups, the taste returns to the same, regardless of the brand. 

When I visited Munnar in Kerala, I made it a point to visit the Tata Tea Museum and factory - which I will write about in a separate post. I tried a different tea at their store and bought a couple of packets of KannanDevan Tea, but what I tasted there was not the same as what I tasted at home. So I understand that the method of brewing tea makes a difference. 

Some time ago, I  tried Assam Masala Tea, or Chai as it is known in other regions of India. I enjoyed the aroma of the tea, which had a little spicy flavor. And we don't make it daily because it takes time to brew, unlike the traditional approach of tea powder dropped in boiling milk. I recently bought Darjeeling tea, which I had been planning to taste for quite some time. 

I learned Darjeeling tea is the finest tea in the world, and it was even a favorite of the late Queen of England, the great Elizabeth. Darjeeling tea is organic and hand-picked to be distinct for its label, and it tastes best when made with hot water rather than milk. I ordered Darjeeling black tea from Amazon, and because it was my first time, I chose tea bags over tea leaves.

I looked for an excellent Darjeeling tea on Amazon and chose Typhoo Darjeeling Black Tea Bags, whose price seemed reasonable and dependable after reading the reviews. I'm not sure which varieties are the best because this is my first time tasting this type of tea, but I'm happy with the flavor. I always want to taste the true essence of tea, and Typho's Black Tea is delivered on that front within a few minutes of dipping the tea bag.  

Typhoo Darjeeling Black Tea Bags came with an offer of two boxes of tea bags, each containing 25 tea bags. I was hesitant to buy it at first, but after taking a sip, I couldn't think of anything else except savor. 

Blog, Blogger, Carrom and Kavin!

First and foremost, I'd like to thank everyone for your comments, suggestions, and concern for my emotional well-being in the previous post. It gives me a boost and energy to do something outside my regular activities, which keeps me continually occupied and ensures that I never have a dull moment or allow the dreary weather to cloud my cheery mood. I'm always an upbeat person who tries to grin even when things are unpleasant; even when things are tough, I keep an ear open for tiny notes of birds or other critters tapping around. 

Someone suggested I play Carrom, which was my childhood favorite. 

"Carrom is an Indian tabletop game that is immensely popular in the Indian subcontinent. It is widely played by families, including children, and at social occasions, with varying standards and rules in different places."

Most of our summer vacations were spent playing carrom (along with other games), and when our cousins visited home, we played carrom, but I don't remember touching the striker in the last ten years. I quit playing carrom when my cousins lost interest (because I can't play the game on my own), and I even lost my carrom board in a 2015 torrential downpour.

I have always wanted to play carrom, but my fingers have either stopped cooperating, or I lost the power to hit the striker afterward. My memories of carrom were always refreshing, and I could close my eyes and return to those treasured memories. I also used to stand and play carrom while wearing caliper shoes. 

Me and my cousins playing carrom from 2009.

My carrom board, which was 20 years old when I lost it, has always had a special place in my heart. My late maternal uncle bought us the carrom board in 1994 or 1995, and I took good care of it, even telling my cousins (born after 1995) that this carrom board is like your older brother so they wouldn't damage it. 

Everyone in our families adored our uncle, so you can tell how special he was. He was a philanthropist, not only financially, but his hard work had earned him great value and respect in the eyes of others. So how could I throw away something that remained as a memory of him, and I had only saved a few things that were also stored away in the loft? I could feel his thoughts were settled in the bottom of the memories like sediments underwater that never resurface until something triggered them.

My blog is significant in my life because it allows me to openly share my sadness, joy, and discomfort with life, which I have done for the past 17 years. Nobody supports me as much as you, bloggers, and friends, and your comments meant so much to me. In contrast to other social media today, where people only like and rarely share thoughts, I find your comment communicates with me individually. 

The hurting has never been a new occurrence in my life, and when it overflows, it bursts here in the expression of thoughts, but lately, I have discovered a delight in life. Kavin! 

My nephew Kavin lightens the mood, and I can't think of anything else in his company, and in his embrace, I am lifted to my emotional core since I haven't felt this way in a long time. I couldn't put it into words; when he hugs and kisses me, it's like the bliss of having accomplished something so pure, innocent, and beautiful that it will never be the same again.

It's something I've realized as he's been away from me for a while now; even though his absence was brief since he was visiting his maternal grandma, I feel the void intensely, but when I think of him, it feels unspecified. Though my nephew Jeswanth (my cousin's sister's boy) was the first to give me that emotion after a long time, Kavin, who is only six months younger than him, inspires me more because we live together in a household, and Jeswanth comes and goes from his house.