RE: Postcard from God's Own Country (Kerala)!
Sunanda
What an amazing post - you really had me visualising I was there. You should write a book about your travels as you are very talented and descriptive with your posts.
Laura
RE: Postcard from God's Own Country (Kerala)!
I agree. You've a book in you here, Sunanda. I recently finished "Indian Summer" by the guy who spent a winter (in fact) teaching in the Pune slums, to orphans. One of the most moving books I read in a long time. (One side-story was that he met an actress and got roped in as an extra for a Bollywood movie. Next thing he knows, one of the most famed Indian directors "bought" him away from his school for a month as he "didn't know anyone else" to STAR as the Western man who marries a famous Indian actress in the Bollywood movie "An Ideal Wedding". So Will became a real Bollywood star for a month, lived in total luxury, and then returned to teach in the stinking slums of Pune. (I so recommend this book, which has a heart-warming conclusion - wonderful!)
Anyhow, I had a raptus there. Point is, there's a book in you too, Sunanda.
On medicines and trusting, I think I'd just trust to Indian "good luck" :D. Did you see the link I gave on your other thread? -
[link= http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomm/95267255/in/set-72057594055045409/ ]http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomm/95267255/in/set-72057594055045409/[/link]
V
RE: Postcard from God's Own Country (Kerala)!
ORIGINAL: sunanda
Namaste again
I've relocated to the West Coast of India - to Kerala, Land of the Coconut, lauded as 'God's Own Country' and the place where my Indian odyssey began 10 years ago.
I've come to the touristy beach resort of Kovalam to participate in the local Kali temple festival. This is my favourite thing to do in India -
PS Prashna - I didn't notice or hear of anyone in Tamil Nadu celebrating Saraswati Puja. I know they do so during Navratri, but didn't know it had just taken place.
Hi Sunanda and all,
I am so glad you are having a good time, and very grateful that you took the trouble to initiate the variation on the pranAmi collection.
Where you are is very clear to me, but it might help if I link some maps. So here they are:
The major attractions and pictures of beaches in:
[link= http://www.kovalam.com/html/info.htm ]http://www.kovalam.com/html/info.htm[/link] A typical beach would be like this:
From [link= http://www.kovalam.com/html/gallery.htm ]http://www.kovalam.com/html/gallery.htm[/link]
I would personally go to Varkala beach for obvious reasons:
For more info on Kerala's beaches you could try:
[link= http://indiakerala.us/beach-tours-to-kerala/tours-to-kovalam-beach.html ]http://indiakerala.us/beach-tours-to-kerala/tours-to-kovalam-beach.html[/link]
I am sorry, Sunanda, I could not find your favourite Kali temple readily. But I must confess that I have not tried really hard. That's because I do not even have to try to visualise a kali temple or Ma Kali. Sorry about that, folks.
I do not wish to make this response too long. So I shall cover the Shehnai in the next.
Take care. With much love,
Prashna.
RE: Postcard from God's Own Country (Kerala)!
ORIGINAL: sunanda
1. Oh, I'm so pleased to miss the snow! Snow and I do not agree - I have Raynaud's disease and always get chilblains in cold weather!
2. each puja was preceded by very loud drumming and some pretty jazzy sort of long trumpets - a neighbour here in the internet cafe has said that the Hindi name is bansuri,
3. we've all remembered at the same time that it's a shenai! But maybe Prashna will correct me on the spelling!
4. convinced that it was some kind of performance,
5 plate containing vibhuti - holy ash - a pinch of which they can place on their foreheads.
But then I had the inspiration to get the little boy with the ash to say 'blessing' and to apply the powder to the tourists' foreheads himself. This had the happy effect of not only charming the donors but also gave us a clear idea of who had already given,
Hi Sunanda and all,
Sorry to trouble you so soon.
1. Heat and I do not agree! That's why I have never been to Dakshinatya, (South India).
Two summers ago, my wife and I escaped to Australia and New Zealand. Sydney had a
sudden freezing cold spell, which I much enjoyed. The previous summer, we escaped to
Norway, where I could spend some time near the largest glacier in Europe. Must have been a
Penguin in the previous life. Anyway, enough of me.
2. Bansuri it isn't. That is the bamboo flute, which is extremely significant in Sanatana
Dharma. The greatest living exponent is Pandit Hari prasad Chaurasia. This might be of
interest: [link= http://www.hariprasadchaurasia.com/bansuri.htm ]http://www.hariprasadchaurasia.com/bansuri.htm[/link]
3. Prashna will. That is, express his extreme envy at your good fortune of being able to spend
so long in "God's own country". The correct spelling and pronunciation are "shehnai" and "sheh-nAi"
respectively. The "e" is as the first e in "never". The "A" as in "faster"(Oxford English
pronunciation, not the American version).
The instrument looks like this:
From [link= http://chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/shehnai.html ]http://chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/shehnai.html[/link]
It is a double-reeded wind instrument, similar to the oboe. It was traditionally played at Weddings.
The greatest exponent to my knowledge was Ustad Bismillah Khan, BharatRatna who passed away on
21 August, 2006 aged 91. The Government of India declared one day of national mourning on his death.
His body was buried at Fatemain burial ground of old Varanasi under a neem tree with 21-gun salute from Indian Army.
Some details here : [link= http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/emotion2006/Index/sorrow_legendsbid.shtml ]http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/emotion2006/Index/sorrow_legendsbid.shtml[/link]
You can listen to what the Shehnai and the Bansuri sound like here: [link= http://www.goes.com/~mgreen/ ]http://www.goes.com/~mgreen/[/link]
Listen to the DarbAri KAnArA and mAlkauns near the bottom.
CAUTION: PLEASE HAVE YOUR FIREWALL,ANTI-VIRUS and POP-UP BLOCKER turned ON just to play safe.
4. It was - a performance to honour Ma Kali.
5. Bibhuti signifies renunciation. Hence its application for Sadhus, hermits and of course, Shiva.
Superb inspiration, bless you, Sunanda and of course, thank you.
Svasti te stu.
Prashna.
RE: Postcard from God's Own Country (Kerala)!
Thank you so much Prashna for your erudition. The instruments do look exactly like your photo but I checked this morning with one of the musicians and he said it's not a shehnai but a nadasuram. (The spelling is my own - that's what it sounded like anyway.) I can't listen to your soundlink here but the music is extremely wail- y and somewhat discordant to western ears. (I love it but some of the tourists were looking a little pained!) There are about ten musicians in all - two sets: one lot have two of these nadasurams and three sets of horizontal drums, two sets of which consist of two drums each. The others have three vertical drums - chenda. (Now I know that should be spelled cenda with a little dot under the 'c' but chenda is what it sounds like.) They have a young boy (sometimes two) with cymbals about six inches in diameter and then something rather like a big bass drum. All of these musicians spend hours leading the processions as the processional deity and her acolytes tour the surrounding villages performing blessing ceremonies called 'nurra purra' (again the transliteration is mine - that's obviously not how it's spelled.) Last night at around midnight, deep in the middle of nowhere, another 'kalankarvan' (sp) was held, where the main shaman/priest (vullichapara - now that one I know is spelled vellicapada with some more little dots!) wore Kali's heavy metal anklets, her metal breastplate and danced himself into a trance with the heavy headpiece on his head. It was tremendously tense, the drums were loud and compelling, and there wasn't a tourist to be seen.
Some years back I realised that some of the older women ululate at the highspots of the ceremonies and it was with some astonishment that I found myself doing the same at one of the pujas on the beach. Afterwards I was hugely embarassed and thought everyone would laugh at me but in fact I was rewarded with a coconut from the temporary shrine - a signal honour! It seems now that many of the younger more middle class women are too inhibited to make this noise (imagine putting your hand over your mouth and making the noise we used to make as children when we were playing at being Red Indians!) but now they know that I can do it, they will often ask me to do so as Kali finds it pleasing! It's a very liberating thing to do!!!
Also last night one of the little boy cymbal players became sick; he'd been drinking lemon water at some of the stops and tea at the others, plus he'd been going for about twelve hours on foot. It turned out that he was only 11 and he didn't want to admit he couldn't go on because he was worried that his colleagues would cut his salary!!! Together with the Temple Secretary, I played 'Mother' (I'm the only female who goes around with them by the way) and insisted on him being taken to a nearby house where he could sleep and recover. Otherwise the stamina of these people - especially the drummers - is amazing. I've discovered that my camera takes video as well so I've taken a few minutes and will try to upload it to Quicktime when I get back.
Yesterday morning I grabbed a couple of hours and sped into the city (Trivandrum) where I treated myself to my first ever silk chiffon sari. Rather an extravagant purchase at 20 pounds sterling; but it's to wear on the last day when I will have apuja done for me and my son in the temple before the festival finishes.
Mind you, I've spent nothing on food since I arrive as the temple has an outdoor canteen which cooks a big lunch (rice, sambar - vegetable stew - another vegetable 'curry' and mango pickle) which is given free to anyone who wants it. It may not be totally hygienic but I've never had a problem so far, and it is absolutely delicious. Kali takes care of her children like the Divine Mother she is!!!!
Rushing off now for the evening's programme! (Oh just to add that last night's special puja had to be cancelled as an unattended toddler walked across the coloured powder 'mandala' which it had taken the priest three hours to make!)
Much love and thanks for your intere