Jai Jagannath

We stayed at the city of Puri for three days. Even though the city buzz is around the famous Jagannath temple, there is so much to see and experience in Puri.

The city receives daylight as early as 5am every day and one can watch the sunrise at the beach closer to 5:30 am. Cleanliness at the beach and other areas of the city needs special mention. Basic amenities are available all around the city that are organised and clean. The vibrant culture of the state is proudly displayed everywhere. We did not see hoardings of political parties or posters stuck onto walls or posts anywhere in the city that disrupts the view and becomes an eyesore. One could view statues of the heroes of the state neatly maintained.

The vast expanse of Jagannath temple welcomes devotees with highly organised and modern systems of crowd management. Jagannath Swamy presents himself as Patheeth Paavan ji at the entrance of the temple near Dwaja Stambha and gives darshan to all who are unable or not keen on going inside.

We had hired a Pandit guide to help us navigate and also tell us about the rituals of the temple. He took us around and showed the main shrines of Kasi Biswanath, Satya Narayana, Bimala Devi, and Bhubaneswari. There is a large kitchen where Bhog is prepared and offered to Swami, and then dispersed among devotees as Mahaprasad.

Jagannath Swami is presiding along with Balabhadra, and Subhadra Devi. Huge wooden idols are decorated beautifully with garlands and aarti is performed. The decorations are changed eight times a day because Swami is treated like a normal human being. Those who approach the sanctum sanctorum with faith can definitely feel the energy, positive vibrations which gives goosebumps.

The temple architecture is typical of Odisha and the tower is more than 200 feet. The flags flying atop the tower is changed every day in the evening. Pandits climb the tower barefoot without any equipment support, reach atop, change the flags and come down with flags from previous day.

Only thing that bothered us at the temple was everywhere pandits and other small-time pujaris were forcing us to do some pooja and ask for exorbitant amount of money. We learnt quickly and did only what our hearts felt like. Nonetheless, darshan was divine and we felt blessed.

Later, I spoke to few people, read up about the Jagannath temple, their festivals, and rituals. They have more than 13 festivals in a 12 month calendar year. Rath Yatra of Jagannath swami is the biggest festival. Jagannath swami along with Balabhadra swami and Subhadra Devi rides the chariot and goes to Mausi Ma temple and stays there for nine days. He then returns to his abode on tenth day.

What amazed me about this festival is that more than 25 lakhs of people assemble in the city for this festival. Every year the three chariots are made from scratch by the family who has the authority. Specific trees are identified for building the wooden chariots. But the amazement comes from the fact that the chariots are built with a predetermined number of logs. The chariots are built and then decorated by another family in their own creative way. The Royal family of Puri leads the cleaning up of the roads where the chariots will roll. After the festival, the chariots are dismantled, and logs are disposed off.

Another interesting fact about Jagannath ji is that since HE is treated like a human being, sometimes HE falls sick with cold and fever. At that time, darshan is not available and devotees worship at the Bata Jagannath shrine. HE rests for nine to ten days and then recovers.

Jagannath Swami idol is wooden and is bound to be damaged over time. Every 12 – 19 years the main idols are replaced by new idols. From identifying trees for idol, every step of building new idols are considered to be holy occasions and are celebrated. Once the new idols that are exact replica are completed, they are brought to the temple and placed near the existing idols. At night, ritual of Brahma Parivartan (transfer of soul and power) as dictated in Vedas are performed by Purohits. During this time, the power supply to the city is cut off. People keep vigil with fasting and oil lamps.

Life sized old idols are ceremoniously cremated according to Hindu rituals. Since Jagannath swami is treated as a real person, the old idol is believed to be dead. A ten day mourning is taken up by all just like the death of a person in family. Men tonsure their head and take dip in the river. All these rituals emphasise the spiritual truths behind life.

Furthermore, this temple is unique in many more ways.

We visited the Pattachitra museum, Netaji museum, Kanchi Peetham, Priyadarshini Handlooms, Puri beach.

വാണിവിശ്വനാഥൻ #vaniviswanathan #JaiJagannathSwami #puri #odisha #sankirtanelements

In the journey of life, opportunity always comes knocking on our doors. Lately, I am beginning to learn how to seize, and savour them. I must be getting old!!

Last year, I had the most fantastic opportunity to be part of a short film and ‘act’ in a small role. What a great experience it was for me. There was a lot of learning and I made friends with a ton of young people. The well received short film “Sharanam” by AGR Media Family was released in April 2023.

When 2024 dawned, the next opportunity was waiting in the wings for me. To be part of Sankirtan Elements and sing at their annual signature event “The 5th Krishna Concert” in Kolkota was a cultural, spiritual experience for me. Again, the people I met during the event and the trip made all the difference. I was dancing in joy with abandon on the streets long after the concert. The Krishna Concert is the highlight of April 2024.

Overflowing with gratitude, I thank each and every one of you for your support, encouragement and positive responses. Thank You from the bottom of my heart for your contribution.

I am leaving the links below if you would like to know more about my film, concert and other details. As always, feel free to Like, Share, Comment and Subscribe.

🙏 Swami Sharanam 🙏

Sharanam – a short film by AGR Media Family

https://youtu.be/E9GjZJqj26E

🙏 Jai Shree Krishna 🙏

Curtain raiser song of The Krishna Concert

https://youtu.be/BZ1iv_LAMk8?si=9sJUsWOEeahLjjQx

Links to pictures and video snippets on my Facebook profile

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/215iLcRBmU8X7QBF/?mibextid=WC7FNe

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/7MoiqWXHEFrrVUDp/?mibextid=WC7FNe

She waved goodbye to her children as they drove away in a friends’ car for a sleepover. She closed the door, locked it and turned around to go inside. That’s when she saw him – leaning against the stairs, standing cross legged and hands crossed with a playful smile. She shook her head and started walking towards the kitchen. As she was going past him, he extended his right hand, put it around her slim waist and pulled her back towards him. she did not resist; he held her tight in front of him and kissed the back of her neck. That’s the moment when her heart started racing!

She tucked one end of her sari into her petticoat and started wrapping the yards around her waist. There was a deliberate delay in pulling the pleats on to the shoulders. He was watching her and admiring her as she was getting dressed. She sat down in front of the dressing mirror and checked on her makeup. He adored her flair for perfection and elegance. She put on her earrings, and watched herself until she was happy with it. The bangles slowly slid into her tender arms and they merrily laughed as they slipped into position.

Now, she picked up the beautiful necklace and while bringing it up to her neck caught his eye through the mirror. He slowly walked up to her, took the necklace into his hands and hooked it on for her. She felt the necklace around her neck and enjoyed its beauty. she turned around and put her hands around him as the bangles giggled again. He could feel that the whole room was filled with air of her freshness and her mild perfume.

As they got into the cab, she held his hand closely. At the party, she enjoyed the chats with her friends and was laughing very well knowing that he was watching her from another corner of the room. Every now and then they exchanged glances and silly gazes. They were getting impatient and wanted to be together back home and that was anybody’s guess. They managed to get through dinner, he made sure she was eating enough all the while engaged in talks with his friends.

They thanked the hosts and took leave of them and soon were on their way back home. They looked forward to having the whole house just for themselves. She leaned on to his shoulders in the cab and he put his hand on her head and caressed her hair.The fragrance of the thick black hair excited him.

As soon as they entered the home, she hugged him strongly and did not let him go for a few minutes. He lifted her head with his hand under her chin and whispered – ” I love you.”. They walked into the bedroom and he helped her undress. She put away her necklace, earrings and bangles carefully. He neatly folded her sari and hung it in her wardrobe while she slipped into her most comfortable night dress. He was watching all her movements in anticipation.

She lied down on the bed nervously. He lied down next to her and held her in a tight grip.

She was ready, yet uncomfortable. He knew just what to do!

He slowly removed her hairpiece, placed it carefully on the side table. He assured and comforted her even though she was reluctant and kissed her bald head. He told her that she still looks beautiful and she was almost convinced. She still could not hold back the tears and sobbed against his chest. But tonight, she can sleep peacefully without any makeovers, she can be herself and carefree since there’s no one to judge or sympathise with her.

Vani Viswanathan

vaniviswanathan #mywritings #worldcancerday2021 #dedication #cancerawareness #cancersurvivors

I clearly remember the small photo frame that was hung above the yellow filament bulb in the lengthy corridor of our ancestral house. The person in the picture is old but smiling. It was not a black and white photo nor coloured one. It had a monochrome feel to it. He was smiling, wearing thick round black framed glasses, and was wearing a full sleeved Jubba. He was probably wearing a dhoti to go with it, but the picture is not a full sized one. I wondered if he didn’t have many teeth left in him. His smile was extended from one end of his face to another. His ears were also a prominent feature of his face. He seems to be sitting at a desk writing and having a conversation at the same time with the photographer. 

For a very long time, I thought it was the picture of my maternal grandfather Shri. Sreenivasa Iyer. Photos of people alive are not usually hung in houses during those days. I never questioned it until a friend visiting our house asked me about the person in the picture. My grandfather (thatha) told us with a hearty laugh that it was indeed Rajaji – Chakravarti Rajagopalachari. I looked at my thatha – he had striking similarity with Rajaji – with the bald head, bright eyes, and the lengthy smile.

On another sunny afternoon, while feeding me raw mangoes, my grandfather told me more about Rajaji. I was not very keen, yet he continued. Rajaji’s freedom fight, time in jail, authoring books. That’s when I realised that Rajaji was one of the very few people who had impressed my grandfather. Now, it made sense why the picture was there to begin with. He then said something that I thought was absurd. He was praising Rajaji for his handwriting. Of course, “Who cares” was my attitude.

When we went inside the house from the shade of the mango tree, I saw my thatha giving the picture a glance from the corner of his eye. His steps were fast paced, he went straight inside to the room, opened his almirah and started searching. The wooden almirah was full of papers in bundles. Finally, he pulled out a bundle, removed the string with which it was all tied together. A4 size paper folded into two and tied. He pulled out one paper and showed it to me. It was a letter from Rajaji to my grandfather!!!  The handwriting – oh my god – long letters with tails and words written in running letters. It was a sight to watch!

Of course, I was not able to read it as I was not familiar with the font.  Grandfather looked at it for a while and then wrapped it the same way and put it back in the almirah. Thatha had interactions with Rajaji through letters! I have no idea what they discussed – but for sure upliftment of the country would have been one.

In recent years I have come to know that Ramayana and Mahabharata commentary by Rajagopalachari published by Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan are one of the best to read and for reference. 

So many great people have lived on this earth, and we do not know most of them, but their work is part of our daily lives unknowingly. One such is the song Kurai Ondrum Illai penned by Rajaji and sung by divine doyen of Carnatic Music M S Subbalakshmi. This song is part of our daily lives during our pooja in the mornings. Yet very few know that Rajaji wrote this highly devotional song on Lord Venkateswara of Tirupati during one of the toughest times in his life. He wrote it down and gave the paper to MS amma – there was no sit-down discussion on composing or anything of that sort. The song was born just out of devotion and the rest is history.

How many of us can say “Kurai Ondrum Illai” (I have no qualms) when we are facing one of the toughest situations in life?? Today, Rajaji, M S amma and my grandfather have gone to the ether world – but the legacies they left behind stays for us to imbibe and learn.

#vaniviswanathan #rajaji #rajagopalachari #mssubbalakshmi #kuraiondrumillai

Sacred Multi Mirrors

These mirrors are usually placed behind the Idols in the sanctum sanctorum of temples. When one looks at the mirror, they see multiple images of themselves. This is to highlight the Truth that the deity is only a reflection of your inner self.

Needless to say it is beautiful when one oil lamp is lit and you see so many of them.

#വാണിവിശ്വനാഥൻ #vaniviswanathan #templemirrors #innerself

🍂🍁🍂🍁Happy Thanksgiving 🍁🍂🍁🍂

Most of the Indian states have only the Summer and the Monsoon seasons. It’s either hot or raining. In the USA and Canada, where I have lived – it’s quite different. There you have Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter seasons.

All four seasons are unique in their own way. Winter could be long and really harsh depending upon which part of the country you are in. However, I have always loved the Fall season. It’s not snowing yet, still cold enough to wear a thin woollen jacket for outdoors.

During fall season, the leaves of the trees change colour. The wind dries them and they fall to the ground. In Aspen, Denver, and other parts of Colorado the leaves change from green to bright shades of yellow. When you see this natural phenomena against the majestic Rocky mountains, it is simply beautiful. It reminds one of the Konna flowers during Vishu.

In PEI, Cape Breton, Vancouver and other parts of Canada we can see a much wider range of colours – light yellow to bright red to different shades of brown. Cabot trail is one of the most scenic drives in the world and it’s especially a treat to the eyes, mind and soul during the fall. The trees, bushes and even the moss on rocks would have different shades of red, yellow and brown.

Once my friend Viswanath M S Violin sent me a digital picture of his watercolor painting of some trees. It reminded me of the fall season. The bright Yellow/Orange colour combination in the picture was striking. It is one of my favourite colour combinations as well.

The painting also reminded me of the gorgeous Catherine Zeta Jones in the movie Entrapment. She wore a beautiful flowing silky gown of Ochre Red Combination which is actually camouflage for the heist later on. However, I love the colours of the gown and the painting reminded me of that scene as well.

When I mentioned my thoughts about these colours after looking at the painting, he generously gave me two Fall themed paintings done by him. I know how painful it is to part with one’s art – Thank You! The paintings being done in the medium of watercolor, I immediately got them professionally framed to preserve them. Now, they are decorating my private balcony side by side.

It is a shame to miss Fall in New York!!!

#വാണിവിശ്വനാഥൻ #vaniviswanathan #Thanksgiving #fallcolors #watercolorpainting #watercolor

I baked a Banana Walnut bread at home after a long time. Had a lot of bananas which would have gone into the green bin otherwise. When I bake these delicacies, the house smells heavenly.

There are so many variations that can be done with such a simple recipe. My daughter doesn’t like raisins, otherwise I love adding them to my loaves. You may add cinnamon powder for the extra fragrance if you like.

What I love about this recipe most is that – I just need a mixing bowl, spoon to fold and a loaf pan. Cleaning up after is so easy.

I love to cut the loaf into smaller slices, warm them up in microwave for 30 seconds, apply butter generously on the pieces and eat them.

Do give it a try. Tweak the recipe with your variation and let me know.

#bananabread #baking #recipe #walnut #simplerecipe

💌 ✉️ Letters of the Heart ❤️ ❤️

Innumerable movies, stories, songs are there in which letters play a pivotal role. Daughters writing to father or mother from her in laws house after marriage about being home sick, romantic letters to lovers on how much they miss their beloved, letters from moms to her children – so many situations. When the person is reading the letter, the face of the author appears and reads out the contents of the letter – this was a constant in most of the movies. A hand written letter is most cherished when one is living in a far away land and they get a letter from home.

Heart wrenching Ghazal by Pankaj Udhas ji – Chitti Aayi Hai (from the 1986 Hindi movie Naam) is one of the most poignant songs that comes to mind when thinking about letters in movies. A letter from a father to his son describing the pale situation at home without him around. Diwali and Holi come and go, daughter gets married, but there is no joy in any of these celebrations. Father asks his son to return home – one cannot listen to this song without eyes welling up and heart getting heavy.

Kadhal Kottai in Tamil is a simple beautiful movie where two individuals meet through letters and then fall in love. Nalam Nalam Ariya Aaval (I am fine, eager to know your well being) is a beautiful song composed by Deva starring one of my favorite actors Thala Ajith. Of course, sung naughtily by SPB and Anurdha Sriram; Lyrics by Agathiyan are very romantic where he asks his lover to send kisses through her letters.

How do I start describing this love letter by the innocent Shakunthala for her lost lover Dushyanthan, the King? She has given her soul to Dushyantha and is longing for his presence. Surrounded by her friends she is not even sure how to write a love letter to her beloved. The song rendered by inimitable P Susheela is born of Vayalar – Devarajan master duo.

Guna was one of the most revolutionary films in Tamil that depicted Stockholm Syndrome. Kamal Hassan explains his deep love for the girl he abducted poetically in the format of a letter. Kaditham, Kadithaasi, Madal are all mentioned in the song as synonyms for the word letter. The abducted girl makes a song out of the poem in the letter. An Ilaiyaraaja song sung by S Janaki along with Kamal Hassan himself is an all time popular letter song.

Bharathiraja magic discussing socially relevant issues is the movie Vedam Puthithu. Kannukkul Nooru Nilava by music director Devendran is very refreshing and what a beautiful duet rendering by SPB and K S Chitra. In this song, the letters are not written on paper, but on handkerchiefs. The love letters flying around all through the song with beautiful Amala in typical Tamil traditional sarees is a sight to watch.

Many may not know or remember Franco, the musician – but his independent original album Chembakame released in 2006 has super duper hit songs. Sundariye Vaa is a peppy song which features a post woman. The hero writes postcards addressed to himself so that the postwoman comes to his home daily to deliver those letters and he can meet her. Set in a rural Kerala village, the postwoman coming in a bicycle and ringing the metal bell at his entrance is a pleasing scene.

Pingami is a Mohanlal starrer movie that has an investigative storyline revolving around an anonymous letter. I love watching this movie even though it was not a run away success or popular one. I am also reminded of the accidental letter flying comedy scene in the Malayalam movie Mukundetta Sumitra Vilikkunnu. Who can forget the scenes in DDLJ when Amrish Puri settled in London receives a letter from home.

Some of the other letter songs that I could recollect are Likhe Jo Khath Tujhe, Ye Mera Prem Pathru Padkar, Kabootar Jaa Jaa . You may please comment with your favorite letter songs.

#വാണിവിശ്വനാഥൻ #vaniviswanathan #TheLetterProject #letters #music #movies #PankajUdhas #chittiaayihai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=befTiYt6JAk

Once upon a time I gave my tresses a vacation, sported a top knot or pleated or simply let the hair down with whatever was left of it. My mother didn’t talk to me for a few days when she came to know about it. 

Short hair gave me some freedom, it did make some heads turn. I enjoyed all the new attention that I was getting. Experimented a lot of different dressing styles with new hair styles. At that time, I thought I was just working on how I look. Realised later that I was getting to know more about myself, gaining self confidence in leaps and bounds.

Today, when I look back I am amazed at the courage I had to let all the lengthy thick black beautiful hair go. The hair dresser asked me quite a few times if I was sure about cutting the hair that short. All the stylists and other customers were standing behind my salon chair looking at the flowing hair. Finally, the stylist took courage and ran the scissors across my hair. A heart wrenching moment it was; she held the thick bunch of hair in her hand and looked at it for a while. I held it in my hands and tears rolled down. My mother’s angry face sneered at me from behind the mirror. The stylist gave me few minutes with my hair to get over it. Later, we finished the trimming and washing. 

Photo lab is trending these days and everyone is experimenting with their looks. I do not feel like trying it out for myself. It may tell me about the possibilities of different appearances which are quite unnatural. For now, I am content with what I am today. My views may change tomorrow, but today is what that matters. 

#looks #experiments #shorthair #photolab