Thadiya Nomu / Gauri Thadiya Puja / Gauri Thadiya Vratham.

According to Telugu Lunar Calendar, today is Shukla Paksha Thadiya of Bhadrapada Masam which means it is the third day of the first half (waxing Moon phase) of the month called Bhadrapadam. It is the day of Thadiya Nomu, a tradition running in our family for generations. Thadiya Nomu is a Puja dedicated to Goddess Gauri and it is performed by my wife as taught to her by my mother.  It is performed for Sowbhagyam, which is for the health, longevity, happiness and prosperity of the husband and the family. This tradition is thus carried on with great devotion by mother-in-law and daughters-in-law of every generation. 

There are a number of steps/rituals involved in Thadiya Nomu Puja. The preparatory works start a day before, Uttareni leaves, a variety of flowers and fruits are procured, and the thread rolls required for Kankanam are meticulously prepared along with various other chores. 16 is a significant number for the Puja. All offerings to the Goddess like Kudumulu are in quantities of 16. An image of Goddess Gauri is made using Turmeric paste and placed on a bunch of 16 Uttareni leaves and the Puja is carried out. The entire Puja procedure is an elaborate one. I am called towards the end of the Puja to seek the blessings of the Goddess and then tie a Kankanam onto my wife’s right-hand wrist and another one onto her neck as a chain and then bless her. The Kankanam of the right hand is prepared by rolling 16 Uttareni leaves and tied with 16 strands of thread and the one on to the neck is with 5 Uttareni leaves and 16 strands of thread, 16 knots are put at equal distance along the length of these two bands and they are coated with turmeric paste. These are just a few of the many procedures to be followed. The reason why I have gone into some specific details is to emphasize the importance the ladies give to Thadiya Gauri Nomu by remembering all the minute details required for the Puja. I have neither seen my mother nor my wife writing down the procedure or making a checklist for the Puja. It is the devotion and faith in the Goddess, who is taking care of them; that makes them remember every minute detail, every year! 

Srikanth's Birthday, 2010.

The above pictures speak for themselves! Today is my eldest son Srikanth’s Birthday. The simple, Birthday celebrations were towards night after he returned from office. We missed our youngest son Srinath at today’s events, as he is away in UK. However my nephew Dr. Uday Bhaskar who has come from Saudi Arabia and USA on a vacation to Hyderabad was amidst us.

In the morning Srikanth went to Sri Anjaneyaswamy Temple which is close to our house. Every year the Temple authorities inform us in advance through a letter of Srikanth’s Shashvita Puja at the Temple on his Birthday. After the Puja he returned home with Teertha-Prasadams and then left for his office. He came back a little late in the evening. He then cut the Birthday Cake along with our granddaughter Sudhikhsa. We then went out for dinner to Moksh restaurant on Necklace Road.

The weather at Hyderabad was very pleasant today. Due to this and the Birthday partying we are all feeling very happy, at the end of the day.

My nephew, Kasoji Sridhar’s Gruhapravesham.

There have been two Gruhapravesham Ceremonies (Housewarming Parties) in the family in the past fortnight. Two days back I wrote in this Column about my nephew Dr. Sudheer’s Gruhapravesham on 3rd September. I am now writing about my sister Hemalatha’s son Sridhar’s Gruhapravesham and related rituals, which took place just a few days before, on 22nd August.

My nephew Sridhar is a Postgraduate in Civil Engineering and is a Building Contractor. The topmost picture is of the house he constructed recently at Chaitanyapuri in Dilsukhnagar area of Hyderabad. He owns two of the six apartments in this building for which he performed Gruhapravesham on 22nd August.

The Gruhapravesham Ceremonies started early in the morning. The Ceremonies consisted of various rituals as can be seen in the attached photographs. The first of the Pujas was at the main entrances of the two apartments by Sridhar and his wife Swathi under the supervision of a Vedic Pandit amidst the traditional Nadaswaram music. The ‘Gadapa’ of the main entrances were washed and decorated with Kumkum, turmeric and flowers and then the entrances were worshipped with ‘Harathi’ and by offering pumpkins and coconuts. Then the couple holding the images of Gods entered the house followed by us. The next ceremony was at the entrance of the Puja Room after which the images of the Gods were placed in the Puja Room and prayers offered. Then at every door of the house prayers and coconuts were offered. This was followed by Punyavachanam and the holy water from this ceremony was sprinkled on all sides of every room to purify the house.

The next ceremony was Vastu Puja, a ritual to eliminate negative energies and bring peace, health and prosperity to the family. This was followed by Kalyanam that is a Wedding. Wedding being the most important, auspicious and happy event in a family it is conducted in a new house using idols. As a maternal uncle I and my wife had a role to play in this ceremony which can be seen in the above photographs 5, 6 and 7. After this it was the Ceremony of Ganapati Homam. This is performed to invoke the blessings of Lord Ganapati who would remove all obstacles and hurdles and bless us richly. Then it was time for Vodibhiyyam a function to bless Sridhar and Swathi by the family members.

The last of the ceremonies was the most important, Sri Satyanarayana Swamy Vratham which is performed by Hindus all over the world for health, wealth, education, offspring, peace and prosperity. This was followed by a traditional lunch in which a large number of family members and friends participated. It was a very happy occasion for all of us.  

Through this column, I once again congratulate and convey my best wishes to my nephew Sridhar, his wife Swathi, my sister Hemalatha and my brother-in-law, Sri Niranjan. 

My nephew, Dr. Sudheer’s Housewarming Party.

My nephew Dr. Sudheer’s Gruhapravesham Ceremony (Housewarming Party) took place yesterday. Dr. Sudheer is the eldest son of my brother Dr. Lakshminarsu. My nephew got this house constructed over a period of last few months. It is a beautiful 3 bedroom duplex house. It is located in Kanojiguda, close to the Military Dairy Farm in Secunderabad, and it is just 8.5 Kms. from our residence.

The Gruhapravesham (first traditional entry into the new house) took place yesterday at the designated auspicious time of 3:15 AM. And then the Gruhapravesham ceremonies followed one after another continuously for seven hours that is until 10:15 AM. Two learned Purohits were with us to conduct all these rituals. This was followed by the family traditions of Vodibhiyyam, honoring the elders and exchange of gifts until late in the afternoon. The attached photographs are of the house, the Gruhapravesham ceremonies and other activities in the new house yesterday. All the family members, close relatives and friends were present during these ceremonies. A traditional lunch was arranged for the guests.

We are staying in the new house for few days and on one of these days we would invite the family circle, relatives and friends for a Non-vegetarian feast.

Through this column, I once again congratulate and convey my best wishes to Dr. Sudheer, his wife Dr. Lavanya and their daughter Ch. Sudhiksha. 

Krishnashtami / Janmashtami / Gokulashtami.

Today is Sri Krishna Janmashtami also known as Krishnashtami and Gokulashtami that is the birthday of Lord Krishna an avatar of Lord Vishnu. It is a festival celebrated by Hindus all over India and the world with religious fervor and traditional enthusiasm. While some sects and regions have celebrated the festival yesterday, the Vaishnavites and ISKCON are celebrating the Lord’s Birthday today.

The tradition of celebrating Lord Krishna’s Birthday is over 5200 years old! According to scholars, Lord Krishna was born on 19th July 3228 BC that is on Wednesday the eighth day (Ashtami) of the second fortnight of Sravana Masam (Month of Sravana). He was born to Devaki and Vasudeva in a prison cell at Mathura. This place still exists and is thronged by pilgrims and visitors throughout the year. It is between Delhi and Agra and all tourists visiting Taj Mahal make it a point to visit Sri Krishna Temple and his place of birth at Mathura. This is how I and my wife happened to visit Mathura and similarly my two sons went there separately during their return journey from Taj Mahal to Delhi.  

The above photographs following the Greetings are of my granddaughter, Ch. Sudhiksha and my son, Ch. Srinath dressed as young Krishna.

On this happy occasion of Krishnashtami I wish you and your family, happiness, prosperity and peace. May Lord Krishna bless you richly.

Aftaab, Armaani, Choice, Firdous, Gulrez, Hina, Husna, Rehan, Shama-Matul-Amber, Sultan, Mehreen!?

Well, those are the names of some popular “Attar” available in Hyderabad. Attar or Ittar means fragrance, scent, essence or perfume in Urdu, Persian and Arabic. You may have already guessed this information by looking at the above photographs.

The Attar shops of Hyderabad are doing good business these days. And this is the trend during every Ramzan. Since there are fewer Attar shops now compared to older times these shops are mostly crowded during Ramzan. Most popular Attar shops in Hyderabad, are located around Charminar, Afzalgunj and Mojamjahi Market. Most of the Attar varieties are strong, with a refreshing and sweet smell. Excellent quality Attar costs about Rs. 2500/- per 10 grams. Attar shops are glamorous, due to the sweet aroma emanating from the shops and, as the bottles containing Attar of different colours and, perfumes shine against the shop lighting as precious stones. It is a sight to see, this is captured in the attached pictures but very poorly.

It is “Sunnah” to wear Attar before attending the Eid prayer. Sunnah means the path, the practice and the tradition that has been established by the doctrines, deeds and sayings of Prophet Mohammed and his rightly guided successors. Most Attar varieties are flower extracts, they are non-alcoholic and in the form of oil. A person may apply Attar in the folds of his clothing or dab a piece of cotton with Attar and keep it inside the earlobes. 

In and around Hyderabad it is a tradition among Hindus also to use Attar extensively during festivals. All households have attractive silver containers called “Attardan” and “Panneerdan” to hold Attar and Rosewater. At the time of Marriages, Dasara, Deepavali and Perantalu (Haldi Kumkum functions) Rosewater is sprinkled on the guests and Attar is applied on the back of their hands as a part of welcoming and honouring them.