Varalakshmi Vratam - 1

Got back from Ben and Pushpa's wedding last night, with a thousand plus unforgettable memories ! Met a good number of people, including the usual suspects Aarthi and Rajiv, Ranjana and Amrith, Kitcha Anna, and also Durga Akka, Raghu Anna, Neela Akka, Mauli Athimber, Aditi and Arjun, and of course Geetha Manni, Raja Anna, Meera, Pushpa and Ben. The wedding was also "skyped" in part to India, with Perippa, Ambi Anna, Malini Manni, Amma and Srikanth, among others, watching the proceedings live. Ben and Pushpa are such a wonderful couple together, and we all wish them the very best. Don't forget your promise to come visit us soon !

Landed in Baltimore on the day of Ben and Pushpa's nischyataartham, which also coincided with varalakShmi vrata. Vidya did the puja with Kamakshi back home in my absence.  varalakShmi vrata is traditionally observed on the Friday before paurNami in the month of shrAvaNa (श्रावण पौर्णमी पूर्वस्थ शुक्रवारे चारुमती प्रभृतिभिः पूजिताकारे). Almost everyone who spent some time with Manimma knew that this was her favorite பண்டிகை. She took keen interest in decorating vara(mahA)lakShmi and inviting friends and relatives on the day each year. Here are a few photos of the occasion from our trip to India last year (2009).

வரலக்ஷ்மி அம்பாள்  in Besant Nagar
(decorated with Paddu Athai's help)

Manimma and Perippa along with Lalitha Mami
(Vidya and Kamakshi's hand in the background)

So imagine my surprise when I received on that particular day from Neela Akka  (while we were all at Raja Anna and Geetha Manni's place before the nischyataartham) a photo of வரலக்ஷ்மி அம்பாள் decorated by Manimma, with glowing tributes to her, prepared and sent to us by Paddu Athai. Thank you so much Athai !!! When I met Rajiv and Aarthi in the hotel room, and also talked to Vidya that day, I told them how blessed we are to have received this not-so-subtle blessing from Manimma on this auspicious day.

varalakSmi vrata, Besant Nagar, circa ?
[(L to R) Aditi, Varalakshmi, Arjun and Anita :-]

Paddu Athai's tribute to Manimma, August 12, 2010.

என்றும் உங்கள் நினைவாகவே இருக்கும் குடும்பத்தினர்.

Wedding Bells for Pushpa

When we created a blog for Manimma, I resolved to contribute at least a few posts before Pushpa and Ben's wedding. I had grandiose plans of coming up with fitting tributes to Manimma along the lines of Subrahmanya Bharati's beautiful elegy to Subbarama Dikshitar, where he says

கன்னனோடு கோடை போயிற்று 

உயர்கம்பநாடனுடன் கவிதை  போயிற்று

....

அருட் சுப்பராமனேனும் இணையிலா விற்பன்னனோடு 

சுவைமிகுந்த பண்வளனும்   அகன்றதேனப் பகரலாமே !

Charity vanished with Karna

poetry with the lofty Kamban 

...

but with the passing away of unparalleled Subbaraman, 

mellifluous music departed.

With two weeks gone and me no closer to becoming a mahAkavi, and also with the கணபதி ஹோமம், சமாராதனை and விரதம்-s over this morning (Thu, Aug 19), I decided to scale down my plans and just post *something* before the wedding, and I thought what better thing to post during this occasion than memories of Manimma's long association with weddings (and other festivities) in our family. We start with some photos (and one video) of Manimma at some recent weddings:

Manimma at Aarthi Rajiv's wedding, Nov 23, 2006

Manimma at Srividya & Sridhar's wedding, June 21, 2004

Manimma at Kalyani & Sriram's wedding, June 11, 2000.

and a not-so-recent one :-) Both Raja Anna and Mythili Akka are in this photo, along with a a very happy Perippa.

Manimma at Amma & Appa's wedding, Nov 11, 1958

Here are a few more scans from Sriram's and my उपनयनम् (upanayanam, பூணூல்)

and the 80th birthday celebrations of Manimma (one of the most beautiful gifts to Manimma !)

Manimma's 80th Birthday celebration,  Oct 17, 2008

We conclude this post with the following observations of the bride-to-be "Manimma helped Amma figure out and organize many of the details for my wedding, I think...I know she'll be with us in spirit". 

Amen.

In Memoriam

Smt. Saradambal Srinivasan (17 October 1928 - 31 July 2010)

We ceased: a gentler feeling crept
   Upon us: surely rest is meet:
   "They rest," we said, "their sleep is sweet,"
And silence follow'd, and we wept.

-  In Memoriam A.H.H, by Alfred Tennyson