Navarathri festival and life in Cadavasal
Navarathri in Cadavasal was a religious function for my mother. She used to have Puja for ten days and I used to help her with performing the archana, Two occasions when GOLU was elaborately celebrated were when my mother had her daughters-in-law and on each one's first Navarathri, My father had an edict that the Navarathri Sundal etc. must only be given from the verandah. He did not want the highly polished wooden pillars used as wipes and the floor spilt with the sundal by children. This was an edict that my mother very strictly followed and did not hesitate to tell the sumangalis who came for Pakku Vetrilai . The sumangaiis who used to come for Navarathri were ( from the last house on the East End of Agraharam) Aalankattu Karnikkar's wife whose name I have forgotten, Krishnamurthy Sasthry's wife when she was alive and her daughters the most prominent among them being Thippa Kutty an unpardonable corruption and mutilation of the name of the Divine Mother Thirupura Sundari, which I came to understand much later in life), my father's cousin sister Mangalam known as Mangalakka (her husband was Sama Atthaan) and her daughers in Jaws Sombu's wife and Anthu's wife, sometimes Mangalakka's daughers Aplai, or Rukmani or Pichu before she fell from grace for her alleged escapades with Marimuthu, there was an old lady living in the house to the West inhabited by a widowed lady, who donned the widow's weed prescribed by convention if not religion - someone from her house if she had her daughter or someone visiting, , Nana Iyer's wife and his son Ramu's wife, Nana. Iyer's daughters Bhavani, Chinna Kutty Wife of Ramachandra Srowthigal) Thangam (I think that was her name. Wife of Ramamirtham Iyer school teacher) and their children if the daughters were visiting their parents, Thattha’s daugher in law Mani ( that was how she was called I did not know her name, she had three sons Kalyanarn, Achi shortened corruption of Achuthanarayanan, Chandran and a daughter Malli. a very fair and charming child), Pakkatthatthu (adjacent house) Pattamaniar' wife and her daughters Ammam, Nagam, Lalitha, Seshu Sasthri's wife Madhuram till Seshu Sasthri passsed away, (Madhuram has no children) Seshu Sasthri's son Ramamurthy's wife Kanthi and her children, Abhirami Maami, lyya Pichu Iyer's ( familiar form for Ayyaswamy Iyer) wife, with her daughers-in-law after their acquisition courtesy, sons Rajam and Piccha Kutty (the name Venkatraman was known to me when I was 12 or so), Dikshidhar's Mattuppenn ( Diskshidhar's daugher in law Rangan's wife), lyengar maami ( her husband was the kurukkal in the Vishnu temple in the Western end of the Agraharam) and after their time her son Rangan's wife, Kalyana Kurakkal's wife with her daughters-in-law. Most of them had children and it was fun for children to enter Periyam (Cadavasal House) and see the big koodam and thaavaaram with the large Nataraja picture and pictures all over the walls ( the big house, that is how our house was known, such a pleasure was denied to them most of the days in the year unless there was some function like marriage etc.). The children were mostly well behaved in our house but they could never understand why one does not allow nasal discharge soil the floor or the pillars but perhaps the very cleanliness of the floor and pillars was inviting; the infants had their own agenda for urinating or defecating. The mother's and grand mothers used to exercise a great deal of oversight to prevent such mishaps but most of the time it was to no avail as nature had the last say! My Sister Parvathi, had her own unassailable interpretation - "the fear of KR"!
My mother never fixed any particular day for Manjai Kumukumam and so people came in any day or some most of the days. My mother used to visit the homes of the village families and used to take an escort in one of the servant maids viz. Mannadhan's wife Sundara or one of her daughters Chandrodayam, Anjalai, etc. Mottayyan-s wife Ponni, Pottai Muniyandi's ( Mumyandi the bind)) wife -I forget her name -when she was alive, one of her daughters Muthurakku or Vembu, ( can not recall the other names), and sometimes I used to accompany her. Ramayi, an elderly lady who looked after my elder brother CRK may have been in this list but she died when I was just about 8 years old. In any case, I have no special recollection of her.
My Ayah was one Meenacchi: a Kalla lady who was very fond of me. She and her only daughter Azhagu may also have been in the list of escorts for my mother. My father used to be finicky about eating the sunda! etc. from others' houses as he believed, that cooking in the villagers' houses will not be hygienic and so most of the time these sundals etc, used to be given to the servants. Of course, I successfully cheated on him by having a few mouthfuls, lack of hygiene if any improved the taste for me! My mother was very particular that during the Navarathri festival the puja room should not be locked. She never will be out of Cadavasal for the Navarathri. On those rare occasions we were in Madurai in my sister's house Savithri where Navarathri used to be a huge affair, my mother will arrange for the daily puja at home. None of those commitments mean much to-day even for those who have lived in that milieu but for me, I miss the commitment and the sanctity attached, Amman Vigraharn used to be in the brass ratham. This ratham was with my aunt Mangalakka and she was planning to sell it as she had done a lot of old artifacts due to circumstances, and my mother purchased it, Some of the idols that were in the ratham were lost but luckily the horses and the charioteer God Suryan were found, This was in the puja of my great grandfather Ramadurai Iyer and was with Nataraja Iyer (known as Natesa Iyer) Kunjithapatham Iyer's cousin brother who looked after the property, Kujithapatham Iyer having moved to Nagapatam for pursuing his vocation, I remember the day when the Ratham was brought home full of grime and oxidized. My mother had it cleaned. She arranged for the missing pillars and other icons to be made and lovingly restored the ratham. From then on Amman vigraham found its abode. The Ratham is now said to be with Thyagu (Mangaiam's brother) who is continuing the tradition of my mother.
Sitting in the ground -- 1st row... From left to right
Thulsi, Padma, Sugu, Raju (mdu family), Seenu, Muthu (mdu fmly), Bhama (mdu fmly)
Sitting in Chairs -- middle from left to right
CRK , Sattanatapuram J Subramani Iyer , Rama Iyer, V Subramani Iyer (Mdu family) Standing in the last row -- left to right
Jayam (CRK wife), Parvathi akka,Kunju,CRN , Cadavasal patti lokanayaki, Savithri with son Babu in hand( Sister of Kunju and w/o V subramani Iyer) and S Natarajn
The female servants used to spread out and bring flowers for the puja. The sumangalis in the village also used to send flowers from their backyards, Periyatthu Maami's piety was byword and they all believed their contribution to the puja will not go unrewarded , though they themselves did not have the wherewithal and time to do the puja. Not that my mother had time in her hands. My father was a virtual agnostic in his middle age and used to frown upon my mother performing elaborate puja. He used to be furious if he felt, however imaginary and it may be, that my mother is spending more time on her puaj without ministering to his needs. My mother, steeped in the tradition of Hindu culture considered it her prime duty to minister to the needs of her husband before God. She used to complete her puja before, my father's return from the paddy fields/ farm most of the days and if she does not, then she will break off in the middle and after my father's lunch will continue with her puja. The Navarathri Puja used to take a long time as she used to perform Sahasranama Archana ie 1000 names archana. The flower bedecked ratham and the deity with only the face visible covered with flowers of all hues is etched in my memory. My mother's face was always a picture of piety and devotion. I can hear her calling out to my sister Parvathi, "Appa Vandhacchu. Naan appuram pujai pannukiren" ( Father has come. I will continue puja afterwards.), Sometimes Parvathi used to let my other know that my faather is approaching by saying, "KR varaar"." She referred to my father as KR ie K Ramiah and varrar to mean coming.
The Kalpura Aarathi and the deepams, the neivedyam, the ringing of the bell are images and sounds that time will not erase but oblivion may, but if one believes in the soul carrying the experiences forward, I may carry it to my next birth. Parvathi used to spend days stringing flower garlands. My mother had to remind her that she had not had her food. Most of the days, My mother will insist on her joining for lunch but there were days when my mother in her extreme hunger used to sit for lunch and Parvathi will come after she finished hers. Golu in Cadavasa! or anywhere under my Mother's aegis was not just a social function, where ladies flaunt their clothes and jewels but had a greater significance - the significance being that every sumangali and Kanya (unmarried girls) is the manifest representation of Divine Mother. The modern feminists may question as to why only Sumangalis are given this importance. The exclusion of widows, no doubt appears arbitrary and unjust. I do not know the answer. I am only recounting events and beliefs.
There were also visitors from outside our village for the Golu. My sister Kunju from Sattanathapuram with her children, her Orpadi – Kurumberi Moham manni (wife of SNP Ramani Iyer) (it is a very difficult translation Orpadi is the wife of the husband;s brother sometimes described as co-sister, as males married to sister, are branded as co brothers - a kind of relationship only the Indian mind can conjure up), my paternal uncle's wife Jagadham Chithi from Toppu Vattaram (whenever relationship between my father and his brother was not freezing cold), Thlrukkadavur Vadhyar's wife, Vinayakam who was unmarried and was a nurse in the Edwina Hospital { she was not a brahmin but she was very devout and she had a special place in my mother's and Parvathi's hearts), Kanikkiniar kovil Gopu Iyer's wife and a least one of her daughters in law, most of the time Venkittu's wife and occasionally Ramaswamy's if she was visiting, Java daughter of Kichan lyengar despite being a widow was always asked to visit with her daughter Chinna Ponnu, by my mother and Jaya's sisters Kannagi, or Janaki or Vedha if anyone was visiting at that time.
My mother had to find the right opportunity to ask my father for permission to visit these "outstation" homes for Maiijal Kumkum. The radius was hardly 5 miles but she will not even step out of the house to visit the temple in the village without letting my father know in advance and with his tacit permission. It was not an easy task to get this approval! Somehow my mother managed to get the bullock cart and in later years the car. If at all he accompanied her it was to Kanikkiniarkoi! and Toppuvaltaram since it gave him an opportunity to get his hair down and be informal with Gopu Iyer and Kichan lyengar in their own homes! I was quite happy to make these visits, since my father did not place any embargo on eating in these homes.
The village house had a front verandah of about 30/40' and on both ends were raised platforms, resembling tables with slate tops. My teacher used to walk from his village Thirukkarukavur, about 2/3 miles from home and start my lessons at 7am,if no earlier. He will teach math, English and languages and made me write them in the slate top.Before he left, he used to write the homework for the next day, in the slate, erasing the morning's lessons clean. I was given no notebooks to write and regurgitate the input later. So I had to remember. When I was a student, I could read a page and remember the content.
My niece Padma, Kuju's daughter, was my mother's favorite being the first grand daughter and my mother with my sister's permission had her to Cadavasal, Padma might have had greater fun in her own home where Navarathri golu was every year celebrated, but for her, my mother was everything. Golu on an elaborate manner was not always the Cadavasal tradition but the Puja section of my mother was in itself a Goiu. On the wall facing East, was the oval Nataraja picture with framed calendar pictures of various Hindu deities arranged to the left and right at a height of 6 feet. Most of the pictures my mother selected, covered the advertisements with gold or silver foil or colored paper artistically styled like a mandap on top or a carpet or flooring as appropriate. She used to send them to Sirkali, the nearest town for fixing frames. For Navarathri Golu; she had readymade wooden steps to arrange the dolls in the traditional manner. The topmost shelf was occupied by a large Gaaapthi and he was always placed first. The arrangement followed a set pattern. On the Eastern wall adjoining the Nataraja picture was a wall painting of Varalakshrni about 6' by 6'. Tt was always there. It was renovated once by a painter who came from Tanjore. My mother's puja section was in itself a Golu and the traditional Golu in that section enhanced the Golu rather than the
Golu adding to the Puja!
My mother used to stock fine hand mirrors, dress material, little toys for children, bangles, black thread, Pony tail clips etc from Madurai. These are traditional gifts given during Navarathri for the Suraangalis, Kanyas and children of both sex. The betel leaves, betel nut, Manjal (turmeric) and fruits etc. with these little gifts described formed the give aways for Navarathri. The central idea was not the present but the honor and homage rendered to the women as manifestation of Divine Mother. The younger ones used to prostrate before my mother and my mother to her elders, irrespective of their economic status. Of course, tradition limited this to peers. No invitations were sent out and people came for Manjal Kumkuma. The village and the surrounding areas knew that Navarathri is always celebrated in every home unless there has been a death or sad event in the family. The female servants were also recipients of the Thamboolam (one word description of the gifts and betel nut etc.) every day. The female servants will never depart from our house without praying to the Nataraja. Their faith was as strong as anyone else's. Caste hatred was not an issue at all in those days.
My mother will nor stitch or use the needle during these ten days, Goddess Durga is said to perform TAPAS standing on a needle on one leg to get the power required to destroy the demon terrorizing the world. It was on Vijaya dasami day the tenth day when the activities will start. My mother had her own little niche of savings. From this her expenses for Navarathri gifts were met. She used to send money for my sisters Kunju and Savithri if she had some money. Even Indians of this time do not understand the spirit and devotion with which Navarathri was celebrated. It was not all new clothes and display. This was secondary. The primary reason was homage to Women in every one of whom
Mother Goddess resides. Humility and Grace were on display not Arrogance and Ostentation.
T S Eliot wrote, "in my end is my beginning" in his belief in rebirth after death.
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