Hiya All
Here I am bloggin my thoughts, ideas, journals and ofcourse my inevitable ramblings. Greatly appreciate you'll stopping by and add comments if you will. See ya!
Here I am bloggin my thoughts, ideas, journals and ofcourse my inevitable ramblings. Greatly appreciate you'll stopping by and add comments if you will. See ya!
Ganesha, Ganesha
Posted 28th August 2008 at 08:50 PM by Anandchitra
Ever since I can remember, Ganesha was my favorite deity to watch. I used to gape at the trunk in front of his face, his big ears and the tiny mouse in front. All the explanations given for the trunk and ears never seemed to hold up to a child’s mind..
How would someone chop of their own child’s head and then try and fix it? Seemed more like a movie story. And so Ganesha drew in the sympathy factor also.
The only other great thing about Ganesha was the modaks made for Ganesha Chaturthi. I came from a family where my mother need not have to wait for once a year to make modaks. She made them quite frequently.
Still Ganesha Chaturthi was special. The very cute looking Ganeshas sold on the sidewalk captivated me. Most of our purchases were along the streets of Mylapore Tank. We had our own identified shops there. I had to wait patiently till my grandmother went round the Mylapore temple. For some reason those days I thought the temple had a huge compound and going round it never seemed to end. We seemed to walk around it forever.
Once outside the compound, we would go straight to my shop, which was one of the many identical shops around the temple pond.
I got to choose my umbrella first. I absolutely loved the colorful, multi colored umbrellas sold for God. They were short in length, because they were intended for God and not us.
Their red, green yellow colors were so attractive. Then we chose a Ganesha idol.
My grandmother tended to choose grey over black but that really did not bother me. I always managed to buy some more plastic knick knacks and then we would ride the bus home.
On the eve of Chaturthi, we used to clean the puja room and it was my task to draw the kolam. Kolam is Rangoli. We used to make the kolams using rice grounded and its called Ma kolam or arisi maavu kolam. When these are drawn outside the house, they tend to attract ants which feed on the rice flour.
Also these kolams were made attractive by the red lines with which we decorated them.
The making of the modaks were indeed a task that required expertise and skill. My grandmother’s hands used to fly through all the dough quickly making and shaping the cup and then placing the filling inside and then closing the modak with a slight tilt to its top.
I used to spend more time watching than doing. I was set aside a separate station where I had my own dough to work with, some water and oil in a bowl.
By the time I managed to make one cup my grandmother would have finished a dozen. So you can tell I made very slow progress.
Of course this slow progress was nothing compared to how I made murukku. My grandmother I will claim was the BEST when it came to making murukku by hand. Her deft fingers would just shape the dough into beautifully twined circles and she would just move swiftly making a whole sheet in no time at all while I still tried to curve ONE round.
Compared to the murukku making my modak making skills fared better. Thanks to those countless hours of assisting my grandmother today I am able to make the modakam with ease.
The other popular feature of Chathurthi being the immersing of the idols in water. Once television started to transmit the Ganesha procession to the river to be immersed or to the sea as in coastal areas , it brought a whole new dimension to the picture.
I have always been amazed to see the huge Ganesha idols that went in the procession and for a long time I could not believe these were immersed in the sea. They really looked too good to be immersed anywhere!
Needless to say since we have so many temples for our favorite Pillayar, it seems like the whole city is celebrating on Vinayaka Chaturthi.
The other advantage I feel having so many temples in many a street corner is you can tell your problems to God as you pass the temple.. no need to wait.. God seems to be right there!
Well I am looking forward to one more Ganesha Chaturthi.. are you?
How would someone chop of their own child’s head and then try and fix it? Seemed more like a movie story. And so Ganesha drew in the sympathy factor also.
The only other great thing about Ganesha was the modaks made for Ganesha Chaturthi. I came from a family where my mother need not have to wait for once a year to make modaks. She made them quite frequently.
Still Ganesha Chaturthi was special. The very cute looking Ganeshas sold on the sidewalk captivated me. Most of our purchases were along the streets of Mylapore Tank. We had our own identified shops there. I had to wait patiently till my grandmother went round the Mylapore temple. For some reason those days I thought the temple had a huge compound and going round it never seemed to end. We seemed to walk around it forever.
Once outside the compound, we would go straight to my shop, which was one of the many identical shops around the temple pond.
I got to choose my umbrella first. I absolutely loved the colorful, multi colored umbrellas sold for God. They were short in length, because they were intended for God and not us.
Their red, green yellow colors were so attractive. Then we chose a Ganesha idol.
My grandmother tended to choose grey over black but that really did not bother me. I always managed to buy some more plastic knick knacks and then we would ride the bus home.
On the eve of Chaturthi, we used to clean the puja room and it was my task to draw the kolam. Kolam is Rangoli. We used to make the kolams using rice grounded and its called Ma kolam or arisi maavu kolam. When these are drawn outside the house, they tend to attract ants which feed on the rice flour.
Also these kolams were made attractive by the red lines with which we decorated them.
The making of the modaks were indeed a task that required expertise and skill. My grandmother’s hands used to fly through all the dough quickly making and shaping the cup and then placing the filling inside and then closing the modak with a slight tilt to its top.
I used to spend more time watching than doing. I was set aside a separate station where I had my own dough to work with, some water and oil in a bowl.
By the time I managed to make one cup my grandmother would have finished a dozen. So you can tell I made very slow progress.
Of course this slow progress was nothing compared to how I made murukku. My grandmother I will claim was the BEST when it came to making murukku by hand. Her deft fingers would just shape the dough into beautifully twined circles and she would just move swiftly making a whole sheet in no time at all while I still tried to curve ONE round.
Compared to the murukku making my modak making skills fared better. Thanks to those countless hours of assisting my grandmother today I am able to make the modakam with ease.
The other popular feature of Chathurthi being the immersing of the idols in water. Once television started to transmit the Ganesha procession to the river to be immersed or to the sea as in coastal areas , it brought a whole new dimension to the picture.
I have always been amazed to see the huge Ganesha idols that went in the procession and for a long time I could not believe these were immersed in the sea. They really looked too good to be immersed anywhere!
Needless to say since we have so many temples for our favorite Pillayar, it seems like the whole city is celebrating on Vinayaka Chaturthi.
The other advantage I feel having so many temples in many a street corner is you can tell your problems to God as you pass the temple.. no need to wait.. God seems to be right there!
Well I am looking forward to one more Ganesha Chaturthi.. are you?
Total Comments 47
Comments
 |  You alwaysmy dear anandchitra, Somehow or other you manage to take me on a nostalgic trip.Wonderful account,I read this in the early morning and refused to rush to make breakfast and my dh is gritting his teeth.All because of you. love mithila kannan |
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| |  Reminiscence !!Dear AC, Once again with your lovely narration, you've captivated our hearts ! Yes, Ganesha Chathurthi, is indeed very special to me. Somehow, I never miss doing Pooja and making "Kozhukattais" on this day. When we were young, Appa used to buy the clay Ganesha , early morning from Maadaveedhi (Mylapore). Of course, it had to come with special eyes, decoration and umbrellas too !! It was a wonderful feeling to put the kolam before placing the idol on the Manai and decorate with flowers and "Arugampul". We never get the arugampul here (which is the favorite for Pillayar) Also, here in US, we used to get the Ganesha Idols that were not made from clay. It was difficult to immerse them in water and it used to take days for it to dissolve. Once in Florida, we managed to get this clay Ganesha. This time, fortunately, bought one small Ganesha during my trip to NJ and so happy about it.  Praying that things go fine and pooja is done well. Now, coming to Kozhukattais...as you mentioned, I used to sit with my mom & aunts (very rarely) to make these delicacies and try very hard to make the small cups (for sweet kozhukattai) and big cups (for Ulundu Kozhukattai). It was real fun. Amma used to make the first set for neivedhyam and to be served during lunch time. Then the kozhukattai kadai (meaning session) will continue...since we would love to have it for snacks, tiffin and during dinner time. Invariably the "kozhukattai maavu" used to be left..with which amma used to make "unda uruli"..mixed with ulundu pooranam !! For this she used to make a special sambar that was out of this world !!  Looks likes I've gone into my own world of Ganesha...sorry AC !! ஓம் ஏக தந்தாய வித்மஹே வக்ரதுண்டாய தீமஹீ தன்னோ கணபதி ப்ரசோதயாத் Ganapathi Baba Moriya !! Regards Krithi |
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| | AC Mam my favourite diety is also ganeshjee....my husband used to ask me why is that there are so many women whose fav. god is ganeshjee..some how I feel very confident praying to him... Very nice narration of the festival and also the various things we do on that day....I wish and pray that ganeshjee grants everyones wishes and blesses everyone with happiness and peace. Thanks again for this wonderful post... Jai bolo ganesh maharaaj ki......Jaiiiiii |
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| |  ganeshaganeshaAC Mam, Nice narration of the festival and naivediyams. It takes me to my earlier days and reflects the same challenges with my grandma in Veppathur, Tanjur district. Lalithavennkat |
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| |  My dear AC, It was a delightful experience reading your blog on Ganesh Chathurthi. I went along with little AC ( dressed in Pattu pavadai perhaps or a frock,decked in jhumki and jingling bangles of bright hues) ......all wide eyed and excited , finding it tough to decide on which pretty knick knack to buy from her favourite shop in Mylapore.Thrilled to find the perfect Ganesha idol with the umbrella.Enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the shopping spree at Mylapore and had a lovely bus ride back home.Then I sat along with her and saw her trying to compete with grandma to make Modakams and had great fun watching her displaying her artistic talents in colourful kolams or rangoli a little line,a curve, a star ...a flower....and on and on. It was truly a blessed Vinayaka Chathurthi AC dear that you presented here full of nostalgia for those carefree days and thank you for letting me peep into your very own wonderland of childhood memories. love, PAULINA |
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| | Dear AC, An apt post with Ganesh Chathurthi around the corner. You don't have to mention that Ganesha is your favourite God. Your cute avatar says it all...! Thanks for the nostalgic trip. My memories of Ganesh chathurthi from home are very much similar. Starting with maakolam, trying my hand at kozhakattai making. Like you, I too feel my grandmother makes the best(est), fastest murukku and kozhakattai. Here, I use a silver idol( with a umbrella of course ), decorate with cotton garland and do pooja for that. Last year, one of my friends made Pillayar with wheat flour dough. That was really cool..! |
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| |  Mithila It is all because of the divine.. and your love for the divine.. so you wanted to read more about God and hence the delay in making breakfast .. etc.. I amso glad you liked it.. I am also getting reading to making Kozhkattai for my family 2 ganesha's and then ofcourse for the real one too next week!!!!! |
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| | I have not been able to get the clay pillayar here.. dear Krithi.. I am not sure how your home was also a mirror of mine.. We too loved to snack.. The Unda Uruli was much fought over.. much to grandmother's surprise amusement.. and then the special sambhar to go with it.. For some reason in my home now they prefer ulundhu more than the sweet poornam.. so I make more of it. Please dont say sorry as your writing is so good I went along with that too.. Happy Ganesha Chathurthi in advance:) |
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| | Ganeshjii is a comfort zone.. and we feel relieved when we narrate our sorrows and Know that relief is on the way.. my advance wishes for your happy ganesha festivities! |
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| | Lalitha your avatar is really cute and happy dancing.. glad you liked this.. I can imagine you walking around the huge temples in Thanjavur.. those days were indeed special spent with our grand parents! |
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| | Pavadai always! First it was pavadai chattai and then pavadai dhavani.. almost into college when sometimes I borrowed my mothers sari.. Paulina. Pattu pavadai was little rare because of expense and another thing my family complained I was growing tall fast so .. The jimki and bangles are a must.. Your narration was indeed more special than mine. Thanks. Happy Ganesha Chathurthi to you :) |
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| | Your silver Pillayar and cotton garland and umbrella sound cute Gayathri.. A wheat ganesha very novel idea unheard of.. Happy Ganesha Chaturthi in advance:) |
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| | dear ac, you took me back to my childhood days where we used to help my mother with making kozhakattai's and they were no way near to her small cute kuppi ones but she always encouraged us saying ganesha loved kozhakattais whatever shapes they were!!!!!it was devotion and love that mattered.thank GOD to all the patience ganesha and my mum had that i am able to serve him good, tasty and well shaped kozhakattais these days!!!!!! i am eagerly waiting for vinayaka chaturthi really miss the days as small girl when i use to go and buy umbrella and garland for ganesha in busy mylapore tank!!!!! thanks for bringing back memories!!!!!! love pavi |
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| | From Navaljee To Anandchitra You said that :Ever since I can remember, Ganesha was my favorite deity to watch. I used to gape at the trunk in front of his face, his big ears and the tiny mouse in front. All the explanations given for the trunk and ears never seemed to hold up to a child’s mind.. Yes we hardly forget what we had sen in childhood. Jai shree Ganesh  |
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| |  Gowri vs the elephant GodDear AC, First of all... Enjoyed your words and let me thank a lot for taking me a trip down my memory lane.... I spend my 20 years near the famous shrine "Tiruvanaikovil" . It is originally called as Tiru Aanaikka - The elephant worshipped Shiva with flowers and water brought in its trunk. The temple has 5 prakarams.. and the number of pillaiyar kovils are more in this place. So we in childhood days, used to challenge our friends... the more the number of pillaiyars you see.. the more the punniyam you get !! Taking that challenge, we would go around the prakarams... and see varieties of pillaiyars !! About the neivediyam "kozhukkattais" : Our family is a joint family - 15 members. As rightly said by Krithika - Kottakkattai session is a very lengthy and funny session. My pattis, my amma, my chitti, myself... will all sit together and make kozhukkattai varities (Vellam, ulundhu, ellu ). After the pooja(will be performed by my Late Thatha-assisted by my appa and chittappa), we will all relish and enjoy a lot. The left over mavu and ullatham puranam will be made as ammini kozhukkatai (unda urali) and will be given to us as that day's tiffin. Last, but not the least... Myself with my sisters and cousins with my parents/elders.. will go to Rockfort temple (Uchi pillaiyar kovil) and have fun. Enjoyed a lot...reading all the feedbacks too. With regards and love, Gowri |
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| | Pavi I agree with you its our mothers being patient with us we have learnt the difficult art in culinary skills.. You sound more like my sis .. Nowadays due to lack of other paraphernelia we have only the puja to concentrate on! Thanks dear:) |
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| | We dont forget what we learn in our childhood days.. thats why they tell us all the stories I think! Thanks Navaljee. |
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| | Ammini KozhkattaiStarting with the ammini K and leading upto Uchi Pillayar koil, you took us on a nice trip too Gowri dear.. I can only imagine what fun it must be with so many family members.. the work never seemed to cease in the kitchen you know. Also our elders worked tirelessly.. without a break.. looking back its mind boggling. Thanks for the special trip to uchi pillayar kovil:) and all the small small Pillayar koils:) |
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| |  Dear AC nice narration about Ganesh Chaturthi. It used to be a festive nine days of celebration in Mumbai as I grew up there. Every colony used to have a giant- sized Ganesh and there used to be competition as to whose Ganesh is bigger or better. At the end of nine days, volunteers would cart the Ganeshji idol to Shivaji park beach for immersion. I do not have a clay Ganesh here. Gowri I had the pleasure of visiting Tiruvanaikkaval near Tiruchi last summer. I was amazed by the length of the temple. The ancient temples have quite the feel of castles, don't they? |
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| | Thanks a lot ACI am very happy that you liked the mini (virtual) tour around Trichy with me. Missing those days a lot.... With regards...  Gowri |
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Recent Blog Entries by Anandchitra
- Come Catch me Fat Ghost (19th November 2008)
- Dare to Dream (12th November 2008)
- Shove from Nest (10th November 2008)
- Its what inside that make the balloons rise (3rd November 2008)
- The Ferry, my Thatha and I (28th October 2008)
