Glossary for Pilgrimogue - Part 1

Minor Glossary regarding my earlier post (Pilgrimogue - Part 1)



Kettunira: (ritual where a coconut is filled with ghee, and other items such as Rice, Kaanikkai, items for Abhishekam etc. are filled into the Irumudi)


Irumudi: A special cloth bag with two portions, which is filled during the Kettunira, and knotted at the centre, in such a way, that the knot seperates the two portions of the cloth bag in the midde. The Irumudi is to be carried by the Ayyappa pilgrim on his head in such a way, that one portion of the Irumudi falls towards the front of his head, and the other towards the back of his head. The front portion is called 'Mun-Mudi' (literally translated as "Front-Knot" or the portion at the front of the knot) and the back portion is called 'Pin-Mudi' (the "Back-Knot" or the portion on the backside of the knot)



Kaanikkai: Token amount to be put in the Hundi (Boxes installed for Money collection) during the First Darshanam of the Lord, during the trip.



Abhishekam: Bathing of the Lord's idol using various special items such as Nei (Ghee), Vibhuti (Holy Ash), Kumkumam (Vermillion), Chandanam/Kalabham (Sandalwood paste), Rose Water etc. Note, that the Ghee in this case is filled into the coconut and sealed, while the other items are filled in packets or small boxes and packed into the Irumudi, along with the Ghee-filled coconut.

Shabarimala Pilgrimogue (Pilgrim's Travelogue) - Part 1

Aum Namah Shivaayah!

MahaaShivraatri ke Paavan Avsar par sabko meri Haardik Shubhkaamnaayein! :-)


Well, its a good day today, and I thought of restarting the blog. I hope this 'auspicious' restart ensures more regular postings from me here. I hope its not just the customary post for the year... :P

Which reminds me - A Very Happy 2011 to one and all...! (March isn't too late to wish, is it?)


I have had a very weird start to the year this time. As has been the case for the past 3 years, I was on Vratham (religious vow) for a period of two months, since Mid-November 2010, to undertake the pilgrimage to Shabarimala, where THE MOST popular among the major shrines dedicated to Lord Ayyappa is located. (The others shrines being Kulathupuzha, Achankoil, Aaryankaavu, Erumeli, Ponnambalamedu)

I was supposed to embark on the pilgrimage on the 6th of Jan, 2011, after the completion of the Kettunira, along with my other group members. But a couple of days before that, one of our official clients based in the Middle East, suddenly decided to pay a visit to our office, to conduct interviews. BANG! My boss called me and told me in no uncertain terms, that there was no way I could leave on the 6th, as the client was arriving on the 5th, and the interviews were scheduled at our office on the 6th itself...!

I tried my best to reason with my bosses, that it was incredibly difficult for me to change the itinerary at such a last minute. All the more, since this isn't one of the regular, casual trips; but instead is a pilgrimage, that too, one bound by lots of rules, regulations, rituals and the likes. I couldn't miss my Kettunira on the 6th, as all the group members were leaving that day, and I cannot get mine conducted the next day, since no senior Guruswamy would be available to conduct the same.

My pleadings continued till the 5th, but totally in vain. Finally, I resigned myself to the circumstances, and called up one of my group members, who comforted me saying that they could conduct my Kettunira at one of the Ayyappa temples in Kerala, and I need not worry regarding that. Finally, after making arrangements for the same, and also having a word with my family members, I went to talk to my boss, asking for permission to leave on 6th afternoon, as there was a cheap flight ticket available for Calicut (Kozhikode) for the 6th evening.

There were certain specific reasons why I preferred the 6th evening flight, rather than others available for the 7th of Jan. Those details, and the details regarding the rest of the pilgrimage and events that took place later, will be posted in the coming parts of the 'Pilgrimogue'.... This 'Part 1' has gotten quite long, and I've been smart and shameless enough to be typing out all of this, sitting at office. I shall type out the remaining parts later, now I better get back to work...!


Paramashivan Putrane Sharanam Ayyappaa!


Ellaavarkkum Sadaa Sarva Mangala Pradaayakane Sharanam Ayyappaa! :-)

Got a warning from Blogspot :-|

Its been 3 long years, and I haven't scribbled any of my thoughts here; But well, I haven't scribbled onto any diaries either, so atleast I've kept my latter part of the promise that I made here - that of 'Saving Diary space' :P

Honestly, there were umpteen occasions when I got good topics or ideas to write on, and even made elaborate plans to re-start the dormant blog. But my tight schedules, and a bit of laziness, ensured that those plans never saw the light of the day.

Now coming to the important point, of what really provoked me to make this sudden, emergency post, that too, when I'm sitting busy @ office - 

I got a mail just now, from some support.blogspot.com, who also claimed some connection with some ForIt.org Foundation. They have mailed me saying that my blog isn't receiving clicks outside the content area, which means that my blog is 'under-utilised', which also translates to 'under-monetized'.....

And I can get only one blog (only 1) with monetization, without cost. ** Limited time availability. ** Non-transferrable.

Therefore, I need to update my blog, or else......

[Please note, that I have absolutely no clue, what all that means.... I'm not even sure whether it was some Spam mail. But the email did arrive from some id @support.blogspot.com. And I would not want to lose this blog of mine, however insincere I may have been in maintaining it. Period. :D]

So, all thanks to that mail, this blog finally underwent some revival, and probably got some hope for survival.

I hope I don't fool my blog with this one-off revival post now. Time to pull up my socks, and do some better justice out here!  :-)

National Voluntary Blood Donation Day!!!

Hi....

Well, its been quite some time since I updated my blog. Had been busy with too many things of late, busy with exams, lost my wallet (sad story, shall update sometime later....), Ganeshotsav, and quite many other things!!! :)

Well, to mark my return to blogging after a short break, I would like to share some important information with you all :)

Today, the 1st of October, is the National Voluntary Blood Donation Day. As you all are pretty well aware, our country is in need of a lot of Blood, as the HUGE non-stop demand for blood & platelets from patients, is not being met by the short supply from donors & blood banks. There are umpteen instances of people running from pillar to post, to get Blood of a particular group, and further umpteen instances of patients dying due to non-availability of Blood.

On this special day, I would like to appeal to all of you, to become voluntary donors, and possibly even register yourself with local hospitals and the State Blood Transfusion Council, by which they can contact you in times of need. Remember, each time you donate a unit of blood, you are saving Three lives! Enjoy the pleasure that comes with this feeling of doing such a noble deed!

Apart from that, Mumbai is going to get its FIRST Platelets Bank! Platelets are a component of the whole blood. Platelet donation involves a different process, known as "Apheresis", wherein the whole blood is taken from the donor, sent into a machine which seperates the platelets from the whole blood, and returns the rest of the blood (minus the platelets) to the donor's body. Its a comparatively longer procedure, in comparison to whole blood donation, but is more necessary, as there are a large number of patients in dire need of Platelets, and the sad part is, there aren't as many Platelet Donors! Worse case is that, not many people are aware of such a process in the first place, most are aware only about the regular Whole Blood Donation.

For further details, you can check out the following links:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Mumbai/City_soon_to_get_platelet_donors_club/rssarticleshow/2415134.cms

http://www.mahasbtc.com/

http://www.bloodgivers.com/

http://www.bloodgivers.com/intfacts.asp

You can also search the internet, or consult other regular donors, or local hospitals, for further details. Good Luck :)

Remember, each unit donated, is Three lives Saved!!! :)

"Unsporting" Sportsmanship!!!

Well, the second test of the India-England test series currently underway, has been in the news for many good as well as bad reasons. Good ones being the wonderful & spirited performances by the Indian bowlers & batsmen..... while the bad ones being poor umpiring decisions throughout the match, sledging by the English etc.

Now, the latest incident that happened on field a couple of days back, was the Zaheer Khan-Kevin Peitersen incident. Let me throw some light on it - Apparently what happened was that, when Zaheer came into bat during India's first innings, some English player started throwing Jellybeans (a confectionery eatable) on him. Zaheer would remove them from the pitch before facing a delivery, and next minute he would find yet another being thrown..... which undoubtedly enraged him. He had a couple of words with the English players & requested not to indulge in such things, & they started retaliating verbally. The umpires then came in (quite late, of course... were they BLIND when the English players were throwing Jellybeans on the batsmen and the pitch??? :O) Of course, the English players are shamelessly defending their stupid act by trying to make a joke of it, and also going on to say that it was "within the spirit of the game"..... UTTER CRAP!!!

Check these out for more details
(Sledgehammer - Mumbai Mirror)
(Zaheer reveals.... - Rediff.com)

Really disgusting to note that the English players are indulging in such cheap and unsporting tactics. Throwing jellybeans on a player, or on the pitch, with a deliberate intention to disturb his concentration....... Absolute Nonsense! And not just Zaheer, apparently they were targeting other Indian batsmen such as Sachin (calling him a "Captain's bunny"), Laxman (Sledging at him in Aussie lingo) & Sreesanth etc. (with his spectacles, he apparently looked like "Harry Potter" to them!!!), with verbal volleys and constant leg-pulling chatter. Really shameful to see such cheap behaviour from the English!

And the worst thing would be, that the ICC will fine ONLY Zaheer Khan at the end, for pointing his bat at Pietersen!! They are one shameless, Anti-Asian, & Anti-Indian body, who ALWAYS target & single out Indians and other Asian cricketers.

It is always been the case since time immemorial, that even if any of the white players (Aussie or English or any other) verbally or even physically abuse Indian players, they have always been let off, even without a warning or a fine! (Shocking, of course!!) But the Indians who tolerate their crazy behavior mutely, or max at times, stare back or retaliate mildly, have been fined or even banned for short periods. Surprising that the ICC thinks that the players at the receiving end are 'at fault' & should be 'punished', while the ones who do all the mistakes, and physically & verbally abuse in cheap manner, and behave in all unsporting ways possible, should be let off without even being questioned..... apparently they are doing a great service to the Gentleman's game by indulging in such behaviour, isn't it???

Examples galore, are there for the world to see (Michael Slater abusing Dravid; Dravid is fined..... Andre Nel abusing and gesturing to Sreesanth; Sreesanth is fined for the 'dance' etc....) Even earlier players like Sachin, Ganguly & many others, have been victims of ICC's double standards.

Really sad to see such unsporting and biased policies and the atrocities committed by the Global body that controls the sport (ICC). And also sad that the Indian board, inspite of being victimised time & again, hasn't retaliated or taken strong action against them. It just pays the fines, drops the concerned players & moves on.

I won't be surprised, if Zaheer Khan is handed over a BAN tomorrow, for a couple of matches for his 'behaviour' by the ICC. (As he's the in-form bowler, and ICC would love to save England from further damage in the series, by dropping him for the next test!!!) :D :P

BRAVO ICC!!! We are proud of you! :)

PS: Yes, heart of heart, I do desire, that in case of such an event happening, the Indian team must challenge the double standards of Cricket's Governing Body, and walk out of the series! Its time the ICC is hit back for its unsporting & biased acts, and the world realises the intensity of the situation!

Fake "Religious" ideologies??

WELL, here's something I'd shared on another online forum, regarding religion, religious ideologies & unwanted differences created in the name of religion.....

We were discussing about whether people from other faiths or religions should be 'allowed' in temples, and vice-verca....

I , for one, have very much visited "Haji Ali" Dargah, the "Mount Mary" Church in Mumbai, apart from various other places of worship of other religions.... across India. I'm a staunch believer in God, & find myself very much comfortable in visiting or praying at religious places run by ANY religion. Finally, all our prayers reach the same GOD, our one & only creator who runs the show here.... I see no point in discriminating over religion, definitely not, as far as praying is concerned!!

During college days, I used to visit the Hanuman temple in our college campus everyday. There were many of my friends, who were Christians, who used to come along with me just for eating the Prasadam (delicious edible offerings made to God, & distributed freely to people), & stand outside the temple & ask me to serve them the Chundal prasadam (delicious salty/spicy dish made from grams, garnished with chillies, coriander, mustard & coconut) over the fence.

Shameless enough, in my opinion! They just can't come inside, not even for the sake of taking the prasadam!! (NOTE: The temple had no rules prohibiting anyone from coming to the temple.... it was purely these friends' problem, that they refused to enter the temple, citing religion issues, while they relished the Prasadam shamelessly!)

And all throughout, I used to try & make them understand, that when I had no issues visiting Churches with them, why they must make such a big Fuss about the whole issue! Foolish Mentality! :sigh:

Restarting finally...

Hmmm.... its been ages, and its time to re-start my Blog..... something that has stood the test of time in proving my height of laziness.... :P

Each time I used to think of restarting, used to feel lazy to write, and then postpone it.... And then, invariably got damn busy with loads of activities, that never really found time to blog....

But, as my 'online' life was pretty active, and I was very much actively posting pretty long stuff on many online forums, I did a re-think on why must I not update my Blog similarly!! And with some bit of encouragement from friends, I decided to do the honours now!! ;)

'Inshallah'.... :) Shall keep posting now... do keep the comments coming! :)

Laziness or Alzheimers???

Phew!!! This post took me almost an year to make! :Doh: Was it just laziness or my bad memory??? I guess both. Started off with being toooooooo lazy to re-start blogging. Then got busy with so many other things in life :P Getting active with work, music forums, the music band and so many things.... only ensured that I almost forgot that I had ever started a blog in my life :D

Hmm.... lots to write on. Can't really decide what to begin with. But continuing on my past post on People & Careers, I must say that things have come a long way ever since I made that post. Now things are looking a bit better on the music front. Band doing well with some good shows happening, and also a recording planned up soon. Time to continue the hard work, and pray for success ;) But the last 6 months or so, have been pretty inspiring (in many ways), and I only hope things are getting better & better with time. And Yes, "Allah Meherbaan Toh Gadha Pahalwaan!!!" How True......ain't it???? ;)

People and careers.......

So….Finally I am beginning to BLOG…..Throwing some light on my background, I have finished my Graduation in Management Studies, and am keeping my options open as of now - either take up a job, OR do my Post-Graduation straightaway. Haven’t got any clue myself as to what I will be doing…..just keeping my fingers crossed for now.

I am also extremely ‘into’ music. Since childhood in fact, have been pursuing vocal and instrumental music. But things got more ‘serious’ over the last 2 years or so, when me and some of my friends formed a fusion instrumental band (Check this out) to compete in inter-collegiate fests etc. Since then, have been dabbling in composing music to a great extent….and lot many things….enjoying it all like anything. Since the time I finished my Graduation, ppl have been behind me…..asking what I want to do ahead…career plans….et al. Well, academically, I definitely will be doing a Post-Grad some time, no idea when, but will do it for sure. But to be honest, my interest in music seems to precede anything else, and would love take up music as a career. Yes, I maybe an amateur, and may need to work hard, but the important thing is that I’m enjoying what I’m doing, and that means the most to me.

Nobody in my family has been into music, definitely not career-wise. And frankly speaking, Music has never been considered as a “Mainstream” thing. All the ppl I know, have been advising me, not to get so serious with something like music, just study a lot, work in hardcore corporate setup, and that’s it…"Jeevan Safal Ho gaya”….….Music???-Just as a hobby….(that too if I really wanna continue, which they doubt I won’t find time once I’m into hardcore Corporate life….) Well, I’m not against getting into the Corporate thing…..but I seriously fail to understand why people regard something like music ALWAYS as only a ‘hobby’ or ‘off-the-track thing’??? Don’t people ever make careers in music? Isn’t there a term called “MUSIC INDUSTRY”??? When the scenario is so big enough to consider music as an “Industry”…..then why can’t people accept it as something big enough and ‘mainstream’ as they call it? If you see closely, music as a genre, is definitely as much corporatised as any other industry/genre, if not more. But people tend to ignore all the aspects of corporatisation, money, and any other factors associated with music, and continue to push it on the backseat, terming it as ‘non-mainstream’, ‘non-corporate’, and ‘off-track’ thing. Only when somebody known to them, suddenly makes it big in the music scene, ppl tend to appreciate like anything, and try to ‘create’ association with them.

There was a guy, who came from the same area in Mumbai as I do. He was extremely into music, since childhood….esp’lly singing. Started off by singing for friends, then participating in Coll Fests etc. Completed his engg, and tried to find some work in the ‘music industry’, went on to sing some Jingles for ads etc. and also sang a few tracks for some not-so-famous movies etc. Till then, NOBODY ever knew of this guy, who used to roam around in the area as any other normal person. This continued for quite some time, he dabbled with few more movies, also did a few fusion projects, until suddenly one day, he got an offer to do an album. Was his first BIG thing, an ALBUM, and he put in a real good effort and came up with an album called “BREATHLESS”. Suddenly, the album’s songs were all over the music charts, channels and everywhere. The Album was a superhit, and suddenly ppl ‘started’ to ‘know’ him!!!! After that, the rest is history. Today, the person in question, one Mr.Shankar Mahadevan, is a name to reckon with in the entertainment industry - not just in India, but at an International level. Today Shankar is no longer residing in his old area, but has moved into a much better place at Navi Mumbai (bit away from his old residence). And today 99.9999 % of the ppl I meet, happen to ‘know’ Shankar on a personal level, happen to be ‘very close’ to him in ANY sense, and try to ‘create’ some kind of relationship with him. They talk about him today endlessly. “He was my so and so’s so and so……..” “He used to stay very close to my place” “I know him since he was a child” “I know him damn well….have been hearing him sing since he was a school-going kid….What a voice he had even then….” “His mom is a cllllooooosseeeeee friend of my aunt”…etc..etc….

Today, since he is such a big star, people want to “create” relationship with him, happen to know him, and seem to have been ‘appreciative’ of his musical talents ever since he was a toddler! Only when someone makes it big, do you find it to be a greaaattt achievement that he went into music…or else….it is NOT supposed to be considered as a good career option at all……..This is pathetic…….True example of Hardcore FAIR-WEATHER RELATIONSHIP…….

The incident I quoted, was just ONE example…..I suppose this must be the case with most ppl trying to get into music….. or for that matter, any 'non-mainstream' career options...... unless he/she has that good a backing from family and friends….

So that was quite a loooooooong post for my first blogging experience….The point I wanted to drive home was that You must go only where your Heart is….and not worry about pressure from others…..once you make it big…..then have no doubts……all the *#$@&^*** ppl who wrote you off as mad…..will all come and say ...."WE ALWAYS KNEW IT…THAT YOU ARE GONNA MAKE IT…..I’M SO PROUD…..etc…..” Sab matlabi ppl…..ek se ek dedhshaane hain……

Therefore I intend getting into music seriously…..no clue how well its gonna work out….but definitely, would love to atleast make an attempt….Baaki Uparwale Ke Bharose…. Allah Meherbaan Toh Gadha Pahalwaan……..!!! :)

First foray into "Blogging"~~~~

Well o' well.....Life mein pehla time doing something of this sort....And if you go by my blog title.....well.....I have always "Saved" most of the space in my Diary.....(by not writing much at all :((......only updating.....when I am in mood for it.......So I am myself not sure how well my Blog's gonna progress....But after having some blogger friends.....& going thru some of the amazing blogs you ppl 'maintain'......I hope Blogging remains a good experience for a 'beginner' like me too......Looking forward to some good support from all you Bloggers ....(and Bloggies..)