Rema, Padmakumar and I had headed for the Guruvayur temple a trifle after 8, after we're informed that the 'choroonu' would be around 20 past 8. Since the temple was anticipated to be crowded with people in connection with weddings, first meal ceremonies and also being a Sunday, the parking space for cars was going to be at a premium and maneuvering my Chevy was all the more difficult, I'd decided against using my car and we went in an autorickshaw instead! Mom and Lekha had decided to stay at home as traversing through the distances and standing for long periods did not appeal to them.
On arrival and after meeting everybody, Padmakumar and me had headed for the cloak room to hand over the footwear for safe keeping. The queue was pretty long and I ain't exaggerating when I say that its length matched the one at the western entrance, consisting of devotees waiting to have their 'darshan' of the good Lord.
Why the authorities refuse to automate such services beats me and as I'd said earlier, the guys want to retain it this way to give the impression that the temple is teeming with devotees and to have a 'look see' at their God, they've to go through discomfort! The paradox is that there are many among us who feel that the more discomfort that we encounter, the better is the spiritual experience!!
Seeing the slow movement of the queue, we'd abandoned the footwear handing over because by then the others had already moved into the temple. Sending Padmakumar in, I decided to sit outside and tend the footwear, instead. The ceremony was held in a hall on the first floor of the adjacent building after which, only the child and its parents are allowed into the sanctum sanctorum. All this took more than an hour and I'd sat out the entire period listening to the lovely hymns wafting out of the loud speakers around the temple, interrupted by announcements for missing fellow travellers.
Devadattan, in his uncle's hands had given me a cute smile and I couldn't resist holding him. The little one kept watching me intently and I, for no rhyme or reason, became the cynosure of the entire group thereafter! I was holding an infant after quite a while and did not want it to feel any discomfort while being with me! We seem to have a vibrant chemistry!!
* * *
We'd returned to 'The Quarterdeck' soon after. Mom recounted my first meal ceremony eons back at the temple which was held very near the sanctum - affordable those days because of the much lesser crowds that thronged the temple then. It was PN Panicker who'd given me my first morsel, followed by my grandmother, my paternal grandparents and all the others. Dad and I were weighed against 'venna(ghee)' at the scales, slung at the inner entrance of the temple, thereafter!
It was a small knot of people that had attended the ceremony, drawn from the families of my mom and dad because coming all the way from Thiruvananthapuram to Guruvayur consisted of a long journey that covered over 300 kms.
Tailpiece.
Rema and Padmakumar went along with Devadattan and his folks to Padmakumar's mom to spend the next two days with her. The Vishu holidays have begun!
On arrival and after meeting everybody, Padmakumar and me had headed for the cloak room to hand over the footwear for safe keeping. The queue was pretty long and I ain't exaggerating when I say that its length matched the one at the western entrance, consisting of devotees waiting to have their 'darshan' of the good Lord.
Why the authorities refuse to automate such services beats me and as I'd said earlier, the guys want to retain it this way to give the impression that the temple is teeming with devotees and to have a 'look see' at their God, they've to go through discomfort! The paradox is that there are many among us who feel that the more discomfort that we encounter, the better is the spiritual experience!!
Seeing the slow movement of the queue, we'd abandoned the footwear handing over because by then the others had already moved into the temple. Sending Padmakumar in, I decided to sit outside and tend the footwear, instead. The ceremony was held in a hall on the first floor of the adjacent building after which, only the child and its parents are allowed into the sanctum sanctorum. All this took more than an hour and I'd sat out the entire period listening to the lovely hymns wafting out of the loud speakers around the temple, interrupted by announcements for missing fellow travellers.
Devadattan, in his uncle's hands had given me a cute smile and I couldn't resist holding him. The little one kept watching me intently and I, for no rhyme or reason, became the cynosure of the entire group thereafter! I was holding an infant after quite a while and did not want it to feel any discomfort while being with me! We seem to have a vibrant chemistry!!
* * *
We'd returned to 'The Quarterdeck' soon after. Mom recounted my first meal ceremony eons back at the temple which was held very near the sanctum - affordable those days because of the much lesser crowds that thronged the temple then. It was PN Panicker who'd given me my first morsel, followed by my grandmother, my paternal grandparents and all the others. Dad and I were weighed against 'venna(ghee)' at the scales, slung at the inner entrance of the temple, thereafter!
It was a small knot of people that had attended the ceremony, drawn from the families of my mom and dad because coming all the way from Thiruvananthapuram to Guruvayur consisted of a long journey that covered over 300 kms.
Tailpiece.
Rema and Padmakumar went along with Devadattan and his folks to Padmakumar's mom to spend the next two days with her. The Vishu holidays have begun!
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