Today was li'l Prarthana's first meal ceremony at the temple premises. She's seven months old and today, happens to be her parents' third wedding anniversary too! A double celebration!! Rajeesh and Malu had got married at Guruvayur. We'd fetched up at the venue, atop the first floor of the northern portion of the temple by 9 and were the first lot from the family.
The ceremony went off fine and we'd returned home soon after as Padmakumar, Rema and Achu were driving back to Palakkad. Their departure was unnecessarily delayed by an absent minded work of mine when, earlier, I'd put their car keys into the box where we normally stow our house keys! The frantic search till the retrieval was comical and the fact that I'd completely forgotten about what I'd done added to the faux pas!!
It was while attending the ceremony at the temple that my thoughts went back to a similar ceremony at exactly, the same venue - though not in its present grandeur - based on what my mom had told me over the years....
The year was early '56! My dad was posted at Kochi those days and the three of us were staying inside the naval base. My parents were keen to have my 'choroonu'(The first meal ceremony) at Guruvayur because they'd got married there. Accordingly, Muthachhan, Ammachi and maman had fetched up from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochu Muthachhan and Kochammachi from Ettumanoor while Appooppan and Ammoomma had fetched up from Thalavoor. After spending the night at our place, the entire group had proceeded to Guruvayur for the ceremony. The family had stayed that night at the Devaswom 'sathram' and the ceremony was held the next morning within the sanctum sanctorum because the temple was quite small in the '50s. Its appeal was yet to pick up, not very many people undertook the long journey because the staying arrangements, within the precincts of the temple, were limited and not very easily attainable!
I realise, now, that my grandparents and parents considered me very 'special' to have gone through the trouble to undertake a trip like this just for my sake! My indebtedness to them for their unconditional love shall always remain and in return, I've given them so little...
Tailpiece.
(a) Suresh is in a much better condition after the external pipe - put in place - to assist him in his breathing has been removed. Subbu had seen him today and has spoken about him being shifted out of the ICU and he will have to remain in the ward for another week.
(b) Radhan chettan is much better, the high creatinine reading notwithstanding! He has expressed a desire to see Lekha.
(c) The Quarterdeck was quiet, once again after teatime, once the last of the guests had left. Rajeesh's mom kept telling us that she missed mom....
The ceremony went off fine and we'd returned home soon after as Padmakumar, Rema and Achu were driving back to Palakkad. Their departure was unnecessarily delayed by an absent minded work of mine when, earlier, I'd put their car keys into the box where we normally stow our house keys! The frantic search till the retrieval was comical and the fact that I'd completely forgotten about what I'd done added to the faux pas!!
It was while attending the ceremony at the temple that my thoughts went back to a similar ceremony at exactly, the same venue - though not in its present grandeur - based on what my mom had told me over the years....
The year was early '56! My dad was posted at Kochi those days and the three of us were staying inside the naval base. My parents were keen to have my 'choroonu'(The first meal ceremony) at Guruvayur because they'd got married there. Accordingly, Muthachhan, Ammachi and maman had fetched up from Thiruvananthapuram, Kochu Muthachhan and Kochammachi from Ettumanoor while Appooppan and Ammoomma had fetched up from Thalavoor. After spending the night at our place, the entire group had proceeded to Guruvayur for the ceremony. The family had stayed that night at the Devaswom 'sathram' and the ceremony was held the next morning within the sanctum sanctorum because the temple was quite small in the '50s. Its appeal was yet to pick up, not very many people undertook the long journey because the staying arrangements, within the precincts of the temple, were limited and not very easily attainable!
I realise, now, that my grandparents and parents considered me very 'special' to have gone through the trouble to undertake a trip like this just for my sake! My indebtedness to them for their unconditional love shall always remain and in return, I've given them so little...
Tailpiece.
(a) Suresh is in a much better condition after the external pipe - put in place - to assist him in his breathing has been removed. Subbu had seen him today and has spoken about him being shifted out of the ICU and he will have to remain in the ward for another week.
(b) Radhan chettan is much better, the high creatinine reading notwithstanding! He has expressed a desire to see Lekha.
(c) The Quarterdeck was quiet, once again after teatime, once the last of the guests had left. Rajeesh's mom kept telling us that she missed mom....
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