Thanks to Smt. Mali Nandakumar for forwarding this exquisite note, with this comment: "reminded me of the sikh gentleman who has been reading kandar anubhuti at the murugan temple in Delhi for many years now."
How Bhakti integrates INDIA!
I am now having a short stay in a colony in Hazira (28 KM from Surat, Gujarat) for family reasons. As this is the month of Margazhi (Dhanur masa), I enquired if there is any Vishnu temple here. Yes, there is and it opens at 4:30 AM during this month, I was told. The next day, I went there by 5:30 PM to see if any activity is there. I was surprised to see a group of men and women (some 20 of them), chanting Tamil Pasurams.
The sound of
"PALLANDU PALLANDU, PALAKOTI NOORAYIRAM, MALLANDA THINTHOL MANIVANNA, UNN SEVADI SEVVI THIRUKKAPPU" was wafting in the air.
They went on to chant TIRUPPALLANDU, TIRUPPALLI-EZHUCCHI, TIRUPPAVAI (in full), SREE STUTI and GODHA STUTI. It took more than one hour to complete all that along with Archanai and Aratti etc. At the end all were given plenty of hot Ven Pongal etc as Prasadam. This is going on for every day of this month.
I was happy to see so many Tamil people there and started conversing with some in Tamil. Surprisingly they did not understand what I was asking them! I found that none of them (except me) was knowing Tamil.
When I looked at the papers they were holding, it was all written in Hindi. Tiruppavai in Devanagiri (Hindi) script! They told me (in Hindi) that the Bhattachariar (from Srirangam) has written it all down for them in Hindi and they have photocopied, distributed and practiced it for many days to chant as if their mother tongue is Tamil!
I was amazed at the faith and beliefs of ordinary men and women here. This is a much colder place and such low temperatures are never seen anywhere in Tamilnadu. The Sun light comes only by 7 AM. In such a chilly place with cold winds blowing, these humble folk are getting up very early in the morning and many are even taking bath before being present in that temple by I was wondering how people are in deep slumber back in TN (many are active no doubt) when all conditions are much better and Tamil is the mother tongue! We do not realise the value of what is easily available!!
I would consider the HERO here as the humble Bahttachariar who has taken up residence in the colony along with his assistants and doing a great service in this remote place. It seems he has even refused offers to go to USA to serve in some temples there!
ANDAL THIRUVADIGALE CHARANAM.
Raghavans
How Bhakti integrates INDIA!
I am now having a short stay in a colony in Hazira (28 KM from Surat, Gujarat) for family reasons. As this is the month of Margazhi (Dhanur masa), I enquired if there is any Vishnu temple here. Yes, there is and it opens at 4:30 AM during this month, I was told. The next day, I went there by 5:30 PM to see if any activity is there. I was surprised to see a group of men and women (some 20 of them), chanting Tamil Pasurams.
The sound of
"PALLANDU PALLANDU, PALAKOTI NOORAYIRAM, MALLANDA THINTHOL MANIVANNA, UNN SEVADI SEVVI THIRUKKAPPU" was wafting in the air.
They went on to chant TIRUPPALLANDU, TIRUPPALLI-EZHUCCHI, TIRUPPAVAI (in full), SREE STUTI and GODHA STUTI. It took more than one hour to complete all that along with Archanai and Aratti etc. At the end all were given plenty of hot Ven Pongal etc as Prasadam. This is going on for every day of this month.
I was happy to see so many Tamil people there and started conversing with some in Tamil. Surprisingly they did not understand what I was asking them! I found that none of them (except me) was knowing Tamil.
When I looked at the papers they were holding, it was all written in Hindi. Tiruppavai in Devanagiri (Hindi) script! They told me (in Hindi) that the Bhattachariar (from Srirangam) has written it all down for them in Hindi and they have photocopied, distributed and practiced it for many days to chant as if their mother tongue is Tamil!
I was amazed at the faith and beliefs of ordinary men and women here. This is a much colder place and such low temperatures are never seen anywhere in Tamilnadu. The Sun light comes only by 7 AM. In such a chilly place with cold winds blowing, these humble folk are getting up very early in the morning and many are even taking bath before being present in that temple by I was wondering how people are in deep slumber back in TN (many are active no doubt) when all conditions are much better and Tamil is the mother tongue! We do not realise the value of what is easily available!!
I would consider the HERO here as the humble Bahttachariar who has taken up residence in the colony along with his assistants and doing a great service in this remote place. It seems he has even refused offers to go to USA to serve in some temples there!
ANDAL THIRUVADIGALE CHARANAM.
Raghavans