Kapali Kovil Utsavam - Adhigara Nandhi

The song goes ...

KaaNa kaN kOdi vendum, adhigara nandhi sevai thanai..

10 million eyes to view the adhigara Nandhi (commanding bull)

The way they carry Lord Kapalishwarar on the silver bull, the way they sway it to the rythmic drum beats, it is a sight to watch.

It has been 17 years since I got to see this! What with coming to the USA and the India trips always aligning to summer or winter, you never get to go there during Navrathri time (september) or Utsavam time (April). This trip was indeed a godsend.

My tired father and grandparents thanked me so many times for bringing the utsavam to them with the videos and photos.

Here are some photo highlights as well.

There are many of you out there in the same boat. Hope you enjoyed the video and photos.

Another day, another vahanam..

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Dos princessas

In spite of all the hoopla or hurry bury or whatever else you want to call ~7 days in Chennai, my mom took some time to get some salwar material, get it to the local tailor and pester him repeatedly over the phone to stitch matching salwars for Jr. and the little one!

Not one set, but four sets! It was amazing that Jr. and the little one are at the right size so that with one adults salwar cloth material, you get just exactly two sets. We got them at 8:30 PM and I had to leave for the airport at 11:00PM. It was close, but you should have seen

a. smile on my mom's face when she handed me the bag
b. smile on Jr's face when she came from school and saw what dad got her
c. beam on the little one's face when she saw what was in the suitcase for her
d. the smile on San and Bombay paati's face when they saw the kids wear the first matching set earlier tonight.

Here's to these girls and women whose smiles make my day!

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What makes a festival festive?

Is it the gods?

Is it all the action?

Is it the crowd of devotees?

Is it the zillion other kids in the crowd?

or could it just be...

Kaathaadis of different shapes,

sizes,

and colors,

A billion bubbles

big ball and apple balloons

screeech screeech screech..

getting your hands on these WMD's minutes after your brother got his apple ballon

flutes galore

click click click click peacocks

and if you are a girl, some lovely nai kuttys (puppies)

glass and rubber bangles

and some paasi maalais from your friendly neighborhood kurathi

and is it?

sweet panju mittai (cotton candy)

thengai burfi and perichchambazhams(coconut sweet and date fruits)

poovam pazham, malai pazham, rasthaali ? (types of bananas)

pala cholai (jack fruit)

Pattani, pori kadalai (puffed rice and roast nuts)?

Do you still have any doubts?

Didn't think so!

ps. All of the above photos were taken between 4th and 6th April 2009 around two sides of the Mylapore temple tank around the Vijaya store corner during the Kapaleeshwar temple utsavam (festival).

pps. The photographers mental age at the time of taking these snaps was approximately 7.258 years.

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This day, that age

Was just checking to see what we were doing same time last year and saw a few posts with the kids posing in the backyard.

It was funny to see them wear some of the same frocks, except the frocks were now being used as tops for a birthday party!

They have also changed a lot in one year.

On a side note, we just finished teaching Jr. counting money and daddy is going to be away from them for a short time, after almost a full year of no travel. March seems to have a consistant pattern

get out of sickness
attend a few birthday parties
travel
heavy workload with schooling the kid(s)

Funny how a year flies by so fast.

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Some things are forever

Remember the little one's facial expression changes when she was a few months old?!

Things haven't changed much in three years.

Today we had a repeat performance and it was caught on camera!

Some things, never change!

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