Does it Hurt? Dumb Questions to Kavadi Bearers

Today I interviewed a kavadi bearer. He told me about how a CNN reporter had interviewed him during a Thaipusam Festival and had asked him "Does it hurt?" If someone had asked me that question - after I had fasted for 42 days and then pierced my body with 108 piercing I would have flipped. I would have wanted to know:

1. Why is that Western reporters come so ill-prepared when it comes to minority traditions? Why do they ask questions that reveal such deep ignorance? How about doing some reading and research on the concept of penance and the experience of trance-like states in religious ceremonies?

2. Or more simply why not assign a TV journalist who has some depth as opposed to throwing an entertainment reporter on the scene?

3. How about giving the reporters some cultural training and cross-cultural communication skills? And some context?

Journalists have such an important role as cultural intermediaries. Why not use this opportunity to celebrate what is common between cultures - the quest for higher wisdom and spiritual light? And creating a feeling of true empathy between the viewers and the subject matter. That used to be Oprah's greatest gift. She was not judgmental and in her earlier shows really tried to get to the essential truths and values that drove people to do certain things. How about pitching things at that level for a change?

Khumbhabishegam at Sivan Temple

Yesterday I went to the temple consecretion ceremony at the Sivan Temple. Me and 22,000 others were there. But it did not feel like it as the event was so very very well organized. The organizers had wisely estimated the crowd that was going to turn up and had many volunteers and traffic marshals in hand to help the devotees and ensure that things went orderly.

The pouring of the holy water onto the Khumbum of the temple is the highlight of the event. A green flag is waved before the holy water is poured on the Khumbum - the symbolic head of the temple and the highest point of the temple. The Hindus believe that this holy water is particularly sacred and has amazing vibration. So when we entered the temple a couple of priests also sprinkled the water on the top of our heads. Wonderful.

The MC or compere for this event was amazing. He was a bilingualist - fluent in both Tamil and English. This is a difficult area to be bilingual - temple rituals, processions etc are filled with technical jargon - many of them do not lend themselves well to translations in English. But he did a superb job translating for those in the audience who were not conversant in Tamil. His Tamil quality was also excellent. His choice of classical Tamil words were right on. He used high Tamil and poetic words that had deep historical and spiritual significance. Like English Tamil is becoming a functional language - so it was wonderful to see that he was not falling into this trap and stripping either language of its aesthetic qualities.

All the devotees also received a "goodie bag." This is a really strange Singapore phenomenon I abhor. People want free things to take home after an event. Can we please stop all this consumption? What about the environment and trying to create less waste? Sigh !!! However, in the context of this event, the "goodie bag" became a very important source of cultural, spiritual and intellectual gifts. Whoever designed the goodie bag was a thoughtful person. The bag itself was a reusable bag - ie a cloth bag that one can take grocery shopping and thereby cut down plastic bag consumption. Secondly they had imported the most delicious sweets from the best candy store in Chennai - Sri Krishna Sweets. Thirdly they had put a CD on divine Shiva chants. Again something beautiful for your ears and that can be part of your library's personal collection. There was also the holy water in a bottle and kungumam. Great.

The next 48 days there will free concerts every night at the temple to celebrate and raise the vibration of the Gods and Goddess. Some world class performers from India will be coming. Wonderful ways to keep our traditions alive in Singapore

10, 000 Devotees Go Bald

The giving of hair - which symbolizes surrendering one's vanity/beauty to God is a traditional Hindu practice. It evidences the devotee's deep love for God and their detachment to material things like looks. Many men and women shave their heads bald to honor the divine. Yesterday at the Thaipusam festival there was a tent with Indian barbers working furiously - over 10,000 heads were shaved.

Thaipusam Soundscapes

One thing that really struck my mom and I at yesterday's festival was how quiet it was. The chanting of "veil veil" and traditional kavadhi sindhu was what truly characterized Thaipusam for many of us. This is what keeps the energy of the festival high and often instrumental in whipping the devotees into a state of trance. It also serves a very very important purpose for the kavadei carriers - many forget the pain of the piercings and the distance they had to walk barefoot with the heavy kavadi on their shoulders. The chanting and the sacred songs are an important and integral part of the event. We noticed heavy police presence as well as many signs that said that various types of musical instruments are banned. I guess this is the urban reality - keeping "noise" levels low and not interrupting vehicular traffic flow on the 4km route that the devotees walk from Perumal road temple to the Chettiar temple. But there is also a more fundamental reason we believe - that many of the younger people are not familiar with the kavadhi sindhu - the traditional songs. Hence they are unable to recite it for the benefit of the kavadi bearers. As Britney and her gang dominates our airways our traditional songs get quickly displaced.

Thaipusam - Bhakti in Action

Today is Thaipusam festival. From the wee hours of 22 Jan barefooted devotees and kavadi bearers started their walk with milk pots and kavadis from the temple at Perumal Temple to the temple at Tank Road. Thaipusam is Lord Murugan's birthday and the day he received the veil. To me thaipusam has transformed from being one of the most scary rituals (filled with body piercings) to one of the most powerful and profound acts of devotions to the Lord. As a little girl I found the event overwhelming - the trance that the people went into, the chanting, the singing and beating of drums and all the crush of the devotees inside the temple. But with greater spiritual maturity I have learnt to focus on the right things. The deep acts of devotion that this event demands. Many of the personal stories of sacrifice, penance and personal devotion that the kavadi bearers share with me is deeply moving.

My friend in this picture (top picture) has been taking kavadi for 16 years since the age of 18 years. Why? For his mom - who was unwell and he had taken a vow to God Murugan to take the kavadi for his mom's health. Beautiful acts of love and devotion evidenced by ordinary Hindus. Many stories like this abound among the 15,000 kavadai bearers who take the kavadi's today. Of course there is also a segment who does not really embody the spiritual essence of the festival and take it for "macho" reasons. But predominately I hear very moving stories about sacrifice and penance as a path to God realization.

If you are not an Hindu or you are a tourist in Singapore - please show some respect. Stop gawking at kavadi bearers and turning the event into a circus on Youtube. The "bizzare piercings" that many tourists describe in Youtube are to us Hindus evidence of deep bhakti or devotion. Only the most devout amongst Hindus are able to transcend the physical rigors demanded of this festival and withstand the multiple piercing on their bodies. We have deep respect for these kavadi bearers - many of whom have prepared themselves mentally and physically by fasting for months before the event. Celibacy is also a key part of the fasting/cleansing ritual. My mom said that many men would go and sleep in the temples at night as a way to avoid temptations of the flesh.

For those totting cameras again please show some respect. Many people who are in a trance-like state and shoving a camera up their face is deeply disrespectful. Ask for permission at the right time. Observe what the devotees are going through and absorb that energy. Similarly fighting with the devotees for a choice spot for your photography in the sacred temple grounds is uncool. The Hindus feel that seeing Lord Murugan and paying respect to him on this day is deeply important. The Hindus have not disallowed tourists into the temple as they are open and hospitable people. Don't take advantage of their kindness.


Check out a short clip I did - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3880795840673361580

Pongal Festival (Harvest Festival)

Today we celebrated Ponggal Festival in Singapore. My mom had checked the Tamil calender and the pongal rice had to be cooked and the Padayal presented to the Gods between the auspicious time of 630am to 9am. So, my mom woke up early and prepared everything. It takes at least 2 hrs to get everything done - cutting the cane, the banana leaves. Making the chakkra rice and the pongal rice as well as the kootu (vegetarian curry with 5,7 or 9 types of vegetables). Odd number is a very important number for spiritual events. We lit the lamp - 2 on one side and 3 on the other - to make up 5. The Pongal festival is celebrated on the first day of Thai Mazam in the Tamil calendar. What touched me the most was my father's recital of the great Tamil hyms from Tevaram and other holy Tamil devotional hymns during our prayer. He recited Namasivaya Valga and Yeru Mayil. Two of his favorite hyms.

Pongal festival in India is celebrated over a four day period honoring the sun god, single woman and the sacred cow. It has somewhat of a lesser significance in Singapore as we are a non-agricultural community. However, my dad came from Tanjavur - the rice center (Neil Kalangiyam) - a wealthy agricultural community that lived in deep harmony with nature. The farmers here revere the Sun God and all things that nature has given them as it directly impacts on their harvest. A successful harvest is very much determined by the forces of nature.

Over breakfast today my dad Dr Ramiah also gave me a mini-lecture about Poompuhar and the impenetrable nature of the "flower land." (Poo + Puhar = Flower + Impenetrable). Tanjavur was considered Poopuhar as it has wealth and a city that flourished with great people and wonderful rulers. He also said that how alot of Tamil literature speaks about all these festivals like Pongal and its deep significance. His view was that Tamil literature is inextricably bound with nature - in particular the beauty inherent in nature. It would not be possible to enjoy Tamil literature without understanding nature and how the ancient Tamils lived in deep harmony with their land, their padi field and their animals.

I also learnt about the Springcleaning ritual on the day before Pongal Festival. This is called Bogi Pandigai - a day when you release the old (Palayana Kalithal) and invite the new into your life. Both a spiritual and a practical ritual - where you release things that are no longer serving your highest self so as to make way for new things that will serve your highest self.

Karthigai Theepam

Today is Karthigai Deepam. Karthigai as used here refers to the month of Karthigai on the Tamil Calender and Deepam means lighted lamps. My mom prepared 9 lamps to be placed all over the house. She explained that for auspicious events Hindus always believed in using the odd numbers - not the even numbers. Hence 9 lamps in the house will be lit. My mom has special clay lamps just for this festival. The most famous temple in India where this event is celebrated is in Thiruvanamalai. Here Lord Shiva is in the form of Agni Lingam (Agni meaning fire). Thiruvanamalai means Holy Fire Hill. And according to legend Lord Shiva is believed to have appeared on this hill in the Tamil town of Thirvanamalai. The fire or the lighted lamps signify the sacred or spiritual fire which puries one's heart and mind.

Today is also my nephew's birthday - he turns 11. And it seems that every eleven years his birthday will fall on Karthigai Deepam. So we plan to light the lamps at home and scoot off to his birthday party later.

25 Years of Fire-Walking and Temple Pigeons

Today my mom and I were in a big rush to get to the Mariamman Temple in South Bridge Road in Singapore. Mariamman or Durga is the Goddess celebrated for courage and valor among the Indians. The most famous festival to honor her is the fire-walking ceremony where ordinary mortals descend on a pit of burning coal to show their courage and devotion to the Goddess. Every year in this Mariamman Temple in Singapore this is a major event in the spiritual calendar.

My mom had given an abhishegam in the temple and were had to be there at 10am. It was divinely ordained that we should flag down a taxi driven by a devout Amman devotee. This is super-rare in Singapore where Indian constitute a 7% minority and most of them love the elephanat God - Ganesha.

The taxi driver was completely excited when we told him we were in a rush to go to the Mariamman temple. He said for 25 years he has been descending the fire pit to show his love for the Goddess. He said that if he has sinned he will get burnt and punished and he is completely prepared for that. But in all the 25 years he had never been burnt. He fasts for a month prior to the ceremony to cleanses himself spiritually for the event. He believes that fasting is an act of penance - just like fire walking - it builds emotional and mental resilience. Most importantly it brings one closer to the divine. He said that every year the temple pigeon descends the fire pit BEFORE any of the fire-walkers descend the pit. For over 20 years he said that this has witnessed the Goddess Aman in the form of a pigeon descend on the pit, touch the fire before anyone of the other fire-walkers would walk. This he said was a deeply auspicious and important sign. But with increasing urbanization and "efficient" administration - the pigeons have been chased away and in the recent years there has been no sign of any pigeons. His father he said was a port worker (Singapore has a long and illustrious history as a port and is today's the world's largest port) and has done enormous amount for the temple. He, inspired by his father, had collected over $1million for the deity's diamond crown which now belongs to the temple.

A divine and beautiful encounter. Needless to say my mom and I got to the temple inspired and delighted.

The Family Altar & a Rainy Deepavali

Today I woke up early to celebrate Deepavali. The way I have always celebrated Deepavali is by jumping out of bed and running straight to the prayer room. My mom would have decorated the family altar with flowers, oil lamps and Deepavali goodies. Today as with the past 30 years, the altar, which is my family's spiritual focus for Deepavali, was radiating light and love. There was a divine energy and beauty in the room. And I called upon this energy to be constantly with me in my life's journey and to rekindle my inner light whenever I meet obstacles or hard times in life.

It was also the first Deepavali that it was raining in the morning. The skies were dark and gloomy. No sun. I am not sure how to take this. My mom felt a bit dejected. But for the Indians rain has always been a good sign. Washing away all that is bad in our lives and unearthing the diamond within each of us. I liked the rain - I felt it was auspicious. Waking up early and praying and feeling the rain outside is a sacred experience.

We had a elaborate family breakfast together after the early morning prayers. Breakfast included the food that was presented and prayed over in the altar. We always start Deepavali breakfast with something sweet - like tarts or indian delicacy (sweets) - to welcome more "sweetness" into our lives. ie that our life continues to have many sweet and beautiful memories. Unlike in the West when sweets are reserved for the end - the desert. In Indian culture we do the reverse. I am off to the temple now. That is the next major stop. Paying our respects to the Lord in a communal spiritual setting - ie the temple and meeting and wishing fellow devotees Happy Deepavali.

What wonderful traditions I have been following for 30 years. I am glad I am back in Singapore to celebrate all of this with my family.

Home Made Deepavali Goodies

I know Deepavali is around the corner when my mom starts making traditional Deepavali sweets and savory items for the big day. She starts this process about 2 weeks before Deepavali. All her recipes are handed down over generations - from her mom (my grandma) and family friends and neighbors. People in those days took alot of pride in home made and hand made delicacies. They loved people coming over to their homes and enjoying their cooking. Such a wonderful sense of community. My mom continues to make complex things like muruku, mixture, maisurpark - at home - standing over the heated kwali. And the delicacies never fail to impress. I need to learn how to make these traditional fare. I have helped my mom with the pineapple tarts as a young gal but I don't really know how to make anything from scratch. This is an important part of my food heritage and I want to make sure that the legacy is not lost with my mom's generation.

My Little Krishna for Halloween

For Halloween I decided to dress up my five year old nephew as Lord Krishna. This was his choice. He loves Krishna - especially as baby Krishna or Kanna. In fact we often listen to songs about Kanna. And flip through beautiful paintings of Lord Krishna that I got him from India. Based on the pictures I was able to dress him up using alot of my dance jewelry, my dad's dhoti and my mom's necklace. He loved divine. Just like Kanna coming to life. Children have the spark of divinity in them. I felt blessed to be able to use my artistry and my dance/temple jewelry to adorn him. The energy that he gets by wearing all the ornaments handed down from his grandparents and his aunty (me) is incredibly powerful. I hope that he carries this energy with him throughout his life. Whether or not he is in costume.

Deepavali Fast Losing Significance

As Deepavali nears my mom often talks to me about the good old days when she used to celebrate Deepavali with so much pomp and pageantry. She spoke about how much fun she and her sisters had dressing up in the very best of Indian fashion and wearing the traditional long plait and with hair full of jasmine flowers. She talked about how she used to watch old movies and be inspired by the fashion of the various Tamil movie stars. Such a large contrast to the way Deepavali is celebrated in my time. There is really very little sense of community amongst the Indians today. Most of us are all over the world with relatives in multiple countries. Next year a big chunk of my family will migrate to Perth and the festivities will take on an even smaller significance in our lives. I feel sad that globalization, work pressures and business travel has made Deepavali so insignificant in the lives f many modern corporate professionals. We barely have time to go shopping for a new attire for Deepavali. And of course shopping in a haste takes away much of the joy of shopping and trying on new things. Oftentimes it almost feels like I am rushing to meet a deadline and ensure that I have a set of new clothes to wear to the temple on Deepavali. How does one recapture the spirit and significance of Deepavali? The triumph of inner light over darkness? I continue to search for a way that resonates with my deepest sensibilities and spirituality.

Pre Deepavali Shopping

Today I accompanied by mom to Little India to do some pre-deepavali shopping. Deepavali is on 8 Nov 2006 this year. So, this was essentially last minute shopping with mom. It is indeed the best time to go to Little India. There is a sense of joy and festivity in the air with all the shops doing brisk business and shop owners wishing you Happy Deepavali in Tamil. Wonderful energy. It is also the best time to shop because of the variety of things that one can get. Shops bring in an extensive collection of saris, suits and decorative items from India. And from different parts of India. Many vendors set up temporary stalls where they hawk colorful soft furnishing, kolams (floor designs) and delicacies (indian sweets). In terms of cultural education and arts and handicrafts this is a wonderful time to browse and learn. Indian medicinal and holy plants like the tulsi are also available for purchase. This is a great time to shop and to buy special indian products. I plan to visit Little India again in the next couple of days.

Fire Walking Festival & Climate Change

Yesterday we celebrated the fire-walking festival or Thimithi (Thi - means fire and Mithi means step) in Singapore. It started at 3am in the morning !!! Divine time. But the fire-walkers who had fasted for months before the event and observed rigorous practices to cleanse their physical and mental selves were met with rain. Of course there could be no walking in the fire pit during the rain. Dangerous to the walkers. The pit itself which is white hot is also designed to reach high temperatures which it cannot while raining. So the fire-walkers had to wait to walk. Many who were interviewed expressed disappointment - they had prepared hard and were all ready to walk - it was a bit anti-climatic. Many others also openly wondered what the Gods were saying. It seems it had NEVER rained in Singapore's history of the ThiMithi festival. So why now? To me the message was clear - the Gods were telling us - Climate Change - take care of the earth I have given you. A timely reminder from the divine.

Saraswati Puja at Home - Day 9

Yesterday was the final night of the Navarathiri festival. It was the Saraswati puja. We paid respects to the Goddess of knowledge, learning and the arts. I celebrated it in my mom's home. My mom had made vadaai, nuts and chakkara choru (sweet rice). We took books that represent our profession/trade and placed them in front of the altar. Unlike the previous years where I always chose law books (since I am a lawyer), this year I chose a book on Tamil culture and heritage and placed that on the altar. I asked Saraswati to guide me as I embarked on this wonderful journey to learn more about my glorious Tamil history, people and literature. Following my father's footsteps I want to spread Tamil knowledge around the world with the same passion and dedication that my dad did as a Tamil professor.

Goddess Festival - 7th Night

Today I received an invitation to attend a Kollu in a friend's friend's home. A Kollu is an elaborate altar of beautiful dolls and figures of Gods and Goddesses that is showcased during the Navarathiri festival in the homes of devout Hindus. A kollu is a massive undertaking. It requires the person hosting it to observe strict fasting schedule of at least a month prior to having the Kollu in their homes. It requires the host to perform various pujas and observe various traditions which are designed to celebrate mythology, culture and community. Maintaining spiritual purity of the heart and mind are also key during this festivities. The lady who invited me to her home, Anu, a Singapore Indian was very generous to share this beautiful occasion with me. She took us to her mom's home where the Kollu was held. Her mom, an elegant and cultured woman in her late 60s radiated much joy in being able to share her Kollu with us. She had lovingly done up the Kollu with little dolls inspired by folk traditions and mythology - all done very much in the spirit of love and devotion to the Goddess. Anu's mom explained to me that she has been erecting a Kollu at her home every Navarathiri since 1971 - ie for a continuos period of 35 years. She explained to us that the beauty that we see today in the Kollu is divinely inspired. As as instrument of the Goddess Aman she opens up her house for 9 nights to anyone who wants to partake in this beautiful spiritual tradition. And in the true spirit of Guest is God which captures the essence of Hindu hospitality she offers everyone sweets, dinner and a gift of textile, flowers and sandalwood paste. I felt truly blessed to have been able to partake in this beautiful ceremony in a home that was filled with so much love for the divine. Just before we left she did a little ceremony for me - she made me sit down and smeared sandalwood paste on my arms and put kungumam (red ash) on my forehead. This is a blessing that the elders give to the younger for good fortunate and prosperity. Instantly I felt close to her and part of a beautiful ancestral practice. I was also fortunate to share it with an English friend of mine - Adele England - who is currently working in Singapore. That is the beautiful thing about being in such a multi-racial and international city like Singapore - u get to share the very best of Indian culture and tradition in Singapore with foreigners who live and work here. I am sure for Adele, just like for me, this was a very special experience - going beyond the tourist spaces and expat hangouts - to real homes and partaking in real traditions.

Navarathiri Festival - Day 5

Today my Chinese galfriend and I went to the Chettiar temple at Tank Road to partake in the Navarathiri festivities. It was wonderful to be the temple which was beautifully decorated with little ferry lights and devotees who were watching the dance and music performance. I also saw a number of Western tourists from New Zealand and Australia come to watch the performance. The unfortunate thing is that they had no context or background to access the temple culture or its traditions. They were outsiders and none of the temple priests or devotees were really interested in giving them an insider's view. So, I decided to help decode some of the dance anad performances for them. I explained the significance of having artists celebrate and glorify the Lord and how in olden days many dancers were attached to temples and danced and sang at temple puja every now. Now this is no longer practiced. In Singapore part-time dancers fill this role. The dancers we saw tonite were all quite junior dancers and looked like they were students who were also pursuing dance on the side. That is the reality of learning the arts outside of India. One cannot pursue it professionally and full-time. There isn't that level of demand to sustain an artist. Also the great masters are all still in India and hardly travel to other countries. So on the supply side too - it is difficult to find instructors and costumers and other specialist professionals who can help a dancer attain high standards. In the olden days in Tamil Nadu, the great kings who built temples were also the patron of the arts and they ensured that they supported the temple dancers very generously. Today unless foundations and other donors come forward and offer scholarships and financial support the art form remains a rich kid's hobby. Both within and outside India.

Goddess Festival in Singapore

Navarathiri is now being celebrated in the temples in Singapore. Literally translated from English in Tamil to mean Nine Nights, Navarathiri is a dedicated to three Goddess in the Hindu pantheon - Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Three days are dedicated to each goddess in the 9 days of festivities. Each goddess represents and embodies a virtue - Durga for Valor, Lakshmi for Wealth and Saraswati for Knowledge. My fondest memories of Navarathiri were dancing in the shows in the temples in the evenings. I remember one of my first public performances as a dancer was for a Navarathiri festival when I was four years old. It was in a small temple just after Little India and I and many other tiny dancers proudly took to the stage to do a simple dance item. Years later as a much more seasoned artist I continued to dance in many other temples during the Navarathiri festival in Singapore. It was always such an honor for me to perform. I will visit the Chettiar temple tomorrow with some of my non-Indian friends who want to participate in the festivities and to watch one of the dance concerts (for free) in the temple grounds. It is a sacred, spiritual and beautiful time to be in the temple absorbing the arts, music and the very best of indian spirituality.