I am interrupting my series about temple visits to announce a very happy event – I am now grandmother to my fifth grandchild, and my very first granddaughter! Vivian Lakshmi arrived exactly on her due date, proving that she takes after her grandmother who likes being organised and on time! You know, I have long worshipped Goddess Lakshmi. When I was in my mid-twenties, my mother gave me a little notebook in which she had handwritten the 108 names of the Goddess. She asked me to recite them every day, but I didn’t – sorry Amma! Quite a few years later, it suddenly dawned on me that I should do ..read more

Prelude This is a continuation of the travelogue I started with my last post. I am featuring kritis (compositions) related to the Kshetras (holy places) that I visited in my travels recently. In my last post, I left off after an early morning Darshan at Guruvayur, from where I continue now. The Travelogue Part 2: Thiruvantapuram I have enjoyed the pre-dawn visit to the temple; I like these early hours so very much! There is something about these pre-dawn hours which call to my soul. We leave Guruvayur after a good breakfast. I look out of the car window, as we cross one village after another ..read more

Prelude: It has been just a couple of weeks since we returned from a trip to India. First, there was a grand celebration of a wedding in Bangalore then a joyful 70th birthday party in Kochi. After that, we went on a pilgrimage, but I hesitate to call it that for surely a pilgrimage needs to be done with a certain degree of hardship, don’t you think? So perhaps I shall just call it a trip to see temples! It’s been a bit over a year since my spinal surgery, so this was a kind of thanks to all the Gods. It was also a lets-get-prepared-for-a-tough-year trip as my husband is scheduled for a knee re ..read more

I opened my eyes slowly. My view of the world was strange, puzzling me for a moment. It registered soon that I was on the floor of the bathroom, face down. The tiles on the floor formed an interesting pattern from that angle. I had got up in the night to visit the bathroom, which is not unusual for me. I had checked my phone, it was about 2:40 am. I felt a bit unwell on the toilet seat and tried to hold on to the wall as darkness had swept over me. That didn’t work very well, it seems! I got off the floor rather shakily and went to wash my hands. The face in the mirror scared me as one side w ..read more

नववर्षाभिनन्दनम्, புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்! Ramanavami is just a few days away, so I convey my greetings for that occasion too! रामनवमी शुभाशयाः ! ராமநவமி வணக்கங்கள்! If you are lucky enough, perhaps you will get to hear a lot of live Carnatic Music at this time of the year. My ‘cultural’ immersion was last month. March started with a concert by Sanjeev Abhyankar. I have adored his music ever since I chanced upon his videos some 10+ years back. So, it was very exciting for me to finally hear him live. Oh! What a wonderful, ecstatic experience it was! His voice is just out of the world! What m ..read more

शिवरात्रि शुभाशयाः ! சிவராத்ரி வாழ்த்துக்கள்! Shivaratri Greetings! Prayers to the Lord to protect us always! I have such a great affection for the Lord in his form of Nataraja, the Dancing Lord. What is it about this particular depiction of Shiva which fascinates me so? There is elegance and beauty in the form, but of course! I am sure that everyone will agree that the bronze-casts of Tamil Nadu are second to none. But there is more than that. That unperturbed face seems to be quite in opposition to the vigour of the Tandava, for surely the dance must be vigorous to make the hair fly so! On ..read more

Happy Saraswati Puja! For those South Indians wondering if they have read right, yes, indeed it is Vasanta Panchami (वसन्तपञ्चमी) which is celebrated as Saraswati Puja in many parts of India. After 42 years of being married to a Bengali, I happily celebrate Her twice a year! The community here celebrates this annually but on a smaller scale than Durga Puja. Saraswati Puja is the day when young children will be initiated into their first steps in learning. Our family too has seen young ones take their first steps of education during this month of தை or मघ. I’m happy to say that my eldest gran ..read more

जय श्री राम ! ஸ்ரீ ராம ஜெயம் ! Hail Lord Rama! I have been following the news about Ayodhya for quite some time. Now that it has reached its date for प्राण प्रतिष्ठा (prANa pratishTHA) when the विग्रह (vigraha) will be ceremoniously consecrated, the internet has been inundated with content on Ayodhya. It has all reached a feverish pitch now, hasn’t it! I have been spending more time on checking out these videos than I should, I confess. Well, I couldn’t let the moment pass without posting a suitable song to celebrate the occasion. So here I am, rather sooner than normal! So, what have I learn ..read more

Note Before: I cannot write this post without mentioning how sad I am at the passing of O.S.Thyagarajan and Rashid Khan in recent weeks. The world of music has suffered a loss. I have only heard them online, not even once on a live stage, yet their passing has left me grieving. I am, at present, re-studying the Gita. I am told that death is no more than a change of clothes for the Atma. So why the grief? But there it is…and life goes on. My very best wishes to those who celebrate Pongal / Makara Sankranti! May the Gods bless all of us with abundance! Curious, I looked up a Tamil dictionary to ..read more

Yet one more year is coming to a close. Has it been a good one for you? 2023 was a hard one for me. I clung to my faith for strength. I honestly don’t know how people without faith manage! Thankfully, I have made it safely to the end of this year with God’s blessings. I am sharing my story with you, my dear readers, in the hope that those with major health issues may take heart from it. It’s a long story; if you only want the music, just jump on to the end! This post is about me and so is the picture. Taken in October 2023, in front of Ma Durga. But first, a very Happy New Year to all of you ..read more