happy b'day ganesha!

"வாக்குண்டாம் நல்ல மனமுண்டாம்

மாமலராள் நோக்குண்டாம்

மேனி நுடங்காது பூ கொண்டு

துப்பார் திருமேனி தும்பிக்கையான் பாதம்

தப்பாமல் சார்வார் தமக்கு !!!"

one of the earliest slokaas i learnt!

when i was a baby,amma used to sing "pillayaarappa periyappa! kuttimma va konjam kaappaathu!" in her own made-up tune to make me sleep.those few months when she grew me up.

i was grown up by my grandparents and uncles in my formative years.my grandma's house has this "kutti pillayar" affixed in the compound wall that we usually find outside homes facing a dead end street.i grew up watching my grandpa doing pooja everyday to pillayar that i started calling it "pillayaaruku panradhu" meaning doing pooja to HIM. so everyday, as a little kid,i used to rush outside with fresh flowers grown at home in my hands along with grandpa - "pillayaaruku panradhuku" !! and that's where my affinity towards GOD started!my daily prayers,slokas,bhajans,and even the "poi sonnaa ummaachi kannai kuththum" started with this pillayar only!

little business deals were a common affair.for all that he does for me,a bribery of a coconut or lighting a camphor was all that he expects from me.or maybe,i have asked him to expect from me!

so vinaayaka chathurthi is a major treat,for my pillayaar will be an epitome of grandeur! thanks to grandpa's decorative skills,the pleasure he takes in bathing the deity to dressing him up majestically. those days when i used to go from one place to another to get the best "umbrella" and a cute clay-idol (with the beads fixed neatly as eyes) are still etched in my memory canvas.of course,till recently,kozhukattai was only home-made and not sold at sweet shops.i gobble half of what is made at home!

with prayers,thanks-givings,pooja,kozhukattai,and silent deals with HIM(?!!) it's a special day for HIM,or should i say, for me? ;-)

நாம் ஒன்று தொடங்க
நலமாக நடத்திடுவான்
நாள் எல்லாம் நமக்கு
நாயகன் துணை வருவான் !

happy b'day ganesha! thanks for all that you've given me,still giving me,and hopefully more in store!