Madi kodi and Thenpadi Thaligai

After about 6 years I was motivated to write a post on this blog. Recently we had a divine experience of hosting Sri Ahobhila Muth Navaneetha Krishnan Perumal Thirumanjanam at our house. While we were prepping for this event, I constantly thought about how my paatis and chittis maintained Madi in the house. For them it was an everyday affair and not on one single day madi was jeopardized (Shhhhh!!! The days when Swetha gargled on the Nadu Mitham were exceptions).

We had three kitchens in Chidambaram. One was popularly called as a Coffee Hall. Here is where a Gas Stove with a cylinder present. Ladies in six yards Sarees are allowed in this hall. Only Coffee could be prepared in this kitchen. Our Raju Thattha's duty is to make filter Coffee in the morning for all the household members and can be drunk before taking shower. Occasionally Radha chitti makes Aloo Gobhi in this kitchen. Only grand kids could enjoy that as it might have Onion Garlic. Other than that, this kitchen is just used for storage.

Then comes the main kitchen where Thenpadi Thaligai is made. As far as I remember, there was no gas stove brought to this kitchen. All food were prepared with a regular veragu aduppu and I have seen only Booma Patti as the chief chef cooking all during the day. This kitchen is a big space with a nadu Mitham. Married Ladies should wear Madisar to enter in this kitchen. They are allowed to change only after the Perumal Aradhanm is over. This Thaaavaram has a perumal Modai where our Thatha does daily aradhanam for perumal. There is also a big space for us to sit and eat and is immediately Shanitized (I think Sanitizer must have been derived from here) after the meal is over.

There is another exclusive kitchen maintained for Madi Thaligai (extra special for days when strict Madi has to be maintained) No one enters this kitchen (Well Nobody saw us here when we played Hide and Seek  :0)) I have seen Thaligai being made in this kitchen twice in my lifetime, Once for Pongal and once again for Mangali pondugal.

Kodi madi is seen on almost every ceiling of the kitchen and Kolla thavaram. Badri was a baby then, and nobody else could have reached that high. There were always extra Madi clothes hanging during emergencies. Madi sarees and Veshtis are hung there immediately after they are washed and are left for drying.

Dint I Tell u?

She is singing Mangalani

How to name it?

It would be during the summer annual holidays that we normally gather. Since it would be sultry,the place the most time we would spend in the house would be the Vaasal Varanda, where many people could come in and go out for the grocery stores. The regular amuzement through out the day would be counting the number of buses that comes from chennai and looking for the "Subashree" bus at 8.00 in the morning.

Our next door neighbour was an Iyer that had lot of children. Two of our friends were Uma and her sister Shuba. Playing with them in the vaasal, and looking for Ilaneer (tender cocunut water) and Nongu (palm fruit) man in the afternoons were some of our daily tasks. Raju thatha used to buy Ilaneer or nongu depending upon the availabilty and pierce/peel them in the Nadu Mittham, the sink. We would drink and have the tender cocunut peeled out from him and eat them again in the vaasal.

Afternoons would be very boring sometimes because our villain, Kicha Mama would take his nap on the easy chair and would give a knock on our heads if we make noise. so we would wait for the gentleman to have his coffee and move back to work. Then our maid, Thillaiamma would come and sweep the whole house again. She would bring a pail of water mixed with cowdung to do the vaasal and puts some kind of Kolam in the nadu vaasal. I had chances to do this, as I was the person ever ready to work with Shaani. Sometimes I take the job of cleaning the dining hall with the cowdung.

Evenings are mostly the dressup times. Raju thatha buys garlands of malligaipoo everyday and would keep them fresh in the coffee-kitchen with water sprinkled on. They are saved for Perumal aradhanai for the next day. We use the flowers in the evenings. Girls dress up with Paavadai chattai and have the garland of poo all over the hair. I still remember Swetha who had a very short hair when she was little, wanted the flowers to hit her legs. So, she would keep a lengthy garland of flowers that would be taller than her. Wearing the Valaiyal, Malai, Sticker pottu, Nail Polish shopped from the Darsana Kadai would also go along with grooming. Poor boys, they wouldnt get anything.

So, before we go to bed, to protect us from the anonymous eyeballs that watched us from morning through evening, she would do a drishti suthal in the kitchen near the perumal modai. The whole family would stand in kitchen both the children and grand children and would go the slogan... "Anthi kappu, santhi kaapu, thirumanthi kappu... erapartha kanna eranga pakkadai, erangai partha kanna era pakkade..."

When it is done, she would keep the black combustion dust on our nethi which would be as dark that it would not erase even the next morning. And the smell of the camphor would be rejenuvating that we could go to bed peacefully.

No Substitute for Dhanyasi

One day I was invited for a house warming function at a relative's place in the US. When the priest finished all his rituals he asked me to sing for Harathi. Altough I knew several common song, I sang 'Mangalani Sannu Koti' at the spur of the moment. The priest enjoyed that and told me that its a very uncommon song that he has never listened to it anywhere and wanted lyrics for that.

But it is not so for the D.S family. The Synonym of Manjaneer itself is 'Mangalani'. Although several ladies sing it from every corner, there would be one voice that comes with utmost strength and involvement and that would be hers. She had a very huskier voice and a lower sruthi like D.K.P. Whenever there is a time for Manjaneer, She would be the first lady to stand in the front to sing it. There is also an other Mangalam that she has popularised within the family which is 'Sri ramachadranukku jaya Mangalam'. I think she sings it in Dhanyasi.

During the Pre-trinity music festival held in Nashville a couple of weeks before, we had to sing Bhajana Sampradaya songs and Dr.Mahadevan taught us "Sri ramachandranukku" in Suruti. But I remained silent through out. I could not enjoy it and dint want to sing it.

An email from my dad

Personal loss

This has been a personal loss to me which i unable to overcome.
Believe it or not she is in my dreams daily thru my sleep.
Consoling myself and family

We dint lose you honey

When she was in her final days, my parents had been telling me to talk with her. I had a chance to do although I dint understand what she spoke. I felt very sorry for her. Then I realised this poor lady is going to depart from us very soon. Also the very moment I decided if I have another baby girl, she will be her.

To my astonishment, we found out a little girl in the sonogram. This little pumpkin not just resembles her in her butt, but also shares a similar taste bud. When I was in my first trimester, the little one did not approve any of the garlic and onion foods. I immediately threw up. Also she has a very good appetite unlike my older one. I have to grab food for every other hour. I am left without much choice.

I was and am quite crazy about naming kids with a Raga name, We named Roma as Padmalakshmi for Namakarnam and I named her Ahiri for a Raga Name. No wonder she could survive without eating for days. I have decided to name Arabhi for this one. Who knows they might couple up to sing as Ahiri-Arabhi sisters?