NOSTALGIE!
Having been born in the North to mixed parentage ( North & South) connect with great ease regarding the soaking and washing of the Earthen Diyas.
Making the cotton wicks ,adding oil with utmost care over the handmade wicks.
Keeping them all ready on wooden trays to be transported to the terrace as well as the garden wall and gate.
My dear Mothe would light the குதி விலக்கு ( kuthi vilakku) that was the centre piece in our Pooja mandapam with 5 wicks one for each of our family member.
Mother would light the lamp talking of her Mother and Father ,adorn kumkumam on the golden bell-metal Kerala -style lamp.
I have it with me today and have been lighting the same with my children and grandchildren.
We all would chant our SHLOKAMs and then chant with folded hands and closed eyes the special SHLOKAM -Mahalakshmyashtakam .
Then all the earthen lamps would be lit and each of us would arrange the lamps with great care equidistantly on the terrace wall, on the garden wall wherever we found space.
According to our dear Father all dark corners and even bathrooms would get a glowing lamp that would spread that exclusive golden light special to oil lamps.
So many memories, so many voices and shadows from the past coming to life vividly !
Sweet and yet so very sad!
My Mother used to quote Shelley a poet she admired no end :
Our sweetest songs are those tell of saddest thought!
Am going to take some liberty by changing this immortal statement to
Our sweetest thoughts are indeed those that are the saddest !
Wonder as to why the past always seems more beautiful than the present!!!
🙏🕉🙏SHUBHA DEEPAVALI🙏🕉🙏 TO ONE & ALL!🙏🏻🪔🔆🪔🙏🏻
P.S.
And today is the 6th December 2022 and in the South of Bharat we celebrate காட்டிக் தீபமஂ- कार्तिक दीपोत्सवम्.
Thinking of Amma, Mausi, Bai with whom.as a child I recall having made Pori undai (खील-गुड़ के लड्डू and lighting lamps for brothers!
In truth are we not All Brothers & Sisters???
*शुभस्य कार्तिक दीपोत्सव* ।
This year Kartik Deepam falls on the same day as 6 years ago and strangely I checked that 19th December 2003 the day Our Dearest Mausi left us was Ekadashi and this year too it is सफला एकादशी!
🙏🕉🙏🕉🙏
