Ganesh Chaturthi and a trip to Udupi, toh 'these are a few of my favourite things' wala post toh banta hai.
This time there was a lot of ' same same' in terms of emotions, like each year. The same things attracted. What was 'different' , was the reaction .
All these years, I have been a clinger.. clinger to the past, ruing every change.
This year, that changed.
My camera gallery still has the same or similar frames this year, the love for the familiar. But my emotional response to them has been of love. Just love. No hint of any sadness there. An acceptance...and not a helpless acceptance of an inevitability as some landmarks disappear while others face the ravages of time.. Just an acceptance.
Each time we go to Udupi, one of my favourite drives, is through the village of Mulki. Mulki is about 30 kms from Mangalore and 30 Kms from Udupi.
My parents had made it a point to visit the temple there, each time we went to our native village, and then the husband and I made our own ritual of visiting this temple, on our way to Udupi, soon after we landed at the Bajpe airport.
As we leave the highway and cruise along the narrow, winding roads, along side compound walls of bricks cut out of laterite stone, the stone which is now a dark brown, very damp and green with moss and sprouting out fresh shoots of ferns.
The very Konkani houses are easily identified by the ratnagandhi trees abounding with the orange flowers. The hibiscus plants are laden with the bright red flowers and then there are other plants from the same family, with flowers in shades of yellow, pink and even mauve.
Then there are houses, which open out directly on to the street. From the half open double doors or through the bars of an open window, I shamelessly peer inside, looking for the familiar 'chowk -mallya ghar', looking for signs of activity in the house. But most houses are quiet. It is around 12.00 pm in the afternoon. But because it is Ganpati time, there are women working in groups outside a few houses, removing the weeds and other undergrowth along the walls of the house.. draped in bright sarees,, a flower or a gajra adorning every head, chit chatting as they run their scythes through the grass.
We drive into the temple square and I quickly mark the stores which are open. When we were children,. the parents would buy some potato papad, sun dried wheat vermicilli, jackfruit papads and other such ' gaonche khaana' - delicacies not freely available then despite the odd Mangalore store in the vicinity of our home in mumbai. As an adult, with a more discerning taste (of the tongue), I am now closely looking at the bunches of banana hanging outside every store, seeking out the 'rasbale banana'. I know of 5 varieties of bananas, the local mumbai one, then the Putbale - which are the size of our fingers and somewhat similar in taste to our elaichi bananas. I am not sure if they are the same. Then there is the Nandrabale variety - ie the Kerala banana . Then comes the plump and bright yellow skinned Mysore banana. Medium in length, this variety is sweet with a hint of sour and is looked down upon by the spouse. And then there is the Rasbale . to the untrained eye it is a paler version of the Mysore banana. But flavour wise,'' ek baar khaaye toh hamesha yaad rahe ''.
Making a mental note to buy those, I enter the temple.
The temples in Mangalore have more or less a similar plan. You enter and find yourself in an aangan. It forms the outer Pradakshina Patha of the temple. It will have a Tulasi vrindavan, Dhwajastambha, a brass Deepastambha - the one here is mounted on the back of a tortoise or should I say, Kurma. We cross this aangan and pass through another dwara. On both sides of this, are wide, waist high platforms which extend on all 4 sides. These platforms are called the zagali. In front of the zagali is another angan and directly in front is the sanctum sactorum, called the 'garbha ghudi'. This angan is the inner pradakshina marga.
I find the familiar sights and miss some. The priest disbursing the 'tirtha and gandha and flowers' still sits in his corner as is the 'mama' who collects and hands out reciepts of monetary offerings made, or sevas which are booked. the whole area fragrant with the gaandha, tirtha and flowers
As I undertake my 'soottoo' - the pradakshina around the sanctum, I miss the familiar sight of the very young or very old priests who would be making the 'gaandha; - sandalwood paste, by rubbing a thick sandalwood stick on a 'saane'.
And then comes into my line of vision ,the soot covered wooden bars beyond which the naivedya is cooked . And the whiff of a cooling hearth, the odd ember, glowing, still emitting that woody fragrance of the wood fired choolha. ... some steam rising from a covered utensil or two.... rice .. says the mind.
I smile and continue walking. then comes the well and the familiar sights of the gleaming copper 'kolso' - the copper pots used to draw water from the well. Pots of various sizes. all of them dented at one or more places, as they would have hit the walls of the well sometimes.. the dents , the distinct shape of the pots . all a marker of their age.
Mulki is one place known for it's Oracle. I have evocative memories of having witnessed one such ceremony as a child.
My father always said, the GSB community is a small one.. and he would show it by cupping his palm. For the first time we decided to have a coffee at a small restaurant outside the temple. It is past twelve in the afternoon and only Poori Bhaji is available. we order a plate each and some coffee. The kitchen is visible and I can see the cook, light a gas, roll out the puris, place the bhaji and chutney in the plats while the puris are getting fried. He is making the coffee now, and I spy a satchet of Nescafe Sunrise instant coffee in his hand. Instant ka funda has breached through this sleepy little hotel, with 4 tables.
There are 2 other tables which are occupied ans as both parties overhear each others conversations, it turns out that we are cousins, who had not met for more than 2 decades. Happiness! Much banter ensues. happy memories are recounted.. there is much laughter and they also take care of our bill !
The first fhour of my trip had been an enjoyable one.
Adding a lot of pictures to this post.
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