Pooja.....

Today is vijayadhashami...I used to "pooja vaikal" my study materials.This the first year in memory which i didnot do that...Because Icompleted my studies.These were the days i always used to wait during my school days.No studies at all...a big relief actually...during my college years i didnt wait actually..because all days were like pooja holidays except for study leave before semester exams...

During my lower primary and upper primary school days we used to take all our study materials to an "ashram" in our place.There are a lot of swamis in that ,what do you call,monastery.They are the ones who dont do any miracles and so genuine.But they can calm your mind with their looks and words and they are considering themselves to be one among us,although they are much above us...I always love the smell of "sarpagandhi" flower in the courtyard of that ashram.

so in durgashtami evening we would go to the ashram and give our study materials.Then after we shouldnot read anything....but truth is that we read anything and everything we saw because of the temptation to do something which we are told not to do.we didn't pick and read ,but suppose we were seeing a film we were eager to know who all worked behind it only during pooja holidays...:)

Then after 2 nights and one day..we would go to the ashram again on vijayadhashmi morning.There will be a lot of kids there doing their "vidyarambham".swamis writing on their tongue "harishree ganapathaye namah" using a golden ring.We take back our books we give "dakshina" to the swami...Then there will be a treat by the swamis.....
"Avil,pazham etc"....swamis doesnt like tea...so hot water will be given....when the glass came,i always expected tea but was sad to find hot water..:)

Then on sand we will write all the malayalam letters we learned ...starting with.."om..harishreeganapathaye namah"..Then.."swaraksharangal" and "vygananksharangal"

We will come back to home and will take a plate full of "kuthari"...we will repeat the thing we performed on sand...after that we will take one book out and read one paragraph and straight to ground to have a final one-day match before the start of class next day...