A Story on how Chennai celebrates its festive days
One would not
be wrong in saying that, to a Tamilian,
a trip to Chennai is like pilgrimage. The smell of the land, the aroma of its
coffee, the fragrance of the malli pu (Jasmine flowers) and of
course the sonorous beauty of their divine Tamil makes them feel they attain
Nirvana whenever they land in Chennai.
Having stayed
in Chennai for almost a year now, I am getting to understand why this is so.
This is a land steeped in tradition, gradually embracing modernity, but at its
own terms. It is a rare city that is ever changing yet never changing.
While to the
rest of world, the city might seem ritualistic, to the Chennaite, it is a way
of life.
So, if it is
a Thursday, the restaurants serving non vegetarian food would see less traffic.
If it is a Tuesday, Hanuman temples would see huge rush.
In Rahu
Kalam (as per Tamil calendar, an inauspicious period), no Chennaite
would start something new and if it is Aadi Masam (an inauspicious month),
business would come to a grinding halt!
These
religious beliefs are not restricted to home. They segue seamlessly through the
office home continuum.
Many
employees celebrate their birthdays twice- one- their star birthday, with
family, in a temple and two - the date birthday, with friends, possibly
partying!
But, to me,
the thing that really stands out in Chennai is the way it treats its leaders,
the Human Gods.
The leader’s
birthday is a day to rejoice, a day to proclaim your respect for your leader,
to do social service, to pray to God to give him/her long life.
I’m lucky
that I witnessed two of these grandiose celebrations.
On 24th
February, 2013, the Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha ( Amma to all followers) turned 65 and the city
went berserk with joy.
Posters,
banners, bus shelters, bill boards – any and every medium of communication in
Chennai had only one message – Amma, best wishes for your birthday.
What came out
more sharply was the deification…Eulogies, Accolades, Compliments, Encomiums,
Paeans, Plaudits pouring in, in chaste Tamil. It seemed as if there was a competition
between Chennaites on who wrote best!
Sample these
–
Her
Birth Star is Bharani, She will rule the Dharani ( Sanskrit and Tamil for
World)
She is sacred like river Mother
Kaveri, never going dry.
She is the precious child of Sandhya(
her mother’s name), Puratchi Thalaivi( Revolutionary Leader) for everyone. The
party cadre is not old enough or wise enough to bless her. It seeks blessings
from her.
This one in English…Film Industry is
Proud of you Amma! In her three Decades of Public Life, Her Nerve never
Relaxed, Her Eyes Never Blenched, Her Thought Never Wandered, Her Perseverence
Has Won, She is a Flower of Chivalry, Nature’s Divine Gift to the Nation..
While the
cynics might dismiss them as attention grabbing techniques used by sycophants,
to impress the lady in power, another birthday changed my view completely.
On 12/12/12,
the Tamil Super Star Rajinikanth celebrated his birthday
and the City looked no different. There was only one face that was visible
everywhere, that of Thalaivar( the
Head, in Tamil) Rajinikanth.
His fans celebrated
THE birthday with early morning Palabhishekham
(milk bath), blood donation and food donation camps and continued to have a
field day in their eulogies. Sample these-
All that
glitters is not gold. All who speak aren’t leaders. All smiles are not smileys,
To live is not living, You are the only true leader. We are celebrating our
leader’s birthday by conducting food donation.
Uyire, Uyire
– you are our life, you are our life.
Your breath
is our life, your speech is our language, your smile is our happiness, The
everest who conquered our hearts, The Magnet that attracts the poles, Your name
is our only Mantra, We are not old enough to bless, so we bow in front of you.
As I
reflected on the power that they hold over people, I asked myself whether I was
being naive in thinking of them as mere Mortals.
For, who but
a celestial being could have timed his birthday to such perfection? Who but the
Thalaivar
could have turned 63, completed 36 years of Cinema on 12/12/12, all multiples of
9?
And, who but
the divine Amma could have influenced the adopted son of Chennai –
Mahender Singh Dhoni to celebrate her birthday with a super charged double
century, that too at Chepauk?
I sign off,
with the clear realization that, in Chennai, the pantheon of gods keeps
growing. Neither does their power wane, nor does the devotion to them!
