Vanakam

An hour bus journey and then into work. So much morning traffic noise it is difficult to retain peace… I tried to focus on my breathing – it helped. I hopped off the bus and weaved my way through the traffic. I found myself drifting towards a coffee kiosk. A well-built man wearing a ‘lungi’(piece of material covering the lower part of the body, much like a skirt), poured me a small glass of hot sweet milk with a hint of coffee flavor and took 6 rupees from my hand. I sipped away and began to feel the noise of the traffic drift into the background.

 The eerie sound of a man singing from within an enclosed shrine across the road enchanted me. I finished my coffee and made my way over to investigate. It was a shrine for worship of the god Ganesh: The Protector (with an elephant’s head). A family sat around the shrine handing out bowls of food to everyone who passed. It was their son’s first birthday. I said hello to the young boy, who, like most other children I’ve met here seemed incredibly shocked to see me and buried his face in his mother’s shoulder. I laughed and took the food happily.After eating the dish of mushy rice with cashew nuts and fennel seeds I slipped off my shoes and waited outside the shrine until I was allowed to enter. The priest who had been singing, wore only a lungi, and had a red and white powders across his brow. He beckoned me in.

It was a small space and I had to duck my head to get inside. The air was cool and my nostrils filled with the smell of incense. I took my place next to a statue of Ganesh which was painted black and adorned in bright flower garlands. It left me with a two curious conflicting feelings; that of being in the presence of something powerful and great but also that of serenity and peace. The priest, (only of the Brahman caste*) lifted a plate with two bowls and a candle to me and welcomed me to carry out my worship. I put my hands together and proclaimed ‘Nandri’ to the priest then turned to Genesh and bowed my head. I dipped my finger in the first bowl: red turmeric and lemon powder. I placed a red dot in the centre of my forehead between my eyebrows. I then moved to the next bowl: a white chalky powder. This I rubbed across my brow leaving behind a white stripe. The priest beamed a warm, toothless smile and then handed me two flowers from the statue’s garland for me to put in my hair.

Before I left I placed my hand above the flame of the candle until my hand was warm and washed this heat over my head from my forehead to the back of my neck.

I felt immediately relaxed and made my way out of the cool shrine into the warm heat of the sun. Three men stood waiting to come into the shrine and as I passed, they told me ‘Very good! Very good!’

I slipped my shoes back on and made my way to work.

Every day in this wonder-land I find myself in a new, magical, fulfilling situation. Every day, something new grips me by the heart and makes me smile.

*The Brahman caste is the high end of the Castes. A caste represents a social status. When a Hindu is born into that caste that is where they are destined to be. The Brahman are the only caste that can be a priest, doctor etc and they are untouchable by all other castes. This is something that still stands strong in Indian culture, but can also prohibit the lower castes from developing themselves. Different castes cannot be in a relationship and cannot marry. If they were to do this without their family’s consent, they would be shunned and have to leave their community.

My morning visit to the shrine

This is Ganesh: Son of Siva and Parvati, brother to Murgam.

His story goes like this: One day, Parvati, wife of Lord Siva sat down to meditate. She asked Ganesh to watch over her so she could be peaceful. So, that is what he did. His father Siva soon came and tried to to see his wife, but Ganesh would not let him in. He didn't want to defy his Mother's orders. This angered Siva so much that he cut of Ganesh's head. Parvati emerged from her meditation and, as you would expect, was extremely distraught. She cried and she cried 'How could a father do this to his son?' Siva, seeing the tears in his wife's eyes, saw the error in his ways and was ordered by Parvati to fetch her son a new head. Lord Siva then sent his army to source a new head for his son Ganesh. He demanded that they find a suitable head that was looking North. The army looked all over the land and could not find a single person facing North. They were worried that this would enrage their god. They looked far and wide until they came across a heard of elephants... facing north. Using great intuition, they selected one of the elephants, cut off it's head and returned to their god. Siva placed the head upon Ganesh and thus he was reborn: Ganesh, The Protector.