Diwali Legiyam

Diwali Legiyam  (தீபாவளி லேகியம்)

This is a digestive prepared during Diwali and eaten early in the morning to ensure that the heavy food consumed this time gets digested easily. This is one of the most important things in the Diwali list at home.

Ingredients

1. Sukku (சுக்கு) (dry ginger)               25 gm
2. Kandanthippili (கண்டந்திப்பிலி)      25 gm
3. Arisi thippili  (அரிசி திப்பிலி)          25 gm
4. Parangipattai   (பரங்கிப்பட்டை)      25 gm
5. Sitharathai   (சித்தரத்தை)           25 gm
6. Milagu  (மிளகு) (pepper)          25 gm
7. Dhaniya (தனியா) (coriander seeds)   15 gm
8. Jeera  (சீரகம்)            10 gm
9. Omam   (ஓமம்)      20 gm
10.Adhimaduram  (அதிமதுரம்)   25 gm
11. Jadhikkai   (ஜாதிக்காய்)           1/2
12. Jadipathiri (ஜாதிப்பத்திரி)      5 gm
13. Elakkai (ஏலக்காய்) (Cardamom)  10 gm
14. Ginger   (இஞ்சி)         50 gm
15. Jaggery    (வெல்லம்)  1/2 kg
16. Ghee (நெய்)        100 gm
17. Honey  (தேன்)     100 gm

Dry roast ingredients number 1 to 13 separately one after the other. Take care not to over heat. Powder all the roasted ingredients together and sieve.

Dissolve jaggery in water, heat slightly and filter it. Take the filtered jaggery water in a pan (kadai) and boil it.

Grind the ginger and take out the juice. Keep this juice aside for a few minutes so that the sediment settles below. We will be using only the clear ginger water on top. Add this ginger water to the boiling jaggery. Add the honey and let the solution boil for some more time. Before  the jaggery reaches the paagu consistency but boils very well, add the sieved powder. Keep stirring till it thickens slightly. Add the ghee little by little to the thickening mixture. Once it starts leaving the sides of the pan, it is ready to be taken off the stove.

This legiyam is in the consistency of halwa and can be shaped into balls and eaten. As mentioned above it is a great digestive and helps our tummy when attacked by diwali sweets and savouries.

This medicinal legiyam can be made not just during Diwali but anytime one feels to have a natural digestive medicine.

Diwali Recipe : Adhirasam

Adhirasam (அதிரசம்)

I tried adhirasam for the first time yesterday and it came out well. I got the recipe from my mother

Ingredients:

Rice flour  (அரிசி மாவு)  : 2 cups
Jaggery   (வெல்லம்)    : 1 1/4 cup
Cardamom powder ( ஏலக்காய் பொடி) : 1/2 tsp
Ghee (நெய்)                    : 3 tsp
Oil (எண்ணெய்)  : for deep frying
Water  (தண்ணீர்)   : as required

Dissolve jaggery in water, heat it slightly and then filter it. Boil the filtered jaggery water well until huge bubbles form on the surface. This is much before any string consistency.

Take the rice flour in a wide bowl and part it circularly in the centre (like a well). Now, add the boiled jaggery to it and stir well with a ladle. Ensure there are no lumps. Let this mixture cool. Add cardamom powder and ghee to the cooled rice mixture and knead it well.

Heat the oil in a saucepan (kadai). In the meanwhile, take a small ball of the mixture the size of a lemon and flatten to the size of a puri on a greased plastic sheet. You can do this with your fingers.

 

Drop the puri into the hot oil and deep fry.

Once it becomes slightly brown, press it well with the help of two spoons to ensure any excess oil is drained and keep it aside to cool. Repeat the same procedure for the balance dough.

Adhirasam is ready to be enjoyed for Diwali!

 NOTE: In case one adhirasam breaks in the oil, then probably the jaggery is more. The taste varies with different qualities of rice/jaggery. Do check and add a few more tsp of flour if required.

Slippers - Lost & Found

Slippers - Lost & Found

The trip to Rameswaram for the wedding was very eventful, but the most hilarious thing was the story of lost and found slippers, not just one pair but two.

It started like this, when we were in the train on the way to Rameswaram, a couple in the same coupe got down at Ramanathapuram very early in the morning. When we reached Rameswaram, Amma got up and searched for her slipper and found that one was hers and the other belonged to the lady who had got down earlier. Lord knows how that lady who was at least 6-7 months pregnant managed to wear such mismatched slippers and walk!

As there was no other choice, Amma had to wear the other mismatched pair and walk down the station. She managed up to the Kalyana mandapam and gave up after that. Since it was quite early in the morning, we could not manage to find a shop to buy a new pair for her. Meanwhile I had left my slippers in the Kalyana Mandapam entrance like everybody else and after Vratham and lunch, I came out to find that mine were missing.

Now both of us were barefoot but managed to get into an auto to the lodge! Amma was too tired to go to the market and said she will manage without slippers for the day. In the evening we all got ready for the janavaasam and reached the mandapam. I had a casual look at the many pairs of slippers lying there and managed to find mine! Obviously somebody had worn them by mistake and had brought them back. First thing I did was to hide my slippers behind one of the pillars.

The story does not end here. Next day during the Muhurtham, I did the same thing of hiding my slippers behind a pillar and Amma continued to manage without hers. After the Muhurtham, Amma and I went to the market and bought her a new pair. We came back to the mandapam and had our lunch. We had to go back to the lodge immediately to pack as we had to leave for Chennai that evening. We came out to find that Appa’s slippers were missing! I began to wonder whether our slippers were jinxed.

I searched all over the mandapam and found Appa’s slippers lying in two different corners as the crowd had walked up and down pushing them all over the place!

I found the whole drama so funny that I could not resist blogging about it!

The power of Namajapam - Ajaamilan's story

The power of Namajapam - Ajaamilan's story

For the past few days Sri Velukkudi Krishnan has been telling us the story of Ajaamilan (அஜாமிளன்) – a classic example of how taking the name of God will help us. This was part of the Bhagavatham by Sri Velukkudi Krishnan telecast on DD Podhigai at 6.30 am Monday to Friday.

Ajaamilan was born in a Brahmin family and did his duties well. He was married to a very pious lady who served him well and had good children. One day when he went to the forest to collect wood for homam, he met a woman there. He found her very attractive and in his lust for her, forgot his wife and children and started living with her in the forest. He was ready to do anything for his new found love and even killed animals for the meat for her sake. He lived a sinful life with her and had many children. He was very close to his youngest son whom he had named Narayanan. Years rolled on and it was time for Ajaamilan to leave this world. Yama dhoothas came with the pasa kayiru to take him away and Ajaamilan experienced the fear of death. He panicked and called his son Narayanan. The young son was playing at a distance and did not hear him. Ajaamilan had to call him many times uttering the word “Narayana, Narayana” Bang came the Vishnu dhoothas hearing the name of Narayanan. The Vishnu dhoothas who were replicas of Vishnu in colour and appearance, asked the Yama dhoothas to go as they had to take Ajaamilan to Vaikundam.

The Yama dhoothas who had come there in the first place to take Ajaamilan to Yamalogam because of his number of sins, were surprised to see the Vishnu dhoothas there ready to take him to Vaikundam. The Vishnu dhoothas told the Yama dhoothas that Ajaamilan had cried the Lord’s name “Narayana” several times and that is why they had come to his rescue. Not able to understand how despite so many sins Ajaamilan was being helped by the Vishnu dhoothas, the Yama dhoothas went back to Yamaloga to ask their master Yamadharman about this. Yamadharman explained to the dhoothas the greatness of Namasangeerthanam and instructed them not to go anywhere near Ajaamilan. Here, Ajaamilan lost his fear of death once the Yama dhoothas left and the Vishnu dhoothas blessed him and let him continue his time on earth. Regretting his sinful life so far, Ajaamilan went to the banks of River Ganga and spent the rest of his life doing the namajapam of the Lord. Finally when it was time for him to leave this earth, Vishnu dhoothas alone came and took him to Vaikundam.

Aippasi (ஐப்பசி)

Aippasi (ஐப்பசி)


Aippasi is seventh month in the Tamizh calendar from October 16 – November 16. This happens to be the most festive month as the biggest festival in India – Diwali falls in this month.

Pournami

Aippasi pournami is Annabishekam in all Sivan temples. The Siva lingam is covered with cooked rice and also decorated with vegetables and fruits around. This is basically a thanksgiving to the Lord for providing us with Annam! It is a great sight to see the Lingam fully covered with white cooked rice with the fruits and vegetables lending colour! Witnessing Annabishekam is said to relieve one from the cycles of birth.

I have heard that it is a magnificient sight to see the annabishekham at the Brihadeewarar temple in Thanjavur as the Lingam is really huge there.

This year Aippasi Pournami was on 22 October

Diwali

This great festival falls on Aippasi Amavasya

This festival of lights is said to have been started with the celebration of Rama’s return to Ayodya after vanavasam. Another story is that when Krishna defeated Narakasura, this Asuran requested Krishna that his death be celebrated as festival of lights. Whatever the story behind may be, this is one festival which is not regional but celebrated all over our country.

When we were kids, our priority was crackers, new clothes and then sweets in that order!

These days crackers have the least priority. What with the pollution it causes and the child labour involved in making the crackers, it is good that nowadays children give less importance to this, but I personally cannot imagine a Diwali without crackers! When we were kids, I remember that Appa used to make a detailed list of crackers keeping every family member’s interest in mind (and ofcourse the budget!). Bursting the crackers was a pucca family thing with right from my grandfather participating in it. I am happy that even in 2008, my Thatha at 95 years of age enthusiastically accepted my request and burst some electric crackers along with my Chittappa (73 years) and Appa (75 years)!

Nowadays Diwali means shopping! The offers given on every item right from clothes, household applicances to jewellery is incredible but good fun and of real use if you have a need, else it is just that you go to the shop planning to spend a few thousands and end up spending double or treble the amount thanks to the various offers!

The sweets! The variety available is unimaginable! And that too all the packs decorated beautifully that you don’t have the heart to open the packaging!

There are so many types available in the market that people prefer it to buy from the shops and gift to others rather than distributing home made stuff. But still sweets – at least two or three varieties with a couple of different savouries are made at home.

Diwali day starts with oil bath. Traditionally, one is not supposed to take oil bath on amavasya day but Diwali is an exception. This is why oil bath is taken before sunrise as this means that day has not officially begun! The Holy Ganga water is said to flow through our water taps and hence the term “ganga snanam” for the bath on Diwali day.

After the oil bath, new clothes are a must be it a grand or a simple one!

In our place, the first thing you have to pop into your mouth right after brushing is diwali marunthu – my mother makes this at home with so many medicinal ingredients bought from naatu marunthu kadai. Nowadays, readymade marunthu is available in naatu marunthu kadai. This is supposed to help our digestive system as we really give it a lot of work even from few days before Diwali! We give our system further work with a heavy feast for lunch!

Again these days, Diwali means TV programme for many. All the channels compete with telecast of patti mandram and new movies and Diwali celebration of one star or the other. This has resulted in less interaction with relatives on this day as TV takes the prime place!

Diwali is on 05 November this year

Kanda Sashti

Right after Diwali Kanda Sashti festival starts. It starts on the first day after Diwali amavasya and ends on the sixth day – Sashti

Lord Muruga fought with Soorapadman on these six days and defeated him on Sashti.

This is celebrated in a grand scale in all Murugan temples and the celebration at Tiruchendur is supposed to be the best. Last year, I had the opportunity to witness the Soorasamharam at Vadapalani temple, thanks to my sister Jayashree.

Kanda Sashti is from 06 November to 11 November 2010.

Aippasi Sadhayam

The greatest Tamizh King – Raja Raja chozhan was born on Aippasi Sadhayam and his birthday is celebrated on this day even now. This year I hope the celebration will be even more what with the completion of 1000 years of the Brihadeeswara temple built by this great King.

Aippasi sadhayam falls on 15 November 2010

Kadaimugam

The last day of Aippasi is said to be Kadaimugam. Bathing in river Cauvery on this day is said to be very sacred. This is on 16 November this year.