Ugadi Festival

Ugadi Festival

 

                     
   2015 Ugadi festival falls on 21st of this month- that's on Saturday, according to Lunar calendar.
 I wish you all a happy ugadi.


Varied traditions are associated with the festival and their significance.

 

As far my knowledge goes, Ugadi means 'Yuga-adi'. Yuga means year and adi means beginning. Hence Ugadi means beginning of a new year according to Hindu calendar.

 This new year festival comes close on the heels of Holi. The strong colors of  Holi fades away and the freshness of Spring lingers on all around. The onset of spring also marks a beginning of new life with plants.  The season is pleasant with the new green leaves of the trees  along with the bright red flowers in full bloom signifying an   affluent season.

 It is believed that the creator of Hindu pantheon Lord Brahma started creation on this day - chaitra suddha padhyami or the ugadi day.

 
It is also a season for raw mangoes and fully blossomed neem trees. While mangoes spread its aroma in the air and the fully blossomed neem tree that makes the air healthy.

Also jaggery made with fresh crops of sugarcane adds a renewed flavor to the typical dishes associated  ugadi.


'Obbottu' or 'Holige' is one such dish that has become synonymous with ugadi.
Ugadi is a festival of  joy. It is believed by Hindus that if one is happy on ugadi day, he wiil be happy throughout the year. So everyone wants to spend ugadi day as happy as possible.

The day starts with cleaning and decorating the house. People wake up before the break of dawn and take a head-bath after which they decorate the door ways of the houses with fresh mango leaves.

The significance of tying mango leaves relates to a legend. It is said that Kartik (Subramanya) and Ganesh, the two sons of Lord Shiva and Parvati were very fond of mangoes. As the legend goes Kartik exhorted people to tie green mangoes leaves to the doorway signifying a good crop and general well-being.

After prayers to family deities,  'Bevu-Bella' is first eaten by all. It is the symbol of sorrow and happiness in life. It is believed that life is mixture of sweet and bitter. .


But in modern days, a kind of curiosity that leaves most of little ones when they leave behind their childhood.


"what's this?" a kid in the family might ask as one gives the child a pinch of ' bevu-bella' (neem and jaggery) on the festive day of ugadi. Yet the symbolic balance of bitter and sweet has remained with
 us.
(all photo courtesy from archives)                                             
The festivities are also  a good excuse for some cheerful literary activities like holding 'Kavi Ghosti' and the bloom of spring has inspired many a poets in Kannada literary as well as folk history. This is evident in the works of eminent writers.

Da Ra Bendre speaks of the renewal of nature among so many others. I can recall the most popular lines written by him which kannadigas will never forget it.
"yuga yugadi kaledaruu, yugadi marali barutide.
hosa varushake hosa harushava, hosatu hosatu tarutide"


All together Ugadi is the most auspicious time to start new ventures. It is celebrated with festive fervor in our place.
                                  

                 
                          Indu Naik

 

Hero Worship

Hero Worship

Last week when I was watching T V , I came to know a man tried to nail himself on the cross with the help of his friends for he was terribly upset as his most favorite 'fan' did not become chief-minister of that state. I got stunned for a moment. I felt it was an extreme adulation for an individual. Suddenly it flashed my memory on one of the incident that took place long back in my class, when I was in service. It was in the year 1985. I had worked in Teachers' Training Institution for ten years. I had taught T C H students I mean 'would be' teachers. I had taught thousands of students during those period.

It was probably in the year 1988, I had one batch of 50 students in the class. Most of them were adolescents. It was not English class, a free class and a seminar was conducted, the topic was 'characteristics of adolescents' and 'hero-worship'. Students participated well as the discussion went on in mother-tongue. It was group-discussion. Good response I had from students side. Only a few kept mum but others argued their points in different ways.

Adolescence reveals strong tendency towards hero-worship. Fan-following or hero-worship is common among youth. Possession of any quality that attracts an individual and idolizing can provide much stimulation for them. This type of hero worship involves harmless behavior.

Young people do need heroes to look up to and emulate. The coming generation do need examples to follow. One may regard a sportsman as a hero, another may like scientist yet another may be devoted to a film-star, a wrestler or a  political leader. Likewise true heroes may be military men and women, teachers, police-officers, if not our fathers and mothers. The passion to serve without expectation of reward is what makes them hero.

. Sometimes intense personal attitudes towards heroes reflects traits of psychoticism. Such were some of the good responses.

In the meanwhile, a student named Balachandra, pointed at his friend Bhaskar and proudly said that he imitated the style of kannada veteran hero Dr. Rajkumar. His dress, his posture, the way of his talking resembled that super hero and that many of the students in the class called him Jr. Rajkumar. At that time some students banged the desk and showed their appreciation.

At once one of the students named Shridhar stood up, tried to pull his leg and said in a irritating tone, 'Of course he dresses like a hero, talks like a hero, walks like a hero but his mind is big zero'. He repeated the last line with more emphatic stress in an ironical way.

I just asked, 'who's Bhaskar?'. A boy stood up in the last group. Mostly on hearing the comment, he became nervous with his dull and feeble look on his face, feeling guilty looked at me, fumbled his shirt button with his fingers, stammered when tried to speak  but couldn't say anything and sat off.
 It was an open insult to him in front of especially girls.

I thought it's better leave him alone without dragging the matter much and turning to Shridhar, as if punishing him I said,'Make a fresh note on the concluding points of the given topic to sum up the seminar and he did accordingly.

Next day Bhaskar wasn't in the class. When asked, his friend said that he was in the hostel, previous night he didn't sleep also. He spoke of dying. He became sensitive. He wanted to leave the college'. I felt very sorry for the boy.

I sent a word for him. On his coming, I  spoke convincing words to him. I said, 'Hero- worship is not bad. Admiring your hero for his accomplishment is admirable. But did you ever think why did you come to this field that too becoming a teacher?  Your super hero Rajkumar is hard worker he does good deeds, he is a performer. You try to work hard like him. Study hard, fulfil your dream. If you become a good teacher, that would be your contribution to your super hero. Think over'.

My words he put in practice and I noticed his remarkable change and gradual improvement in later days. To my surprise, I couldn't believe my eyes when I came to know he stood first in final exam. I congratulated him on his success when he had come to collect his marks card, with a broad smile.

Many years later, he was transferred to a school in my place. I heard he was a good teacher. One day he came to me and invited me to be as a chief-guest on the annual day function of his school. When he addressed his students, he up- hold my thoughts and appreciated me as his role model. What else teachers need more than students' appreciations?
He said, 'If ma'm weren't there, I wouldn't become a teacher'

Its true! In adolescence the individual's nervous system becomes stronger. They take up decision in hurry but elders may be either parents or teachers should be tactful in handling them in right way.


            Indu Naik