Gandhiji’s Ahimsa and Navaratri

Now-a-days, many people including 18-year-olds do not know who actually Mahatma Gandhi was. A movie was made some years ago to create awareness about this topic. The name of the movie was Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Today, I would request parents to watch this movie and show it to their children as well.

While I say this, parents will understand what Ahimsa is. Now-a-days, many people, youngsters and older people alike, talk in terms of beating innocent people with chappals and threaten of a beating and murder. Such people should know what Ahimsa is and what happens when innocent people are beaten up and murdered.

Today is the 147^th birthday of the Mahatma and the continuation of the first day of Navaratri. Here, we continue the story of Dakshayani, who jumped into the yagna fire. Lord Shiva took Her burnt body all over the earth and heavens in sorrow trying to bring Her alive again. Lord Vishnu beckoned His Sudarshan Chakra and split Her body into 55 pieces. These pieces fell in different regions of India and they were and are still called the Shakti Peethas.

In the next birth, Sati was born as Parvati as the daughter of Himavan. She performed penance to attain Lord Shiva as Her Husband. This avatar is called Shailaputri.

An Iyengar lady, Pankaja Padmanabhan came with family from USA to settle here and live among Indian culture. She called us yesterday and asked how to celebrate Navaratri.
This is the first time that they are celebrating the festival. Mom told her to keep a golu with pomegranate kumbha or coconut kumbha. Mom also told her that there is a famous South Indian shop in Matunga, Mumbai, where all requirements are available.

She wanted to have a look at our golu once. Mom does not want to have an elaborate golu this time. Our Lady of Intolerance has picked up a lot of Navaratri stuff, ornaments and other stuff, without our permission. Mom does not want to lose the remaining of the hereditary stuff. Thus, Mom told Pankaja Aunty to visit any South Indian home in Matunga to have an idea of golu.

Mom has placed only a pomegranate in the pooja place and daily she shows an incense stick to it. We get verbally abused morning and evening during pooja time or they keep shouting the names of the people, who had abused us, meaning those abuses. They have also sprinkled black magic stuff inside our home. This was told by a fortune teller to us. We have not been able to cleanse the negative energy till now.

Ours is Sadachara Brahmin pooja. That cannot go with black magic. Thus, Mom is only studying her Siddha course. Her health is also deteriorating. She also has an uncanny feeling that something is very wrong and something bad is going to happen. Mom feels the pain of others. She also gets to know before anything happens. She might not know exactly what will happen. But, something or the other happens in reality. Thus, this time we have not placed the golu.

Someone asked us, why we posted Jaya Maami’s picture and not Mom’s and mine. She inspired my Mom to keep the scene of Abhigyata Shakuntalam (the story of Shakuntala and Dushyanta, with the birth of Bharat) with golu. This became very famous in New Delhi, my late Nanaji’s place. Thus, Mom and we all are grateful to her. I am posting Mom’s 2 pix. Dad used to keep this Mom’s mug shot in his purse. People would tease Mom. So she took it away from him. I have also posted my pic. Didn’t I tell you, I am a Tomboy? 😉