A Day to Remember
On March 10th our family gathered in Mumbai to celebrate two
Hindu samskaras, ceremonies that mark the end of one life stage and the
beginning of the next, for my grandsons Karan and Dhruv. For Karan, who is 8, it marked the official
end of childhood and entrance into the student stage of life. For Dhruv Kinley, age 3, it was the first
haircut ceremony, marking the passage out of babyhood.
Kapil and Tara planned the event themselves, which was held
in the activity room of their highrise apartment complex in Bandra,
Mumbai. Jayant, Kapil’s father, helped
line up the caterers and decorators whom he oversaw with due diligence. It was a beautiful day and they all got up at
the crack of dawn to make the preparations for the ceremony which began at
noon.
On hand for the ceremony were Tara’s parents Sushil and
Keshri, Jayant, and my sister-in-law Manju Bhuaji. Also invited were about 100 guests, friends
and U.S. consulate associates as well as complex neighbors. The ceremony was conducted by an Arya Samaji
Pandit who did a great job and seemed to enjoy himself.
Here are the boys anxiously waiting for the ceremony to start:
First, it was Karan's turn.
This thread represents Karan’s ties to his family and society, his responsibility for his spiritual development. Teachings are imparted that he must listen to those who are older and wiser than he is, who can guide him in the right path in life.
He must also recite the Gayatri Mantra every day while
facing the sun (he already knows the mantra by heart and recites it before
meals).
A hovan or fire sacrifice is performed to seal the
relationship. All important ceremonies
in Hinduism are consecrated by a fire ceremony which invokes all the powers of
nature—the 12 directional deities, and the five elements earth, water, fire,
air and space, to be witness to the passage.
Mantras are recited and upon chanting SVAHA, the fire is fed, and
“devours” the offerings, made up of grasses,resins, and various seeds from the
earth. The smoke rises and the clouds
are “seeded,” bringing rain and fertility to the land.
Similarly our consciousness “devours” the ritual through our
five senses: the sound of the mantras,
the sight of the fire, the smell of the smoke, and the feel of the heat. Hence, our creative minds are, like the
clouds, fertilized by these rituals.
Taking part, we are somehow renewed, participating in the rite of
passage of these two boys, who are not only a divine gift to us from the Gods,
but also represent our gift to the future.
Karan collecting “alms.” The idea is that instead of going
to Banaras (the holy city on the Ganges where men go to renounce the world), we
will “pay” him to remain a student and enter into the householder stage. NOT to become a holy man before his
time. In this way the beat goes on,
generation to generation. Many thanks to
the generosity of the guests who with their gifts happily persuaded him to stay
with his family until he is grown up!
Then Dhruv, who was already getting bored throwing handfuls
of samagri into the fire, wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to get his hair cut
off after all. (His parents had prepped
him for it psychologically for days beforehand):
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| (It takes a whole family to shave a head) |
It was an emotional time for Tara and the two
grandmothers. Who likes to see their
baby grow up? Must admit, he looks just as cute without his long hair!
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| (L-R, The author, Manju Bhua, Keshri and our little skinhead) |
What a great day...We all enjoyed each other’s companies and ate
a lot, of course!
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| (Caterers waiting to serve food |
May all creatures be happy, May all Creatures be well, May All creatures prosper
God and Goddess Bless Karan, Dhruv and their parents!
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| THE END |
No, it’s not
paradise, just close to it! Of course
when others were enjoying the spring time in India, we were still in our winter
parkas dealing with the occasional snowfall.
Even after the weather did change to warm, our school building remained
chilly for a couple weeks, except in the library with its wall of sunlit
windows. The students all started
wearing their summer clothes and some even swam in the outdoor pool when the
temperature of the water was hardly bearable.
Lunches became picnics on the quad and noon hour “talent shows” were a
regular feature. The end of the semester
jammed up with student recitals, sports events, Junior-Senior Ball (theme: Midnight in Paris), and exams
of every type--it sometimes felt like an impossible whirlwind. 
