Pollachi women show the way in securing the ‘right of way’
For more than three and half hours on Sunday night (March 9) Hindu women devotees of Mariamman (Kali) squattered on the road demanding traditional right of way for the Mariamman Rath to proceed along a street where a mosque is situated. This happened in Pollachi near Coimbatore. The firm stand taken by Hindu women devotees helped the police in disciplining the intransigence of Muslim residents of the area. One of the Muslim residents had put up a shamiayana in front of his house locking the road. On the warning by police, the shamiayana was removed and normalcy restored.
Samskritam finds new adherents in Chennai
Aasana Aandiappan is a popular yoga teacher catering to high end customers. His yoga sessions on television channels receive considerable viewership. He claims to have over 1000 yoga students in places like Hong Kong. Recently Aandiappan was the chief guest in the valedictory function of a Samskrita Bharati sambashana shibiram in Chennai. While speaking, he insisted that students of yoga should have knowledge of Samskritam because original yoga texts are in Samskritam; also, all the names of the asanaas are in Samskritam. This shibiram is one of the 70 simultaneous shibiram during first week of March. Over 600 people benefited by shibirams.
Devotion leads to social cohesion, as the 63 Nayanmaars symbolise
In hundreds of major Shiva temples across Tamilnadu idols of all the 63 nayanmaars (shiva bakthas, which find a mention in the Ekatmata sthotram) are worshipped. The Nayanmaars hail from all sections of society from ruler to the potter. But Mylapore Kapaleeshwara temple in Chennai the festival procession of all the 63 Nayanmaar idols is the highlight of Basant Utsav. In fact entire Mylapore and surrounding localities were a festive look on the occasion which falls on March 13 this year. While lakhs of devotees converge at Mylapore on that day, hundreds of families and volunteer groups see to it that no devotee goes back without relishing buttermilk, cooked rice, drinking water distributed by them all along the route. Swayamsevaks of Chennai take part in this service in a big way. There are families which involve themselves in this seva for more than six generations.
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