WEDDING - VIKAS SHVETHA

Get-Together on First day

Sudhaker Rao Pejavar & Latha, parents of Vikas, their only son known for 30 years from Dubai days when we started living and working in Dubai, around 1986-87. They are fine people and close family friends. They were also close associates for all social gathering like celebrating NewYears, Picnics, Bhajans. parties and BrahmanaSamaja programs.

Wedding Ceremony

Vikas, finished schooling in Dubai, Engineering college in Bengaluru and finishing his Ph.D in Bloomington, Indiana has grown up to be a fine adult, decided to take Shwetha, also a software engineer, working in USA, as his life partner had the Engagement ceremony in June 2015 in Bengaluru. Their wedding was fixed on 26th February 2016 at Poornima Convention Centre, Bengaluru.

RECEPTION

The wedding ceremony was grand, previous day, Thursday 25th Feb, get.together for familiarization and some entertainment, songs,dances and dinner.
Wedding day. Friday, 26th Feb. , we reached as early as 7am for participating in bridegroom's Dibbana, and breakfast followed. The Muhurthum was at 9.10am, and both the parties got ready with guidance of purohit, Vikas and Shwetha exchanged garlands, became husband and wife. Rest of the formalities like KanyaDaana, MangalyaDharana and SaptaPadi.
Grand lunch followed with variety of items and sweets.
Evening after 7pm, was reception at the same venue and buffet dinner with lot of variety of chats, chapattis, nans and what not.... sweets and icecreams.
Next Day, saturday, 27th Feb. was the occasion for another get-together by grooms parents called

SatyaNarayana Pooja, Bhajans and Outhana

"BeegaraAuthana" at PaiVista Convention Hall at Banashankari.  There was SatyaNarayana Pooja, Bhajans followed by grand lunch.
There were lot of friends, whom we were closely associated ,came from Dubai to join the wedding celebrations. It was more of social gathering with a purpose. ladies to wear grand sarees and latest acquisition of jewelries and exchange of happiness and catching up with the happenings.
The photos speak for itself.
written Tuesday 01March2016

YAKSHAGANA - CHANDRAHASA CHARITRE

Sunday, 21st February 2016
In memory of Late Shri GopalaKrishna Adiga, poet, literary person on his 99th birth anniversary, "Shivarama Karantha Vedike" R T Nagara, Bengaluru organized program with lectures in the morning and Yakshagana in the afternoon on Sunday 21st February 2016 at TaralaBalu Centre, R T Nagara, Bengaluru.

It was fantastic performance of Yakshagana- "ChandraHasa Charitre" of 3 hour presentation with famous Kalavidaru. Keshava Hegade Kolagi was Bhagavatharu, Vishwanatha Bhat on Maddale was excellent.

In the main characters, Sudhindra Holla as DishtaBuddhi has performed extremely well, be it nrutya, abhinaya, dialogue or vesha-bhushana. Other kalavidaru, Vishwanatha Adiga as ChandraHasa, Manjunath Gujjadi as Vishaye, Ambareesh Bhat as Madana, ChandraShekar Shetty Kodlaldi in Hasya also performed very well.

The story line is DushtaBuddhi, as the name indicates, selfish and evil mind minister in Subhuddi's Kunthala kingdom wants his son to be the King of the Kingdom. But a palace purohit informs him that a commoner child will likely to be the King. He sends the palace killers to finish the boy, but they did not do the job. The boy grows in the jungle and becomes the king of the place.

Dushtabuddhi ( Literally one with an evil mind), minister of king of Kuntala performed Annasantarpane, feeding of people.This boy also went there. The priests who had gathered there noticed the royal features of this boy and told the minister to take special care of the boy. But Dushtabuddhi had other evil designs as the king had no issues and the minister had plans of assuming the throne. In order to get rid of the boy he got some chandalas and ordered them to kill this boy, promising them suitable gifts. They took the boy to the forest to kill him. Before killing they asked him his last wish. Chandrahasa said that for the last time he would pray and worship the Shaligrama, which he used to keep always with him. He prayed and then asked the Chandalas why they want to kill him. However, chandalas kept quiet. All of a sudden, all the chandalas heard the roaring sound of a lion behind each of them and saw a lion jumping on them. Out of fear, they fainted when Chndrahasa helped them and gave them water to drink. Due to the fear of the lion-sight and behaviour of Chandrahasa their heart melted and they cut off only the sixth finger, and showed it to Dushtabuddhi as a proof of killing Chandrahasa. ( Note: the inauspicious sign of the boy was thus removed) Kulinda, king of the forest dwelling tribes saw this boy wandering and crying in the jungle, and as he had no issues of his own,brought him home and started bringing him up. Chandrahasa learnt all the aspects of education and won over all the provinces surrounding his kingdom, also added riches to the treasury. Once, when Dushtabuddhi visited their kingdom he recognized him and, having learnt the details from Kulinda,wrote a note to his son to poison him and sent the note to his son through Chandrahasa.

Chandrahasa came to Kuntala province and was resting in the garden in the outskirts of the town; Vishaye, daughter to Dushtabuddhi who had also come there with her maids chanced upon a sleeping chandrahasa and fell in love with him. She opened the letter addressed to her brother, recognized as her father’s note. She assumed that her father must have meant Vishaye and not visha ( meaning poison), promptly changed it and put it back in Chandrahasa’s pocket. Chandrahasa delivered the note to Madana, Dushtabuddhi’s son, was honoured and the wedding took place accordingly. Dushtabuddhi who arrived now was peeved. He commissioned murderers to wait and kill the person who will come to the Kalika temple in the outskirts of the town. (This temple is located in the town of Kuknur in North Karnataka today).He also prevailed upon chandrahasa to visit the temple in the evening, alone assuring him that was their custom. He also ensured chandrahasa would go to the temple. Madana, Dushtabuddhi’s son was looking after the affairs of the Palace in the absence of his father till now; it happened this day too. When he went to the Palace, the royal priest Galava informed him that the king was on his death bed and, having seen Chandrahasa earlier had decided he is the right choice as his son-in-law and heir; Madana was asked to convey this message Madana ran into chandrahasa, asked him to rush to the palace immediately and took his place to go the temple,was propmptly assassinated there by the murderers sent by Dushtabuddhi. Chandrahasa went to the Palace, was honoured and got married to the princess Champakamalini. When this news reached Dushtabuddhi, he was heart-broken. He was devastated when he learnt of his son’s death. He decided to end his life, went to the Kali temple and beheaded himself. When chandrahasa learnt of this twin tragedy in the morning, he went to the temple and prayed to goddess Kali to restore the two to life. When Kali was not appeased, he proceeded to behead himself; Kali appeared, restored the two to life, granted many boons to chandrahasa.
(storyline taken from WikiPedia)
Tuesday 23/2/2016

SALEKERI HABBA (FESTIVAL) 2016

17-18 February 2016

It's the annual festival at Salekeri, which is mostly two days celebrations brings native of the place from different places. It's also to seek blessings from Shri DurgaParameshwari & VeeraBhadra Temple and socialization and meeting people.

The first day is ChandikaHoma for DurgaParameshwari seeking blessings for well being, health, wealth and prosperity for the families and society in general. Coconuts, Bananas, silk saree, blouse pieces, flowers and ghee are offered in plenty to Goddess Durgi. Grand lunch follows for all those who are present.

Evening is procession of deity up to BadaSalekeri and there pooja and seva from various groups and on the return, deity is topped for aarti from every house and oiled towel is burnt as part of offering.

Next day is for TulaBhara , pooja and Rathotsava in place of Darshanapatri and DhakkeBali.

Lots of merchandise, shops, food stalls are place for people to spend and enjoy.
We were there reaching Wednesday morning and left Thursday night back to Bengaluru, in Durgamaba Sleeper bus reaching home at 5.30am
written Monday 22/2/2016

GRUHA PRAVESHA - PRASHANT/SUPRIYA

Wednesday, 3rd February 2016

Normally getting one's own house /apartment is an achievement specially in Bengaluru. Prashanth Rao working in Sharjah, UAE is a nice guy in his thirties, married to Supriya, having a 3 year old boy, Anirudh, was celebrating his opening of his newly acquired apartment at Jakkur, Bengaluru., a short distance of 5km from our house, BirthiMane, BhuvaneshwariNagar.

We were there to grace the occasion and participate in the grand lunch and to wish them long life, health and prosperity.

The lunch was grand with several items, holige, and two more sweets. Back home by 2.30pm

written Thursday, 4th Feb 2016