Memories…keeping them alive with a few words of Appreciation.
November 29th and 30th have been milestone days in our life and we thank all our family members and Sambandhis for have graced the special occasion and for having been there for us.
Indeed it was very eventful the last two days and not forgetting the month long run-up and preparations that went towards planning, coordinating with all the stakeholders, who worked towards making the event a success.
It is easy to conclude that the program went off very well and all the invitees enjoyed themselves during the get together. But what we do not give much credit is to the small group that combined so very well to pay very close attention to all the details to make it a success. The five... Uma, Rohit, Lavanya, Rahul and Sanjana deserve a very *Special* pat on the back, to have planned and managed the events so very beautifully to make it a resounding success!!
The remaining two, Tanay and I also deserve some applause for staying out of the way, not interfering and not getting under their skins by giving unsolicited advice...
We tried out a different caterer this time and he prepared our choice of recipe to the entire satisfaction of each and every guest on both days. His set of people were extremely polite and checked with all for a second or third helping - almost the way we look after our guests when they come home to share a meal with us. He deserves a round of applause...what finally matters to the invitees is whether the food was tasty and was it tastefully served...it remains etched in their memories for a long time to come and brings a smile when asked, how was the function?
Narendra, our family Purohit has evolved to become a proficient one and all that he learned under his grandfather's tutelage is being put to good use and with no compromise in the rituals or Vedic mantras. Honestly, he is the one-person instrumental in making this event take shape. On a chance meeting almost a year or year and half back, he mentioned to Uma and I, that he had dreamt performing Shashtipoorthi. That set our minds in motion...why not convert his dream into our reality. Uma was to complete her sixtieth year on 18/Feb/2026 and it is auspicious to perform Ganahoma, Ayushyahoma, Rudrahoma, Dhanavanatarihoma, Navagraha puje during the course of sixtieth year. All these homas were to be done after Udaka Shanti. We put it back into Narendra's court asking him to fix a good day/date and reserve himself for those days to personally conduct the event. He committed himself to it and conducted the events extremely well.
Udaka Shanti is a Hindu ritual involving sacred water to invoke peace, purify a space, and remove obstacles. The name combines "Udaka" (water) and "Shanti" (peace), and the ceremony uses Vedic mantras chanted over a pot of water to bless it. This holy water is then sprinkled around the home or new business to purify the environment and protect from negative energy.
Key aspects of Udaka Shanti:
Purpose: To bring peace and harmony, remove negative influences, and ensure a spiritually clean environment for auspicious events. It is often performed before major life events such as weddings, housewarmings, or childbirth.
Ritual: Priests perform the ceremony by chanting Vedic mantras, particularly from the Yajurveda, while invoking deities and blessing a pot of water.
Purification: The water is considered sacred and is used to purify the home, property, or individuals by being sprinkled or consumed.
Benefits: The ritual is believed to remove obstacles, foster positive energy, and create a harmonious atmosphere. It can also be performed annually to maintain a positive environment.
Significance of water: Water is a central element, representing purity and the life-giving force. The ritual uses the purifying properties of water to cleanse the space and the minds of those involved.
On hindsight, it was a good spur of the moment decision. We hear more about the head of the family going through these set of rituals when they approach sixty but we hear less of such an event for the wives...it was an occasion to respect the better half for having reached a milestone in her life. Added to that was the completion of our 40 years of togetherness that made the celebration that much more special!!
With the Almighty's grace the two day event was successfully completed and we thank all the members of our family for combining so very well to provide such a wonderful experience not just to us, the immediate family but to all those folks who came for the events...everyone looked very happy...they all joyfully took part in the events, stayed with us for the whole event and blessed our family as they said their good-byes.
A cyclone was brewing in the Bay of Bengal but thankfully it did not dampen our spirits or stop us from doing all that we did in those two days.
As I conclude my narration, I must thank each and every one of you for gracing the occasion and being present for the entire duration of the program.
