Sai Baba Pooja
|
|
We started our marriage celebrations with a Pooja, a prayer meeting, usually in the home. This one was to be a Sai Baba Pooja. A low table under the window had been arranged as the altar. Sai Baba's picture was draped with a garland of marigolds, fragrant jasmine and lovely bright pink fuchsia like flowers. A brass thali, (rimmed tray/plate) had been placed in front of the picture. It was filled with flowers, fruits, grains of rice, saffron, this red powder I've forgotten the name of, rupee coins and a small depa (oil lamp). Incense was lit. The furniture had been moved out of the room and more carpets put down over the marble floor. At the edges of the room mats were folded to provide slightly softer seating for the older ladies. Sheets are laid over all of this. I snagged a place for myself on the folded mats right away! |
| Three ladies, I'm not sure if they were hired or not, came to lead the songs. One kept the beat with a drum, the others shook handled tambourines and rattled out a sort of matching beat as they sang. I got to bang away on one of these as well. (Many poojas ago it had been established the the 'Ahmreecani" could be kept occupied, much as a distractible child, if she were given something to play with.) The lead ladies started to sing and I banged away on my tambourine. Neelam, my sister-in-law and mother of the groom, picked up the thali and circled it in front of Sai Baba's picture, asking his blessing on the proceedings or inviting his presence...or just paying respect for all I know. My Hindi is atrocious so I am never quite sure what we are doing, why we are doing it, where, when or how. Essentially, my stays in India are cooperative, compliant and clueless. |
| Ladies wandered in over the next hour or two and filled the house with a 'joyous noise'. (Note here I do not say song. Although all are singing, no real attempt is being made to actually hit the same notes, though there is a discernable tune to the whole thing). |
| About mid way through a woman wandered in with a perfectly well behaved boy somewhere between 1 1/2 and 2 years old. He nestled himself into his Grandmother's lap and settled in to listen to the music. In typical Indian fashion Grandma was not content to leave the child in peace but kept urging him on and teasing him to play with a small ball and paddle. Soon the child was running here and there after the ball and popping it all over the place. The other ladies nonchalantly tossed it back to him, barely noticing that he was a good deal more mobile (now) than anyone else in the room, with the possible exception of my sister-in-law who popped up with some regularity herself to stumble over the lot of us in order to offer each newcomer to the proceedings bits of sugar crystals (what we call rock candy) and fennel seeds. I presume one sweetens the mouth before singing praises to the divine. |
| Towards the end of the Pooja we sang "Ragupati Raghav Raja Ram", by the 'Ahmreecani's' request as it is the only song she actually knows half the words to even through she should know 'Aarti' as it closes every pooja. I joined in with a voice as true as everyone else's. |
| Then there was a song that (in theory) everyone dances to. My sister-in-law and niece pull me to my feet and I started dancing, thinking everyone will jump to their feet and join in as they did at a 'Maji Pooja' I went to at the last wedding. Alas, that was not to be. After just enough dancing to get me going, both my relatives deserted me to a solo performance. Being shamelessly unshy and artsy and dramatic to boot, I danced with abandon (and with all the skill and grace evidenced in our singing) and silently gave thanks to Shannon, my belly dancing guru, for showing me how to do all these neat moves I was dazzling the crowd with. |
|
| Finally it was time for 'Aarti', the longest hymn in the creation of humankind with about 40 gazillion stanzas...all of which are sung. It's all I can do to fake my way through the first few. This is typical (except for the 'Ahmreecani') of an Indian prayer service. It's in the home, kind of noisy, loosely structured, with kids running about freely and very, very devote. I love them! |
|
|
| Addendum: This is 'Shadhi' (wedding) season and a girl on the other side of the compound was getting married too. We were invited to attend her Maji Pooja. The Mother aspect of God is called down to bless the marriage, as she is the strongest aspect and will bless the union with her strength. Bhajans (hymns) are sung and people dance. Neelam and I were both set to go, but I wasn't feeling well and neither one of us felt like getting gussied up, so we stayed home. But we could hear the singing and I slipped into sleep with the sounds of singing and drumming, a most lovely way to fall asleep. |
