“The Mylapore Trio” Amarnath, Surendranath, Aparna, Sugathan and Members of Sri Sumukhi Rajasekharan Memorial Foundation conducted the 8th ‘SUMUKHAIVA SADHAS’ – A Virtual Cultural Meet during this extraordinary pandemic situation and lockdown. It was a unique concept and a different conclave involving professionals of different genre. The BIRDS OF “DIFFERENT FEATHERS’’ FLOCKED TOGETHER. A platform was provided to a Speaker to talk on a subject of his/her choice or profession or expertise and the only criteria are, the topic must be correlated to culture and history. This was followed by an interesting questionnaire session which leads to good interaction. Every week audience learns a new subject enabling themselves to become more knowledge-centric.
The 8th Session was conducted on Sunday, 23rd August 2020 from 4.15pm to 7.00pm. The Programme began with the Prayer on the Trio's Foster Parents Smt. Sumukhi and Shri. Rajasekharan and their Grand Mother Smt. Nagammal, written and sung by Smt. Revathy Sankkaran.
Surendranth – An Art Director welcomed the gathering and said that it was a different type of Sadhas. He said that the Pictorial Colourful Journey of “Pooja Vidhanam” with 282 photos from Past to Present were collected and arranged in order for the past 3 weeks.
He explained how the Trio was brought up by their Foster Parents Sumukhi and Rajasekharan with spiritual values. Every day Trio was taken to Kapali Temple twice a day inculcating bhakthi and cultural ethos by them. Trio used to conduct Kapaleeswarar Brahmotsavam with Appa’s “Velli Swaamies” – the small pooja vigrahams along with “Sri Chakram” worshipped daily by him for three hours with abhishegam, alangaram and sahasranamam. A lot of flowers were purchased from Parry corner and offered to the Gods.
Trio with their creativity and innovation imbibed from their foster parents used to perform the Ten Day Utsavam twice a day with different vahanams for the “Pancha Murthies” including Kodiyetram, Adhikara Nandhi, Rishabha Vahanam, Ther, Arupathu Moovar and the Grand Kalyanam on the final day. Paper flowers, vahanam of different materials and cardboard mandapams were made at home by Amma and Paati for us. Neiveidhyam was prepared by Paati every day apart from a lot of fruits and real flowers for the event. The Gods were taken out from the pooja room to all the rooms in a row as per the order to signify the 4 mada veedhis and back. Different musical instruments were played during the procession and songs on all Gods were sung. Children of the street used to come and join the occasion and were provided with everything including lunch, dinner and other niceties.
Apart from this Maariyamman festival during Aadi Month for 3 days was also celebrated. Amma used to give her Varalakshmi Mugam and made karagam and other relevant artefacts for the festival. ‘Koozh’ was prepared and distributed to children. All these things were done by Our Parents to encourage the Trio to soak in spirituality, creativity, and service to one and all without any discrimination.
Amarnath as a History Professor said that “Thean mezhugu” was purchased from Duppa Chetti Kadai and they used to make hands, legs and body structure, Kondai, Jadais for the Panch Murthis, especially for Kapali and Karpagambal. By doing so different Gods like would be converted as Pancha Murthis.
Aparna – a Chartered Accountant, shared her experiences at home. While she was very young as a tiny tot, she used to assist her brothers in all their work and took part in the celebrations. She used to give her various types of jewellery for the Gods, with which they used to do the alankaram.
All these gave a strong foundation to the Trio for building a cultural and spiritual edifice in future. After a decade of such activities, trio’s thirst was quenched through their worship and alankaram of the 3 poojas viz., Varalakshmi Vritam, Krishna Jayanthi, Pillayar Chaturthi. Appa and Amma and Paati encouraged us to do these poojas all by ourselves right from A to Z. After Father’s demise, Amma told us to continue Varalakshmi Vritam and got us one more “mugam” to satiate our artistic and religious fervour. It was a Revolutionary Decision and she was bold enough to encourage us to continue the custom.
The idea of Pooja Vidhanam workshop and the very name itself was the brainchild of the Trio. At first the idea seemed to be a silly one because a workshop for doing Poojas sounded odd and that too in Mylapore. But during the event, it was felt that it was the right decision to do it. The Mylapore Trio was joined by Smt. Revathy Sankkaran, Smt. Prema Krishnamurthy, Sugathan and Members of the Foundation.
The pictorial journey began with the Vintage photos of the 3 Poojas at their home with Sumukhi Amma and Nagamma Paati along with the Trio. This was to the basis and Foundation of the later-day “Pooja Vidhanam” workshop. It was the past history which shaped the Trio.
The whole pictorial journey covered 282 Photos and Title Cards which was very very colourful and spectacular. Every photo spoke history and reverberated sentiments by itself. It was all self-explanatory but Trio, Sugathan shared their explanations for all the pictures.
Surendranth continued to explain how the concept of “Pooja Vidhanam” started. The First Pooja Workshop was held at Rasi Silks Mylapore in August 2004 and owing to public request it was repeated the very next week at the same venue. It was a very grand event and Nagammal Paati was alive to witness the event and she distributed the special Gift Pack made by the Trio to all the women gathered there. The Second was held at Vellore Lakshmi Ammal Kalyana Mandapam, Mylapore in 2005 and this time “Paddhadi Saapadu” was offered to the participants. A newly wedding couple was gifted with the Varalakshmi Mugam and were initiated to perform the Pooja from then on by the Trio and other elders.
The Third workshop was at the Foundation premises in 2006 and the Fourth at Lady Sivaswamy Girls Hr. Sec. School, Mylapore in 2007 where it was conducted as “Stree Utsav”. The Fifth one was conducted at Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall, Alwarpet in 2008. It was conducted as a “Kala Poshakam” in which three different dance schools performed for 3 Gods viz., Lakshmi, Krishna, Ganesha and was followed by the Pooja Workshop.
In 2009 the Sixth workshop was held at Sundari Silks – T.Nagar in the traditional “Mittham” in a very grand fashion and the Seventh one was held in 2010 at the same Venue. It also coincided with the Aadi Pooram – Andal’s Birth Star. A lot of bangles were purchased by the Trio and distributed to the women.
The Eight workshop and the first one after Aparna’s wedding was organised at the Vinayakar Temple, Besant Nagar in the year 2010. At this time Kamala Mami was honoured with the Title by the Trio. For the first time, Varalakshmi Amma was welcomed at the auspicious “Gho Dhuli Neram” after worshipping Gho Maatha at the backyard of the Temple. This workshop was a remarkable one in many aspects. The newly wedded couple were gifted with Varalakshmi face by the Trio and were initiated to start the Pooja. Lord Ganesh in the Golden Charriot gave us darshan during the event which was very auspicious and blessed to all. Gayathri Krishnaveni Lakshmanan performed 3 dance items for the gods viz., Ganesha, Krishna and Lakshmi to mark the event. Prasadam was distributed to all the devotees.
The Ninth Workshop was conducted at Bhuvaneshwari Temple at KK Nagar in 2012, where people around the Temple gathered to witness the event with much enthusiasm. The Tenth programme was held in Aparna’s mother in law’s house at Casa Grande Milano at Adyar. Many women from different walks of life gathered and were amazed to witness the grand function. Prasadam was distributed to one and all.
In 2014 the Eleventh Pooja Vidhanam Workshop was conducted with much fanfare and grandeur in the newly bought house of the Trio at Srinivas Avenue, R.A. Puram. Their biological Mother Susheela in her 80s being the senior-most sumangali initiated the pooja by welcoming Goddess Varalakshmi and blessed everybody. It was a very colourful function altogether.
The Twelfth Event was conducted in the year 2015 at a Foundation parent’s house on a humble scale. People from the nearby houses gathered and were benefitted.
The Thirteenth workshop was organised at Kalyana Nagar Association, Mandavellipakkam, along with the Valaikaapu and Seemandham of one of the Foundation girl Smt. Jayanthi in 2016. It was a very auspicious event to combine both the functions and it gave us all a different experience. Traditional lunch was offered to one and all at the end of the Function.
In the year 2017, the Fourteenth Pooja workshop took a new dimension altogether. It was conducted for economically backward school children of Venkataramana Elementary School, Abhiramapuram. Children were awestruck to witness such a new event in their life. They were taught to make Pillayar Kodai, Kolam, Poo Jadai, Panju Vastram etc by the Trio and Sugathan. Children were divided into groups and they made these divine craftworks. Sugathan entertained them with divine dance on various gods. The students were given away with prasadams and other gifts at the end of the event. It was the most heart contended workshop for us which gave us peace and happiness. Through the innocent faces of Children, we saw God Almighty.
The Fifteenth workshop held in 2018 also gave us a new kind of experience with septuagenarians, octogenarians and nanogerians at the home for the aged “Anandam”, at Ambattur. The Poojas were a “Malarum Ninaivugal” took the senior citizens to nostalgic memories of yester years. Every soul in the home was emotionally touched by our poojas and hearts of hearts wished us good luck. Sugathan and Swathy performed Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam respectively on these Gods which was a visual treat for them. All of them were given thamboolam and prasadam and they showered their blessings on the Brother and Sister.
The Sixteenth year Pooja workshop was held in 2019 at “Kadambari” – an affluent women’s group at Venus Colony, Alwarpet. On their request, we conducted the event amidst very colourful and gorgeous ambience. They were all thrilled to see the décor and the nuances of the workshop and learnt many things. It was one of the gorgeous workshops conducted. A sumptuous feast was arranged by Kadambari for all the guests.
The Mylapore Trio, Amarnath, Surendranth, Aparna shared their childhood experiences, values and knowledge inculcated to them by their Foster Parents through the workshop. Sugathan joined them since 2012 in this venture to contribute his might. Smt. Revathy and Smt. Prema joined hands with them for some years. But the Mylapore Trio continues the legacy of Smt. Sumukhi till date and would continue to do so…
The present state is that Smt. Susheela - the biological mother of the Trio who has been doing Varalakshmi Pooja in the Marathi style for decades had the broad mind to gift her antique and most auspicious Varalakshmi Mugam with a lot of sentiments and divine power attached to it to Sugathan’s family. Because She was influenced up by Sumukhi Amma’s brought up, She had the service mind and the revolutionary thought to instantly decide and present it to Sugathan and Family to continue her legacy. She was indeed a rare genre among persons to gift the age-old family Heirloom embedded with a lot of sentiments to him, even when she was alive. Today even after her, he continues to celebrate her legacy by performing Varalakshmi Pooja regularly in her name and hence her legacy is continued by the “Thiruvanmiyur Duo”. Next year he also purchased another Ambal Mugam for his Sister and with these 2 Mugams both the Brother and Sister continue to carry forward the cultural and spiritual values.
This is the story of “Pooja Vidhanam” for Past to Present, starting from the “The Mylapore Trio” to “The Thiruvanmiyur Duo”.
At the end, all the members shared their experiences with the Trio and Sugathan in organising this workshop for the past 16 years. The colourful journey took 3 hours but still, all were present till the end and shared their memorable moments of the past.
As per the diktat of the Foundation, all the participants were in colourful paatu sarees and kurthas.
The Programme ended with a happy note to meet again next week with a different Speaker and a Topic.
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