Comments on TK and et al

[Guest guest]

Mani,

 

Thanks for the EMAIL re Thondar Kuzham et al. In general, I agree

with most of Kaushik's statements. My immediate reaction on various

 

subjects is as follows;

 

1) Let us not reinvent the wheel. We ought to influence our

respective SV matams to ensure the information and messages are

reaching the masses. One problem is that the matam magazines are

geared towards individuals conversant with Tamil and Sanskrit. There

 

is a large subset of SV's whose ancestors migrated within India to

 

Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, etc. because of political and

 

financial situations hundreds of years back. Granted there are some

who may be actively involved in local matams. However, I believe the

 

SV matams and organizations in India have not adequately addressed the

 

needs of these people. To give you an idea of the communication

problem, in the Colorado SV group of 40 members, we have about 30%

conversant with Tamil (not all able to read) and an even split of SVs

 

from Karnataka and AP. Of course the children instinctively become

mostly English speaking, since they do not have a common Indian

language. We have had to adjust and compensate to fulfill the needs

of all interested individuals. A few individuals have volunteered to

 

teach non-tamil speaking SVs to read, recite and understand

Thirupallaandu. There is a craving in most individuals to seek

knowledge.

 

2) One of my biggest concerns as a parent of a 19 year old son is now

 

that we are residents/citizens of USA, how are we going to maintain

those traditions with the next generation SV children predominately

conversing in English only? I think the challenge is to present the

greatness of our religion in a succinct way to ensure that these

children will experience and continue the SV-ism. The matam magazines

 

in their current format do not address the needs of these children.

With so much of knowledge and talent in your Bhakthi/TK group,

wouldn't it be beneficial to assist these youngsters who may be

deprived of understanding their heritage? TK could potentially

address the needs of the first generation SVs as well as those adults

 

who are eager to learn now what they missed out when they were young

for various reasons. The proposal to create a Newsletter and have

copies available at Temples is an excellent idea. For those areas not

 

near temples, maybe local coordinators/volunteers could be identified

 

to distribute these newsletters.

 

3) Last summer our family visited Srirangam, Kumbakonam, Madurai,

Madura, Brindavan, Upilli etc. My observation is that some temples

like Srirangam, Thirupathi still attract large masses and are

reasonably able to maintain these ancient temples. At the time of our

 

visit to Utthamar and Thiruvellarai (Pundareekaakshar) temples

(outskirts of Srirangam), there were less than ten individuals total

and you can see that these temples are not that well maintained. That

 

has been my biggest gripe about the temples that are being constructed

 

all over USA. I love to visit temples, but I do not see the need for

 

so many. How are we going to sustain these temples in the future in

this environment? I would rather each family adopt their native

village/town temple in India and preserve the structure. You may be

aware of the pitiful status of the sannidhi built for Periya Nambi

(Mahapurna) near Pasupathi Koyil and Koorathaalwar (Kuresa) which were

 

in a bad state. I understand that due to efforts of a few individuals

 

they have been repaired. Why is that we cannot as a community be

cognizant of these situations, provide a SV community service and

propagate the message re these issues? My suggestion is we should

focus on getting the message and not worry about the responses.

 

4) I definitely agree that we do not need to duplicate existing

organizations. These SV organizations undoubtedly have the knowledge

 

and some adequate resources, however TK could complement and/or

supplement the efforts to suit the local USA needs. Re 108 divya

sthalams, TTD has published books by M. A. Ramesh in English. Could

these documents be transported to a CD format to facilitate

portability? I was unable to procure them during my recent visit.

May be someone in your group may have a copy which, with TTD

permission could be scanned. I will be willing to donate towards the

 

cost.

 

5) What is lacking is a rudimentary book in simple English which

defines the various terminology used in SV discussions, rituals,

stories, history of SV survival/revival, stories and greatness of our

 

Alwars and Acharyas etc.. A book with pictures and puzzles similar to

 

other educational books is long due. May be I am not exposed to these

 

type of references. Maybe TK could ID these type of starter series?

 

Please do not think that I am expecting too much from the TK group. I

 

am new to this correspondence and quite possible that I have not

understood the intent of TK. All these are my FIRST set of

observations in which this group could provide a valuable service. My

 

point is that there is a lot of valuable inf. stored in your minds and

 

hearts that I am eager to tap into these sources to benefit the USA SV

 

population and to ensure that that this knowledge base is captured.

One of you may argue or express a concern that we lose the Tamil works.

 

Are we really? We should stand back and assess that question keeping

 

in mind the two different aspects of literature and intent/essence.

Part of our heritage is accommodating the needs of the people.

 

6) Since my initial exposure in 1970s to the news about the summer

sessions for children at Sharada or Rajeswari peetam in New Jersey, I

 

have had this dream of a similar session to share and learn about

SV-ism. Here is where the matams can package a session for people

visiting India. I realize that my major focus is towards the needs of

 

the younger generation. My response is that they are the future

messengers of SV-ism and my responsibility as a parent is to

facilitate that process by soliciting groups like the Bhakthi Group to

 

allocate their energy and thoughts. I cannot predict how responsive

the adults will be. I am willing to try within my areas of influence.

 

The question that may arise is Why should we take responsibilty of

the parents? It is a legitimate question. But bear in mind that not

 

all parents have been lucky to have been exposed to our traditions and

 

are struggling to pass it on to their children. Many parents

themselves are willing to be students along with their children.

 

7) May I ask you to pass this note to your group till I establish my

private residential link? Also, I would appreciate any information on

 

the origin and history of "Nallan Chakravarthy" which my father

belonged to? I had heard originally they were from Srirangam but

migrated to Karnataka and AP hundreds of years back. Here is an adult

 

who passed all her youth not taking time to ask that question. But

now in the path of self discovery is hungry to learn from any one who

 

is willing to share.

 

NAGU SATYAN (AKA ChoodiKodutthaNacheeyar Rangamannar)

 

 

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