Jennifer in India

[Guest guest]

So good to hear you! Thank you for updating us and sharing your private email

(to your parents). Been visiting your online journal and mighty excited for

you. Makes me feel I was there too! You are missed and look forward to your

return in due course. Meanwhile, have a ball for all of us in India!

Aum Ganesa,

Sy

jenpolan (AT) indya (DOT) com wrote: HI all.I have been really busy. I been trying to

update my online journal without much time. I have written an email to my

family about what I have done in past few days. Hope you find it

interesting.JEnniferPS I Have not much time to read any posts, I will catch up

later.Sat we went to temple. We went to this special temple to do an archana.

That pujari used my name without a grin BUt theonly problem is I don't know

my (birth) star, so shemade up one! In this temple they let foreigners in

toall parts but one.. we did not ask to pressure them..Actually before temple

we went to kamakshi's cousin'shouse. SHe recently got married. Her new family

isreallly strict. We had to come only after herhusband's grandfather ate cause

he won't like girls tocome unchapperoned (without an older male) to thehouse.

And her cousin can only come visit us after wecome to see her (since I am a new

guest or somethingof that sort, I did not quite understand). But I wassurprized

to see where their house was. Kamakshi'sfamily is not rich at all. They live in

a 'house'enclosed by shops on the main road. BUt they rent outa few sections of

the house, partitioned off, to theshopkeepers. They have a strange set up to

theirhouse, which I realized only now since your house hasthe same. the

bathroom off the kitchen. They areremodelling their house now, so it is

looking bettereverytime.BUt her cousin lived behind a main road, in an

areawhich is not pakka. IT is not dirty or anything likethat, there is no

stagnating water or garbage on theroad, I mean the way the houses are. Many

are smallconcrete structures about 20 ft by 15 ft with thatchedroofs, and

packed closely, there are few smallprovisions shops there. BUt her cousins'

house ispakka. It is fully concrete and big. IT is only onefloor, but it has

a concrete 'gate' or wall around it.The floors are tiles and that shiny

material I can'ttell what it is called. There is a small verandah inthe front,

and the rooms inside are really big. Theyhave a 'swing' in the front room, sort

of like theones in the brahmin marriage. They have an'entertainment' center

with full wood and tv andradio. the other things are behind the closed doors

soI couldn't see that. They have a big kitchen, butcook like in village, by

sitting on floor. Theirbathroom is outside, like in traditional house.

YOuhave to go outside and walk behind about 10 steps. THerre are 2 bath rooms

and 2 toilets! about 10people live in this house.. her cousin, husband,

hersister in law, husband, children, and mother in lawand grandfather. They

have a verandah on top of thehouse. IT is really big. It seems her

cousin'shusband's family is rich. But the place they havebuilt their house is

not so nice.After this (cousin's house and temple) we went to theshop to buy

saris' Actually I thought of buyingkamakshis amma and appa diwali dress, as I

felt badwhen they said they did not get this year and I wantedto do something

nice for them cause they helped me somuch. We went to two shops, she said in

kanchipuramthere are not many good quality shops. I came to seethat. I mean

Tambaram really is the best. THe shop Itold you I went with Ninja's mom, LNC.

THat is THEbest, not even Nalli, Kumaran Silks or any Spencer'sPlaza shop will

beat that! So we will be making tripsto Tambaram :)THe saris here the threads

are coming out, on top ofthat the selection in types of materials,

colors,patterns, pallus, borders and everything is not good. I think I pained

that man, but I don't care, cause itis his job, he removed so many saris and I

rejectedthem all. THere was only 2 that were good in the whole100 or so he

showed us. One was a dark purple, thefabric was supurb, so soft to touch and

the pallu wasso soft and the design was very intricate and grand.They wanted

more than 700 for that. It is not worthmore than 500. THe one I got was a

purple silk mixwith mixed colors inside. It shines and shimmers, thepallu had

golden thread, grand. It was 640 or so,still the same thing in Tambaram would

be at least 100less. And for her appa I got a dhoti and shirt material. It is

so cheap, forhalf sleeve shirt the fabric (cotton) was only about75 rupees! I

am not sure of stitching charge.SO when we went home, we went directly in the

pujaroom. THey have a big puja room. I put the sandal paste on the corners of

the dressesand placed it on a plate with some jasmine flowers andpresented it

to them, also touching their feet. Kamakshi took lots of pictures:)This day I

wore my new diwali sari. IT is purple andblack checks, the fabric is a silk

mix, it is so easyto wear. Kamakshi said all the shop keepers asked herif she

tied the sari on me, she told them I did itmyself. They said even we Indians

can't tie and wearlike that! People were appreciating me :)Yesterday

morning we went to temple in early mornign.There are 1008 siva temples in

kanchipuram! we wentto one.. I forgot name but they had to get me

specialpermisison to do this puja. it can only be done onsundays after the full

moon. they told them my nameis 'jayasree' the pujari did not even blink!

:)anyhow the puja is different type. YOu buy this riceflour and jaggery mix

there, and you bring the otheritems for the puja, ghee, banana, flowers,

comb,turmeric ball and betel leaf and nut. The rice mixand the jaggery is put

in the metal plate and part ismixed with water and you create a small hill with

ahole in the top, put ghee and then wic and light itwhen puja time comes. For

this puja, you pray forgood health. So after the items are given in puja,each

member puts this plate on their head and walksaround the shrine one time. (we

got pictures:) afterthere is one shiva shrine in a small room. sometimesthis

lingam comes on a 'plate' like thing with anopening on one end that comes out.

This 'opening orlip' is coming to the wall itself, so to circle thisthing

inside the room is difficult, you have to crawlunderneath it. they say if you

do that you releiveback pain! but i did do this.after words we sat and ate that

jaggery mix and bananaand the prasadam. We circled the entire temple, it isbig,

it takes almost 30 minutes. On some sectionsthere are shops and beggars. You

can give money tothem or that flour mix. I saw the beggar there with asmall

plastic cover and it was filling up of thisflour mix. They of course will eat

it later. I foundthat kind of gross, but that is the custom, I guess. They

even have those nagas statues around the tree, somany women are praying for

their marriage there, bybathing the naga in milk, honey, kumkum and

turmericwater. Some even pray for their healthy baby. theycome after the baby

is born and place a baby swing onthe branches of the tree and make a puja.we

went to vellore in the day time. you can'tunderstand how much i get pained by

christians here.once they realize how 'unchristian' i am, they startgiving the

gospel. even kamakshi was feeling bad forme. so we did want to see a special

temple there, itis surrounded by a moat, but due to hearing the'gospel' we

couldn't go .. we got the bus at 5 and gotto kanchi at 720pm And apparently my

friends motherwho 'was a brahmin' her family owns many temples. shesays in

hinduism she did not find the holy people,only in christianity. But indians

fail to realize onething in US there are mostly christians, so we see somany

unholy people in US, that is why people like mecome out. but I just kept

quiet.today we are going for special puja again, everyday wewill. one day is a

special murugan puja. where hemarries one lady after the killing of a beast. it

isonly once a year after diwali.Enjoy being an Indyan at http://www.indya.comDo

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