Punn

Punn, which means thread in Kashmiri, literary continues unbroken even in exile. Punn is a festival that is celebrated by the Kashmiri Pandits with much aplomb and religious fervour in the month of Bhadon (August/September). The festival falls on the Ganesh Chaturthi (Vinayaka Tsoram) day, with worship of Lakshmi and Ganesha being a common feature of this festival.

After exodus, when many festivals and customs have lost their original charm, Punn festival is still celebrated with the same devotion with which it was celebrated in Kashmir. Perhaps it has something to do with its simplicity and the social message it carries.

Most Kashmiri Pandits remember by heart the story told during Punn Puja mostly by a elder of the household, which is quite similar to the Satyanaryana Katha. The much loved story begins``It was the month of Bhadon, Venayak Chorum te Athwar (fourth lunar day and Sunday), a long time ago, in Kashmir there was a Hindu king ruling comfortably''.

The special feature of this festival is the Roth (sweet thick pancakes fried in ghee) that are prepared and later after puja distributed among relatives, neighbours and friends for ushering in prosperity and auspiciousness..

In Kashmir where Pandits used to live in distinct localities far away from each other, Punn festival also helped in keeping social links active as each household had to distribute Naveed (prasad) of this function in the form of Roth to all their neighbours, relatives and even strangers.

According to the renowned Kashmiri scholar Dr Shashi Shekhar Toshkhani, Punn festival was originally associated with the spinning of newly produced cotton and worshipping the twin agrarian local goddesses, Vibha and Garbha to whom roths were offered. Though scholars dispute that Kashmir is not suitable for growing cotton, but the traditions seems to have preserved the earlier agricultural practices in codified rituals, which suggest that cotton might have been grown in Kashmir in the past.

The twin goddesses later seem to have merged into one another assuming the identity of the folk deity Beeb Garabh Maj (Beeb Garabh Mother), which is represented by a small brass water pot (gadwa) which is placed in the centre of the place where Puja is performed. A cotton thread is tied to neck of the water pot and a handful of runner grass (dramun) is kept inside the pot.

The Story:

There lived a poor Brahmin family comprising of Brahmin, his wife and beautiful young daughter. Brahmin used to support his family by pittance collections he used to get as Bhikshya. The daughter used to go to the forest for collection of firewood. One day during the month of Bhadoon Shakula Paksh on 4th day, when she was in the forest, she saw some Devis descending from Heaven. She hid herself behind a tree and was keen to watch them and to know why they have come to the forest. She saw Devis cardooning off an area and cleaning it thoroughly. They Devis started kneading wheat flour and mixed sugar and ghee and cardamom etc in it and then they baked it on hot plate.. After finishing Devis looked around to find a girl, as they could not perform Pooja without presence of a girl. They took the notice of Brahmin girl hiding behind the tree and called her over. They gave her a bath and a new dress to wear. After finishing pooja they gave her Roth prasad and some money as Dakshana. After this the Devis left for their abode. The Brahmin girl was dazed with what she witnessed and was happy to receive new clothes and some money. She went to her home where her parents scolded and thrashed her on her possessions. They thought that she has got it some ill means. The Brahmin girl narrated to them entire thing that she had witnessed but her parents did not trust her. Days passed by and the routine of their hardships followed.

Brahmin girl developed a desire within to do same thing what Devis had done on the same auspicious day next year. She started preparations for the same in advance. Having no money with her, she collected cow dung where from she separated wheat grain and collected them over for some days, dried them and converted them into flour. She could not afford sugar or ghee and thus made roth without these materials on the auspicious day after cleaning the area etc as Devis had done. This she was doing with absolute faith, which was being witnessed by Devis in their abode and they were happy with such dedicated faith of Brahmin girl. Devis decided to reward her. The Brahmin girl performed pooja of Roths, which she had kept under a cover. After pooja when she removed the cover she was astonished to see Roths converted into golden cakes. She could not believe her stars but knew it was a miracle possible only by blessing of Devis. Thus she thanked Devis and rushed to her home with prized possession. On seeing golden cakes, her parents locked her in a room and thrashed her to maximum thinking that this time she has done some bigger crime. The girl kept on pleading and pleading and told them everything she had done, but her parents did not believe her. During the night Devis came in the dream of her parents and told them about what girl had done and that she should be treated nicely. On listening to Devis, the parents blessed the girl with love and affection. Thus the status of Brahmin family improved and they kept on repeating this Roth puja every year. Devis kept on blessing them with prosperity and wealth.

Years passed by, and one day the King of the state was returning from hunting expedition when he took notice of Brahmin girl who was relaxing under a tree in her courtyard. Her youth and charm fascinated the king and he decided to marry her. He summoned her father to the court next day and asked for his daughter's hand. The marriage was solemnised with great pomp and show and the Brahmin girl became queen of the state.

When the Roth day was approaching, she asked the King to arrange the materials for the performance of Roth Pooja. King asked his minister to do the necessary arrangements. The Minister ill advised the King that it was just a fantasy of the queen and it was not necessary. He did not believe that she could have afforded the material that the queen had asked for while she was not married. He suggested that it was her greed that she is demanding such a huge amount of materials for doing some Puja of which he had not heard of. The king was convinced by Minister's logic and refused to give any material to the queen.

The queen was very upset and she pleaded with the king. She cried and begged of King without any luck. She went to Puja room and begged of Devis to pardon her for no fault of hers.

During the night King dreamt of Devis who warned him that he would lose his kingdom next day as he had not fulfilled the necessary arrangements requested by the queen. Very next day, neighbouring state king invaded his kingdom and he was dethroned and exiled. He realised his mistake and asked his wife to pardon him. His wife in turn asked him to seek pardon from Devis and to take a pledge not to do such things in future. He prayed and prayed and prayed. Finally Devis took mercy on him and blessed him since he vowed to perform this pooja irrespective of whatever condition he would be in. Next day the faithful soldiers of the King who got wind of where the king was hiding came to see him. They assembled in large numbers and worked out a plan to conquer back their kingdom. In next few days the King with the help of his soldiers regained his kingdom. Ever since the king and entire state performed the Roth Pooja every year.

Concluding prayer:

Now we pray Almighty to bless us in the same way as they blessed the Brahmin girl and to strive in us a true, dedicated & strong faith in the pooja.

Rangoli

You will often find beautiful, colorful patterns being made with sand or wet paint on the ground and walls within or outside houses in India during festivities. This style of home decoration is called Rangoli. It's an art form practiced by the Indians since ages. The name 'rangoli' is derived from the words 'rang' meaning colors and 'aavalli' meaning row of colors. The designs used in drawing rangoli generally include geometrical patterns with lines, dots, squares, circles, triangles, the swastika, lotus, trident, fish, conch shell and even footprints.

Rangoli is a very popular in the Indian subcontinent and is known by different names in different regions of India. It is called Alpana in Bengal, Aripana in Bihar, Madana in Rajasthan, Rangoli in Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Chowkpurana in Uttar Pradesh, Kolam in the South Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu and Muggu in Andhra Pradesh. While the power rangoli is more popular in the south Indian states, the North Indians prefer Alpana, which comprises of wet paint.

There are many folktales about the origin of the traditional art of rangoli in India. One such story traces its history to a legend recorded in the Chitralakshana, the earliest Indian treatise on painting. Long ago, the son of a renowned king's priest died. Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe, requested the king to make a painting of the boy so that he could turn him alive again. This is how the first rangoli was made. The motifs employed in making traditional Rangoli are usually inspired by nature and thus, consist of peacocks, flowers, humans, trees, etc.

Traditionally natural dyes like bark of trees, leaves, flower petals and turmeric powder were used to prepare Rangoli. However, these days, a number of colorful synthetic dyes have also come into the market. When a thin layer of the dye or the coloring material is used for making Rangoli, then the patterns look flat. A 3-D effect can be provided to the designs by using different sized grains like pulses, cereals, etc. Earlier such floor and wall decorations were done only on auspicious occasions.

However, today, any occasion, be it birthday, wedding or some other parties, etc, is good enough. You will also see rangoli almost everywhere in India during Diwali festival. The art form holds great religious significance. It also enhances the beauty of the surroundings and spreads joy and happiness all around. In Indian culture, our guests occupy a very special place and rangoli serves as an expression of this warm hospitality.

Aarti

The Hindu ritual of aarti accrues from the ancient Vedic concept of fire ceremony or the 'homa'. Generally, one or more wicks made of cotton, or thin cloth strip, is soaked in ghee or camphor, lighted and offered to the deity. The term 'aarti' may also refer to the traditional Hindu devotional songs that are sung while the fire ritual is being performed. Apart from the national anthem of India, perhaps, the only other song sung popularly and lovingly across all age and social groups and regions is the aarati.

Though arti may be sung differently in different parts of the Indian subcontinent, the core intention never varies. All aarti songs signify the highest form of love for God. As per Indian beliefs and tradition, worshiping God through 'bhava' or emotion is the highest form of worship. And in arti, both the singing of the traditional hymn, or the devotional song, and the fire serve to prevent the deflection of the worshipper's concentration from the act.

In Sanskrit, the term aarti can be broken up into two words - "aa' meaning towards and "rati" meaning the highest love for God. Traditionally, aarati is done two or three times a day, at the conclusion of a puja, bhajan or havan. It is a mandatory ritual performed on all auspicious occasions of Hindus. The aarti thali, which contains diya, flowers, incense and akshata, is circulated in front of the deity and arti song is sung by all members present there. When arti is performed before God, it is believed that the plate and the light get blessed by the deity.

The pandit, or the priest, passes on the arti plate from one person to another, present there, who cup the flickering fire lightly with their down-turned hands. Then, they put their hands over the flame and then touch their forehead, as a gesture of seeking holy blessings. The plate on which the aarati is performed is usually made of silver, bronze or copper. Aarti is also performed in front of a person, either as a welcome gesture or to ward off bad influences from him. Infact, the whole purpose of arti is to ward off the evil spirits and bad omens.

In India, the aarti is also performed before people of high status, little kids during certain ceremonies, on people embarking or returning from a long journey (especially if it's a pilgrimage) and on a newly married couple when they enter their house for the first time, etc. The arti is also performed on some newly acquired land and before initiating some pertinent chore. There are different types of arti for different Indian deities and often arti contains important snippets about them.

Janeu Ceremony

Janeu is a consecrated thread that is worn by each and every Hindu Brahmin of India. This holy thread of 'Janeo' suggests the development of a male, from a young boy to a man. It is believed that a boy cannot be surmised as "Dvija" (twice born) until he wears the janeu. Besides the Brahmins, Janeo thread is also worn by the Kshatriyas and Vaishyas. The type of Janeu is different for different caste groups or sects of people of the Indian subcontinent.

One is Brahmgandh Janeu (with 5 knots or 3 knots), which is meant for Brahmins and the other is Vishnugandh Janeu (with one knot), meant for other classes. In case a Brahmin desires to become scholarly in the Vedas, he must wear janeu at 5 years of age. If a Kshatriya desires to gain strength, he should wear janeo at 6 and if a Vaishya desires for success, he must wear the Janeu at 8 years of age. Janeu is generally made of cotton thread; however Kshatriya and Vaishya wear threads made out of hempen and wool respectively.

Janeu (Thread) Ceremony

Brahmins celebrate the development of a boy through "Upanayanam Samskara" (sacred thread ceremony). The ceremony is generally observed between the ages of seven and fourteen. In case the ceremony could not take place due to any reason all through this age period, then it is required to be done before the marriage. The purpose of thread ceremony is to prepare a young man to share the responsibilities of elders. The thread is worn by the man in the company of a group chant of 'Gayatri' mantra. The thread is twisted in upward direction to make certain that 'Sattwaguna' (good quality of truth) prevails. The ceremony also suggests that the wearer of 'Janeu' can participate in the family rituals, from now onwards.

Significance of three strands in Janeu

Brahmins use 'Janeu' thread with three strands. These three strands of 'Janeo' have been studied many a times and different personalities gave several opinions regarding this tradition. To some people, the three strands stand for the Hindu Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Others interpreted it as symbolical of Mahasarasvati, Mahalakshmi and Mahakali. Many people believed it to be related with past, present and future.

A number of persons stated it to be representative of three qualities - sattva, rajas and tamas. A few considered the three strands as sign of three states-wakefulness, dream and deep sleep. Some of them mentioned it to signify three dimensions of Heaven (swarga), Earth (mrityuloka) and Nether Regions (pataloka). Out of all opinions, the most logical is janeu's account with Ida, pingala and susumna nadi, through which the 'kundalini' (hidden) energy reveals in 'prana' and realization.

How to wear Janeu at different occasions

Janeu is a not an ordinary thread, its sanctity is regarded to get disturbed if it is not worn properly. Here are given different methods to wear Janeu at different occasions.

·         To attend or perform any auspicious ceremony, one should wear 'janeu' hanging from the left shoulder (Upaviti).

·          For attending or performing inauspicious event, one should wear 'janeu' hanging from the right shoulder (Prachnaviti).

·                In case the person wears 'janeu' round the neck like a garland, then, he is called as 'Niviti'.

·          While going for daily ablutions or doing impure tasks, the holy thread must be raised and its upper part ought to be put behind ear.

·                Males and females both can wear 'janeu', yet females should wear it around the neck.

·            Following a birth or death in the family, 'janeu' should be removed, again a new thread ought to be worn after 15 days of event.

·                One must replace the old or broken thread with a new thread.