Upakarma – The annual thread Ceremony.

With the approach of the full moon day in the month of Shraavana – the day when the male Yajurvedis change their sacred thread, brings back memories of the function that was being celebrated in our house.

The formal ceremony consists of a fire – ritual (Homa); puja of the rishis; tarpana (offering of water in a particular way) to the rishis and the change of the sacred thread – a sort of renewal of the pledge to undertake the path of Vedic Adhyayana (Vedic Learning). Uptill 1976, this ritual was being organized in our house. We would have about 20 – 30 people from our neighbourhood and some relatives too congregating for the ritual.

The purohit would come in at 5.30 in the morning and the rituals would go on till 8.00. So the preparations would have to be completed the previous night itself. This was an occasion which we looked out for. I had my initiation (Upanayana) in 1974. But right from the age of about 6 years I was involved in the ritual – as I was allowed to wear the “yagnopaveeta” (janivaara – holy thread) – albeit a “kaLLa janivaara (illegal janivara).

I would be woken up at 5.15 in the morning, made to complete the morning duties, wrapped with a silk “maguta”, smeared with “vibhuti” (the holy ash) and would take my reserved place beside our father and grandfather.

The wooden planks would be arranged inside the periphery of the hall accommodating about 18 persons. There was one aged person who used to attend but unable to squat on the ground. We used to give him a wooden chair and table to do the rituals and he would be seated on one of the adjoining rooms. Additional persons were accommodated in the verandah.

The “homa kunDa” and the platform for the “rishi pooja” would be in arranged the previous night itself. I was allowed to do the puja and most of the rituals except the “rishi tarpana” until 1974 – as I was still not initiated.

The first interesting part was when we were required to do the “yagnopaveeta daana” – giving a set of the sacred thread along with “dakshine” to elders and take their blessings before “yagnopaveeta dharaNa” – the process of putting on the sacred thread. Our grandfather would provide me with my own set of 10 sacred threads and coins for the process.

The second interesting part was when all the participants would circle around the “homa kunDa” and the “rishis” in “pradakshiNa”. As we walked around to the chanting of mantrams, the wooden planks would make a sound wheneven someone stepped on the edges and the plank would rise and fall. It was merriment for me as the planks would keep going “katak-katak” during the entire process of about 5 minutes by the time we completed three rounds.

The puja would end with the distribution of “prasadam” - “satvada hittu” – a combination of rice flour, til seeds, ghee and cut fruits (banana, guava, sweet lime, fresh grapes, etc.).

The guests would have breakfast of hot “tatte” idlis and chutney accompanied by hot coffee before leaving. Always coming back the next year.

This event, unfortunately, stopped on the demise of our grandfather in 1976 and our family purohit a few years later. The ususal guests started to go to temples for the ritual or like me, started changing the sacred thread in their house itself with a simple 5 minute process.

I was fortunate to attend a similar elaborate ritual when a neighbour of ours, Mr. Aralikatte Chandrashekar, took up the initiative and has started it in his house. The ritual came back to our house of one year – during which Mr. Chandrashekar’s mother had expired.

Every year during the Upakarma day, whether I am able to attend the elaborate ritual or not, the memories of the Upakarma in our house remains fresh.

A Tribute to my “TAATA” (Grandfather).

My first memories of him are the wavy white hair – parted in the middle, fair, tall, majestically upright, devout and pious, ever friendly. He was then already in his late sixties. He was a leading advocate with offices in Rave Beedi (Soji Street), founder member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Mysore (1944 - undivided – as it is now), an all-round sportsman with Tennis, Cricket and Golf being the main stays, a voracious reader and a thorough family man. Wondering who this person is? Do any of the old Mysoreans recognize him?

You have it right, if your guess is “K.M. Subba Rao, B.A., LL.B.” (This nameplate still maintains its place of pride on the main door of our house in Devaparthiva Road). It is my pride to have been born into his family.

He was known for punctuality in every thing he did. This was brought to our attention by a trader near his office. My grandfather had a “Sun-beam” bicycle that he rode to office daily in the morning. He followed a particular route. This particular trader informed us later that he used to correct the time in his watch when my grandfather passed his shop.

He was one who would never ask for a favour. Being an active member of the Rotary Club and the Kanteerava Narasimha Raja Sports Club, the annual meetings would normally end late in the evening after the usual rounds of “high spirits” and dinner. It would usually be after 10.30 PM. It was common knowledge among the members of both organizations that, he would never stay back after 10.30 PM. He would just get up and leave. If, by chance, anyone noticed his departure and offered a ride home, he would take it. Else, he would walk back home. (KNSC at the foot hills of Chamundi was a clean 6-7 Kms from home – remember the present MG Road is less than a decade old!).

The strict disciplinarian – with respect to his profession – that he was, was amply demonstrated many a time in our house. He had many clients who came from villages. They normally would come to meet him at our house outside office hours bringing along with them fresh vegetables from their farms. He would never take those vegetables for free. He would ensure that the present market price is paid to the client before the bag of vegetables could be taken into the house.

He was a multi-faceted sports person. He used to narrate an incident where he won three different sporting events on the same day – football in the morning, followed by a cricket match and ending the day with a cross country running race! Not many professional sports persons can claim that achievement today.

The last I say him play tennis was at the inauguration of the Mysore Tennis Club in Chamarajapuram, Mysore in 1969 at the age of 73. He partnered Mr. B. S Dattatri in the inaugural exhibition match.

The memory of visits to the Zoo, the Dasara Exhibition, the Vijayadashami procession (for which he would bring tickets to the Municipal Pendal for the entire family), the Rotary Meetings, the Annual get-together at NSC or even the occasional KR Market purchase trip would be a thrill we looked out for.

I should not call him “my grandfather”. I can only humbly and with pride call myself “his grandson”.