House Warming

House warming is supposed to be one of the most important ceremonies in one's life.House warming is solemnized only after completing the work.In connection with house warming following points are work noted.
( i ) Fixing the day and time for 'Griha Pravesh'.
( ii )It is better to conduct vasthu pooja and vasthu bali on the eve of house warming day.
( iii )Conduct Ganapati Homam at early morning on the day of house warming.Conduct BhagavatiSeva in the evening.
( iv )At least half an hour before the muhurtham of house warming all arrangements-listed below- related to it must be completed.
     (a) A new nilavilakku
     (b) Kindi with full of water
     (c) Agarbatti sticks and holder
     (d) Dasapushpam,Mirror(Valkannadi),Vermilion(Sinduracheppu),A pressed clean dhoti (Alakkiyamundu) ,Money,Gold ornaments,Silver etc.....should be kept in a wooden box.
     (e)Paddy and Rice
     (f)Milk and Sugar,A new earthenware vessel(Mankalam),Spoon,Matchbox.
     (g)To fill nirapara-para,paddy,flower of coconut(Poomkula) and photo of your beloved deity.         
( v )The members who are going to live in the new house should wear new dresses.
( vi )A number of girls(Kanyaka) should be there with Nirakumbam(small vessel fill with water).
( vii )If possible a cow is tied in front of the house.


                                                                      The Carpenter( now a days Contractor also )  checks whether all the doors and windows are closed and the Mason checks the oven( aduppu ).At the time of Muhoortham,Carpenter lock the front door and keep the key with him.
                                                                       Lighting the Nilavilakk,the lady of the house keep the lamp carefully.The man of the house keep the Wooden box-mentioned above on his head.Girls with Nirakumbam and other ladies with Thalapoli and Dasapushpam take pradakshin( walking clockwise )around the house and come back to the front side.Seeing the back of the cow is surprised to be a good Kani-good sign.
                                                                      Carpenter give the key -he may be given  dakshina and the man/owner of the house ask permission to open the door three times and the carpenter let the owner to open the door.The lady with the lamp enter the house and keep the Nilavilakk down near the place where the Para should be filled.Then fill the Nirapara with paddy and Poomkula is inserted in the paddy.
                                                                     Later Mason conducts Pooja on oven.Another vilakku is lightened at the oven.One thiri lightened from Ganapathi homam vilakku is used to light the vilakku at oven and firewood at the oven is lightened with the thiri at the oven.Put some ashes from Ganapathi homam to the oven.Milk in the new vessel is kept on the oven and wait for boiling.Milk should over flow the vessel after boiling.Then ladies make Va-kurava ( sound made by women ).
                                                                     Then milk is shared to all the guests assembled to participate the function.There after in another vessel make rice in the oven.After that the food is served among the guests who are invited for the function.Then the carpenter,mason and main workers associated with the construction of house may be given some dakshina and dress.

                                                                        After the function the owners should stay in there "HOME SWEET HOME" at that night.                                                                 
                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                        
                                                                

UNDER EMPLOYMENT

Some fifteen years ago unemployment was a severe problem in India especially in Kerala.The education level of candidates from Kerala was very high in those time compared to the other Indian states.All educated candidates where dreamed about white collar jobs-Govt. jobs.As the time passes opportunities increased rapidly as a result of  the globalization and a lot of new foreign companies brought investment to India and introduced many products in our markets.As a country India's financial growth was tremendous.
                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                       Information Technology(IT) was another big opportunity in India.Computerization was faster,opening in that industry elevated globally.The Indian candidates could largely trade this global opportunity.The income of IT professionals was very high.Cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad became big IT centers.But after 2006 there was a set back in IT industry many IT professionals failed to find adequate opening.Many of them were forced to do underemployment.The satisfaction level has gradually been collapsed in the industry.
                                                                             
                                                                         Another development simultaneously happened in Kerala was establishment of new private professional colleges.Large number of engineering colleges opened without adequate facility and faculty.Radiating advertisement showing the state of the art buildings they could attract many students to such low graded institutions.Students at the age of 18 and 19 years forced to take bank loans to support the education.After completing such education most of the candidates fail to find adequate opening.Many of them get very low salaries from which they could hardly repay the bank loans.Now a days unemployment/underemployment is among highly qualified professionals.This is not the case of engineering graduate alone but also the other professionals like nursing and other paramedicals.

                                                                             In Kerala unskilled labour gets a minimum of rupees 50,000 per month.A housemaid gets not less than 10,000 per month.Even a home nurse without qualification gets identical payment.They need not spend money and time for the education and need not repay any bank loan.Availability of unskilled labour is very low compared to the educated professionals.

                                                                              Still parents think of their children to become a professional.They spent their money and time for achieving the targets.Writer believes that in the near future in Kerala reward depend only on the nature of work.The harder to execute the work the greater will be the benefit.And in future there will be acute shortage of skilled and unskilled labour.Where there is shortage of labour the wages will be elevated day by day.Why do-not people start to think of gaining the skill ? In Kerala many skills are either inherited or done by some community.But such communities do not encourage their children to continue with such skills.This added the scarcity of skilled workers.

                                                                                  Time ahead is good for people who are willing to work.The reward will be proportional to the work.The day is not much away when a doctor and carpenter draw equal salaries.So the parents and students must understand that the carrier should be that one would feel it as comfortable for him.    
                                                                                 

Perunna Sree Subramanya Swamy Temple

Perunna Sree Subramanya Swamy Temple is one of the most important Subramaniam Temple in Kerala.This temple is almost 1000 years old.Unlike other Subramania Swamy Temple,the 'Vel'-the weapon of lord Muruka is kept inverted.The assumption is that after killing Tharakasura to loose the anger lord Velayudha inverted 'Vel' pierced in the soil.This temple is the first temple which permitted lower caste to enter the temple after the Kshetra Praveshana Vilambaram.

Perunna Subramanya Temple

                                                                  Devotees from distant places come here on every tuesday.Otta Narangasingle lemon garland) is one of the most important offering held on every tuesday.Devotees offer 'Otta Naranga' in six consecutive tuesday for fulfilling there needs. 

                                                             

Temple Entrance

                                                                  Shashti is very popular.Thousands of devotees visit the temple on the shashti day.'Scanda Shashti' is in the month of Vrischika is the right day to start the shashti vradham (fast).Some people take six day fasting during Scanda Shashti.
                                                                   

Thaipooyam Celebration

                                                                    Most important celebration in this temple is Thaipooyam-Subramania's Birthday !!!!Kavadi vilakk and Kavadi attum are very well known.Balakavadi,Agnikavadi, Karakam,Maylattom etc....are very common here.Tens of elephants from two groups-Padinjarum Bhagom and Kizhakum Bhagam accompany Kavadi Attom.

                                                                     

Padinjarum Bhagam Elephants

Kavadi Attom-Karakam

This is an offering called Shulam Kuthal

Mayl Attom

Karaka Kavadi

Elephants of the Kizhakum Bhagam

                                                                      The utsav in the temple is for 10 days.Karthika vilak is very important at the time of utsav.At the time of Kathika vilak the entire temple site and the whole houses itself will be lighted with small oil lamp called 'Chirag'.                                                                              

Celebration by lighting the Chirags 

Decorations in front of a house 

Kavadi Vilak celebration

Decorations infront of a house

Chirags lightened infront of a shop

It is a design Muruka's Vel made with camphor

    

Thirunelly Temple

 Thirunelly is a place in Wayanad Dist. in state of Kerala where Thirunelly Maha Vishnu Temple is located.It has a population of nearly 14000.The temple is situated in the middle of forest.Thirunelly Temple is almost 18km from Manandavadi.

Thirunnely Maha Vishnu Temple 

Thirunelly Maha Vishnu Temple is a very old temple made of rock blocks.People visit this temple for the sake of parents and grand parents etc.. who died.Mostly people come to immerse 'Chita Basma' of the relative who died.'Papanasm' is a naturally flowing stream.Those who want to do post funeral ceremonies of relatives who died come early in the morning and take part in the prayer.Prayer means the priest says the prayer ,the devotees who wants to do the 'Bali Karma' reiterate the prayer.The prayer is held at the outside of the Mahavishnu temple.After the prayer devotees go to Papanasm and participate in the Bali Karma.                                                                                                                                                             

Papanasm Stream

                                                                            Unlike other such places we have seen here wife doing  Bali Karma for her husband,mother doing Bali Karma for her son and daughter.It seems an irony that elders do Bali for the young ones.The priest told us that "A person upon his death becomes elder to all persons who are still living".                                                                                                                               
 
                                                                                During rainy season the stream is full of water.After Bali Karma people have to visit Mahadeva Temple which is built as a cave temple.The priest enter the temple in the sitting position.We were fortunate enough to see Siva in the cave temple.On the surroundings of the cave  temple we can see pebbles-stones are kept one over the another.Later we learn that by keeping the stone one over the another in the assumption that the mind become free from sin.Later people come to Vishnu temple for the darsan of Mahavishnu.                                                                                                                                                                                       

Mahadev Temple 

                                                                     During the construction of this temple there was scarcity of water.So Raja(King) made tedious arrangements to bring water from Brahmagiri mountain range through specially designed rock canals erected on pillars.The temple is under renovation.This temple is situated inside the forest having lot of wild animals especially elephants. 
                                                                         

                                                                       As long as it is surrounded by forest and is a hilly terrain there must have been cold climate.The sad thing is that the most beautiful bamboo forest destroyed after being flowered.It have a wide variety of flora and fauna.Hotels and Resorts are electrically fenced so as to avoid the attack from the elephants.Bamboo seeds- Mula ari which is very medicinal for controlling cholesterol and sugar is available there at a price of 400INR/kg.I personaly recommend you all to visit at least once in this temple.

A view from the resort