Weddings, then and now: 20th Century Brahmin Weddings

Whirlwind visit to a wedding reception- Join Raghavan for the modern wedding and share the nostalgic memories of 20th Century Weddings!


http://www.newindianexpress.com/opinions/mindspace/2019/apr/06/whirlwind-visit-to-a-wedding-reception-1960878.html
This piece brought back the memories of a Namboodiri wedding I attended during 1960's.
Bridegroom  Narayanan Namboothiri who is six months older than me is the present 'Head of the family' at my father's Illam (Kannamkulam Illam in Payyanur, Kerala). His son Sankaran Nampoothiri is now heading the Kottakkal Aryavaidyasala Hospital somewhere in Himachal Pradesh.
Narayanettan is my father's eldest brother's grandson.
The Veli (wedding is "VELI" for nampoothiris) had almost all the rituals carried out over three days described in this article except perhaps distribution of idli packets to guests. The sumptuous dinner and lunches were matched perhaps only by the lunch on the 12th day of my father's death (July 21, 1979) My father died on July 10, 1979 in Thiruvananthapuram while he was staying with us and the body was carried in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation's Ambulance (in which we and two friends including G S Iyer-settled now in Thiruvananthapuram- also travelled 600 km to Payyanur which journey took 24 hours) to Payyanur as the last rites were to be performed by Narayanettan and others.
This is the problem with old age, you start talking unconnected things and go on and on till the other half (better, maybe!) or someone else called you to open a bottle (Nallasivan, I can see your eyebrows moving up, yesterday we had been to the local Kottakkal Aryavaidyasala agency and brought some medicines)

M G Warrier

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NAVAGRAHA STOTRAM

NAVAGRAHA STOTRAM* According to astrology, the positions of the nine planets in the twelve constellations of the zodiac and their movements are considered to be quite significant. The nine planets ‘Navagraha’ affect every aspect of human life. They play an important role in the activities, physical and mental health and life of any individual. The unfavorable positioning of any of these planets can be the cause of problems, bad health, and stagnation for many people. However, there is a solution to avoid the ill effects of the position and movement of the ‘Navagraha’ in our lives. Navagraha mantras (or stotram) are simple mantras which work as powerful healing tools to reduce the negative effects of any of the nine planets. These mantras are Hindu holy hymn addressing the nine planets. Benefits Of Navagraha Stotram And The Way to Practice The Navagraha Stotram is written b y Rishi Vyasa and is considered to be the peace mantra for the nine planets. They are powerful m...
Read more

The King of Ragas: Sankarabharanam

                       The King of Ragas                      --------------------------     Long ago  serpents were put to lot of hardships.They  were afraid of other animals. They had to seek refuge in the hermitage of sage Saraba.The sage was a true devotee of Lord Shiva.He used to pray Shiva with melodious songs. As he sang a particular raga the snakes were much inspired and they began to dance,. Slowly the serpents became friendly with the sage. They brought water in their mouths for the pooja.They secreted  a special fluid in which the flowers got stuck to their bodies.The sage was much astonished by the service of the snakes.As the sarpas became very close to the sage ,they requested him to help having Darsan of Lord Siva. As requested by the sage Shiva appeared in the form of  a  Kapalika and stayed in the ashram.The...
Read more

Govt accepts one rank, one pension; ex-servicemen continue agitation | Business Standard News

Govt accepts one rank, one pension; ex-servicemen continue agitation | Business Standard News My VIEW: As former Defence Minister Antony has already alleged that NDA has ‘diluted’ UPA’s OROP and NPS has been introduced without taking into confidence those who were to be the beneficiaries or victims (and these are the people who will administer OROP and the existing ‘Defined Benefit Pension Scheme in the coming years!), both schemes will get ‘reformed’ sooner than later. With a view to make transition smoother and reduce friction which will affect the morale of the work force, GOI should review NPS keeping the following factors in mind: (i)                 Those who joined defence and civil services and organisations in the public sector did not have option to bargain and decide their service conditions including remuneration package. What attracted them to the service was the job security and social ...
Read more