Ode to the Bangle Sellers (A Vanishing Tribe)

                                        “ Bangle sellers are we who bear
                                           Our shining loads to the temple fair...
                                           Who will buy these delicate, bright
                                           Rainbow-tinted circles of light?
                                           Lustrous tokens of radiant lives,
                                           For happy daughters and happy wives.”

                                                                                      Sarojini Naidu

As a child this poem came alive before my eyes whenever I saw the Bangle Seller, who used to peddle his colourful ware on the streets of our neighborhood. He carried them on a  rectangular wooden frame, arranged according to colour. The dazzling reds, greens, and all the other vibrant colours used to sparkle under the noon sunlight. My mother and her friends having finished their cooking would sit down to bargain for those lovely bangles which always adorned their wrists – a symbol of their married status. These bangle sellers used to have the gift of gab and used to convince them to buy the bangles with exotic names like Pakeezah, Anarkali and others. The Bangle Sellers were not just salesmen of a merchandise – they participated in the rites of passage like menarche, wedding and the numerous festivals and also acted sometimes as matchmakers.  The bangles they sold were not very expensive and needed to be replaced frequently because these women did all the housework themselves, so accidents were bound to happen and bangles had to be replaced.

Glass bangles brought not only beauty but also music to the house – the tinkle changed as the women went about their daily task sweeping, grinding, dressing up – each activity producing a different type of music and reassuring the children and others of the security that these hands provided. They encouraged creativity, with children using the broken bangle pieces to create indigenous games; to make chains to decorate the homes and make wall hangings – the scope was infinite.

The advent of the Plastic age dealt a death knell to these lovely glass bangles and slowly the bangle seller could not make his regular trips since replacements were not so frequent.  Slowly the bangle seller vanished from the urban streets and the bangles were dressed up in tissue paper and imprisoned in small cardboard boxes on the shelves of the so called “Ladies Shops” at atrocious rates. The dazzle and sparkle of the bangles have been dimmed since they are no longer on display in the open natural light, glinting at women with wicked glee and seducing them with their lustrous charm.

 There is no doubt that a wide variety of bangles is now available in the market and crafted beautifully from a vast variety of materials but they cannot hold a candle to the glass bangles  described by the Nightingale of India Sarojini Naidu 

   “Some ….Silver and blue as the mountain mist,
      Some .. flushed like the buds that dream on the tranquil brow of a woodland stream,
         Some .. aglow with the bloom that cleaves to the limpid glory of new born leaves
             Some …like fields of sunlit corn,
                  Some.. like the flame of .. marriage fire,
                      Or, rich with the hue of her heart's desire”
 

and it is not just wishful thinking that makes me say so...  My salutations to the few Bangle Sellers, who still adorn with their twinkling ware the shandies and fairs of the rural-scape of India.

Lighting a Lamp

Just as the greatest charm of Diwali are the rows of earthen diyas used to decorate homes so also a lamp lit with loving care is the greatest add-on to the spiritual vibes of a Worship Centre. The spiritual energy present in the Universe is literally harnessed by  the flame of the lamp. There are very many reasons for lighting a lamp according to religious texts but for me it is the means of disciplining oneself to perform it with regularity. It is the simplest of all spiritual practices.
While selecting a lamp, choose one that is easy to maintain and at the same time functionally beautiful. It may be of  any material except iron and iron related alloys like stainless steel, white metal etc. Usually brass, bronze, copper, silver and other similar materials are used to design the lamp. It may be plain edged or with five spouts to hold the wick in place.It is advisable to place the lamp on a plate of appropriate size to avoid oil drips that may add to the cleaning task. It goes without saying that this plate should be of the same metal as the lamp.
The oil, the material of the wick, the direction in which it is placed as also the number of jyothis affect our lives variously.
Oils - The simplest rule to remember is avoid groundnut oil since it is not beneficial to the family and  to use Gingelly or til oil which is easily available and suitable for all Gods.
Wicks - Though a variety of wicks made from a variety of materials like banana fibre, lotus stem fibre and cloth torn from different colored fabrics may be used the easiest and best are Cotton wicks which confer all variety of benefits. Twist together two wicks and light it as one jyoth  everyday worship.
Flame of the lamp should face ideally east or north but definitely never south.

Discipline yourself to light the lamp everyday (ideally twice a day) after your bath in the morning and at twilight in the evening. Say a prayer or just meditate on the flame for a minute or two.  When you are leaving the room or after a little while put the light off by pulling the wick into the oil or snuff it out using a flower.

If you do this for 21 days continuously, it will become a habit (as will any action of yours) and you will enjoy a lot of peace in your life. It will become a quiet time for yourself alone.  Continue to practice this small ritual of lighting a lamp until you are able to -
"Let your light shine. Be a source of strength and courage. Share your wisdom and Radiate love."                                                                              Wilferd Peterson
 


             


             

Worship Centre in your Living Space

When one considers the major religions of India like Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism, a very striking difference may be observed. While Muslim children are trained in their religious rituals by Madrassas and the Christian children are initiated into the necessary understanding of their religion by Sunday Schools and Catechism classes, there is no such agency for Hindu children. The children just imbibe and absorb Hinduism – its teachings as well as practice by following what their parents and other relatives do in homes. If these elders in the family are agnostic (non-believers of rituals) they have no role model and their understanding of the religion as well as its practices is sketchy at best.

As I entered the sixth decade of my life, I realized that my children have very vague and ambiguous ideas of what it is to be a Hindu and very hazy concept of even the minimum rituals required of a Hindu especially the women. This dismal state of affairs was partly due to my preoccupation with my profession and partly due to their absence from home during the crucial years of adolescence. This may be the case in many other Hindu families belonging to the present generation. It is true that a sea of information is available on the World Wide Web but very few have the patience to wade through the sea to find the pearls. So the next few items in this blog will be on the basic practices of Hinduism as perceived by me a Tamil, non-Brahmin who grew up in the North. I will refer some literature and try to present information – some of it may be a repeat from other sites but most of it from my personal knowledge gleaned from my mother, aunts and other women who were more pious than me. I will start with an important practice followed in most Hindu families all over India – Setting up a Worship Corner / room referred to in most languages as the Puja room.

It is very necessary to set aside a special area for worship in the home so that it becomes a centre of tranquility in times of stress or when one wants to be at peace. To those who say God is everywhere why do we need a special place, I would like to repeat what one Swamiji said about temple. He said “Air is everywhere but why do we go near a fan? Because the air near the fan is more intense and has a more relaxing effect.” So  though God may be everywhere in your house, create a centre where you can perceive and feel the spiritual energy better in order to experience rejuvenation of mind and spirit. A worship centre will help you to get charged with positive vibrations that will energize your body, mind, soul and the environment. Your work efficiency will increase leading to peace, progress and prosperity.

According to your capacity and capability, the Worship centre may be as small as  an image of Om on the wall; just a table mat with a lamp on it ; a small shelf with  an image of your favorite deity and a lamp or an elaborate room with all the paraphernalia needed for Hindu worship.

Worship centers located in North-east are excellent for getting peace of mind and prosperity in life; North and East quadrants also provide good results but the   South and South-west locations should be strictly avoided since they are harmful. Facing East or North while praying, is beneficial.

The basic requirements of a Worship centre is an icon (of your choice but do not clutter up with too many), a small lamp (of brass, bronze, bell metal or silver and avoid iron/stainless steel) and an incense stick holder. For other details and tips on setting up this corner you can surf the net for more information. I do not want to repeat it here. My objective is only to inspire you to set up a worship corner if you do not have one.

Make the corner as aesthetically pleasing as you can so that you are drawn to go near it regularly. Clean it regularly and change the decorations from time to time. Spend at least five minutes in this centre regularly in the morning before leaving for work and in the evening at dusk  to pray, meditate or just remain still and feel the presence of the Supreme Being.