Shiva vs Ma in law

Shivarathri & Ekadasi spell terror for me  lately. It means more hours for me  in the kitchen, dishing out small quantities of a variety of "palagaarams" or tiffin sans rice for my mother in law, since she  would be "fasting". She  is 90 years old and has been prohibited from fasting by us as  her system will not be able to adjust to the rigid rules of fasting. The mini tiffins take care of the hunger pangs& frequent heartburns.Her present obsession is to probe into the obscure truth about life.What will become of her in the next birth - will she be punished or rewarded for her deeds in this birth?. She often sits brooding and I assume she is negotiating all the options available l. Heaven has been ruled  out since when she asked my husband, who  the real sinners were, he said all of us are sinners in some way or the other.Nevertheless, he consoled her saying that, hell would  be a very interesting place since almost all our relatives would there! Having accepted this as a matter of fact, she believes reading & performing poojas would reduce the sin percentage & may probably increase the chance of getting a better option in hell.

Came Shivarathri, and pooja preparations started early in the morning. Flowers & vilva leaves were bought after pestering my husband, who  grumbled about searching for the flower seller( who sells vilva leaves )all over T.Nagar. As usual I readied  the pooja place with the customary kolam & lamp .A close relative was staying with us that day, and  I busied myself making breakfast..I was also amused to see my husband unusually  switching over to a  dhoti & saying his  prayers after placing the vilva leaves  over the Shiva Lingam. Our relative, who was regular with his morning puja  also  placed the vilva leaves & offered his prayers.

Any one of the older generation would have been impressed by the serene and religious ambience in our house.. My mother in law was visibly pleased & after her bath, began her pooja in great style. Many silver & brass pooja utensils lay scattered around her with water, fruits, milk, honey in them.. The pooja lasted 45 minutes & she finished it with an aarthi. I had to assist her throughout .By the end of the pooja, the place looked like a battle field - flowers & leaves scattered thickly all over & no sign of the two lingas we possessed!. They were bathed  with honey & milk and covered by the innumerable vilva leaves!I made a mental note of cleaning up the place with utmost care the next day or else the lingas would find themselves in the dustbin, as many tiny  idols have on  earlier occasions. It seemed like a tug of war between Shiva & ma in law.
By now she was exhausted but not one to lose, she recited some  passages from the Bhagavad Gita & then, her feat accomplished, settled down to relish the first meal of the day - a generous helping of the carrot halwa I had made!.

I wondered, if after all the oneness with "Shiva", has she signed a secret pact with him & has the Omnipresent promised her a blissful Heaven ?

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Happy Shifting

My daughter seems to be  following my footsteps , shifting houses like I have, 15 times in the 38 years of our marriage ! Is this also genetic ?

My husband's bank job entailed frequent transfers, so we would be moving base almost every 2 to 3 years.Relocation meant change of schools for children as well, which was of course  top priority.We had to find the best schools for them. But the darlings that they were, both were extremely adjusting and adapted very well to the new environment easily. Not only that, they used to do remarkably well in academics in spite of change in schools and sometimes under different systems. No complaints at all !

What would have been a loathsome task for many, was an enthusiastic journey for me.Settling down in a new place has been a pleasure always.

Prior to our shiftng, my husband would join his new office, fix up a suitable flat at a convenient locality, enquire about the schools and then come back to move the family.By the time he arrives,I would have organized most of the packing.Cartons would be taped  neatly with the contents labelled on the top for easy unpacking.My children would not lag behind. Bookworms that they are (genes!), they would pack up their treasured books & all other stuff in the allotted cartons and  make sure that they are securely taped & labelled. My husband would organize our travel with the help of his staff. With all these activities (transfer of gas connection,getting TCs from schools and all other formalities) going on, our daily routine would remain the same. I would still be cooking till the previous day !

We would look around with contentment & appreciation at our skill in packing. The packers would arrive to bundle them up and load them in trucks.In the initial  years, our "prized possessions" like the Color TV,VCR, Mixie,my favorite cuckoo clock and gas oven,not to forget the innumerable Kanchipuram sarees would all travel with us  in the AC first class coach lest the truck guys don't damage them!Now it seems so silly. Till we reach our destination ,we would be engulfed by the suspense of the new flat and the environment .The kids would be excited!Of course most of the times it has been on a welcoming note with my husband's colleagues/staff receiving us warmly.

We would unpack and settle down always within 24 hours. My husband would take care of outside activities with the help of his staff. I love to arrange all the stuff & the same goes with my husband and children.The kitchen starts functioning the same day & we are back to the initial process of getting familiar with the surroundings and admission in schools . It is so satisfying when things are arranged in their proper places and everything is spic & span. Invariably the  bank would always provide new furniture & landlords would color wash the house, so a feel-good atmosphere would prevail. I am a cleanliness freak and the fever has caught on to my spouse & kids.A house can be well organized when all the members are disciplined at least in putting away things in their proper places. This has become a matter of habit in our house, so at any time it is always tidy. I am really house proud!

A change of scene is always welcome after having stayed in one house for two or three years. It also helps in clutter free living since we invariably throw away or donate   many unwanted things at the time of shifting. We have always shifted joyfully , so the result has been pleasurable. It is now 15 years since we shifted last and I am looking forward for the change!

Some one who came to our house once remarked - "your house looks like a hotel. I am quite uncomfortable. A house should have things scattered all around!"-  What do you say ?



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