Skip to main content

Aksharabhyas

 


I remember my aksharabhyas (initiation of education) at home in Proddatur with all pomp in 1956 when I was 5 years old. This ritual is very common in Hindu families of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The ceremony is performed by the Maternal Uncle (Mother's brother)/ Father/ Paternal Uncle (Father's brother) along with the family keeping the child in his lap holding the child's right-hand forefinger and make the child write the OM. In my case, my father held my hand, while I sat in his lap, and made me write 'OM' while our family purohit, Sri Kistaachar chanted the mantras. OM symbol is treated as a Beejaakshar (Beeja in Sanskrit means the origin)

Sannayi melam (nadaswaram combined with dhol) was hired to play at a function that was going on in our opposite house complex on that same day. A distant relative of ours also living in that complex, thought of utilising the services of mangala vayidyakars to be a part of a small procession in which I was to go to school after aksharabhyas. I was thus taken in a small procession to the Kota street municipal elementary school to join in the first standard, mangala vayidyakars playing at the head of the procession. My school entry was thus a memorable event with a 'palaka' (quarried from out of the earth, usually from mountains or mines Slate is a black coloured metamorphic rock fixed in a wooden frame) under my arm and a 'balapam' (a long soft white writing stone) as the writing instrument. There were wooden planks serving as floor benches for us to squat on in the class rooms. Regular benches were provided for students only from fourth class. 

The school was located near the community well close to Sri Chandramouli's tuition (father of sri Viswa Ranjan, the drill master) It was on the street where Krishnaswamy Rao had a typewriting institute, janaki press was located, Vellala Mysurayya' residence cum Renadu press was located. Head master of that elementary school was sri Kemba Gundu Rao, a relative of mine. Third standard teacher was sri Chandramouli (not the one referred above) Kesavamma teacher was handling second standard.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pleasures & Perils of WhatsApp group

Initiating a WhatsApp group and then adding members with a message to a contact “I’ll add you to the group” is easy. But maintaining the group and making it productive has become a challenge. I felt honored when invited by my immediate senior in school to join  a WhatsApp group of Schoolmates in March-April, 2020. The group has a senior Banker, an Aero-Scientist, a Dentist, a senior Public Sector Administrator, a distinguished Poet, 2 medical practitioners, a Chartered Accountant, a horticulture scientist apart from me, a Pharma Sales Person. Interestingly, the group was put together by the daughter of the  Senior Banker. She wanted to present her father with a facility to recall and reminisce school days with his schoolmates. I am ever grateful to her for giving me a wonderful gift of connecting with old friends after decades of leaving the school. This is the latest WhatsApp group of which I became a member. I am also a participant in 2 groups of my relatives and have scores...
1 comment
Read more

My Unforgettable Business Associates

  I wish to recall memories of some of my dealers who were completely different and unique. In the pharmaceutical field, usually 3 tiers of dealers operate - state level Distributors, district level wholesalers called Stockists and finally retailers who dispense medicines to the patient. I am talking now about 3 such Stockists. P.Venkatapati Raju (P.V.Raju & Co): He was my stockist in Guntur in the 70's and early 80's. He was a highly educated man....a B.Com, B.L.,MBA. He was an upright person who never bribed anyone in drugs department and sales tax department. It is a record of sorts in those days. He used to keep his shop open between 8am-12pm & 3pm-7pm. No matter who (even the high and mighty officials of big MNCs) visited his shop, not for a minute after the closing times will he keep the shop doors open for anyone. In those days computers weren't there but his stock ledgers were always kept upto the minute to tally with the stocks on the shelf. He was a joy t...
2 comments
Read more

Name & what it means to you

"A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language”  said Dale Carnegie who was an American writer and author of many self development books. He explains the importance of a person's name in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People. He explains that a person's name is the sweetest sound they can hear. In other words, people love to hear their own name. My name is Madhva muni and I am named after my maternal grandfather, Sri Madhvachar who while being very orthodox, was a highly successful lawyer of his time. I always felt proud of my name since it also is associated with one among the trinity of great Indian philosopher theologians, Sankara Ramanuja & Madhva, the chief proponent of the Dvaita school of Vedanta. Since the time I can remember, I have been facing a peculiar problem with my uncommon name.  When someone has to write or make a data entry of my name, invariably  made it as MADHAVA MUNI by inserting an A after M...
2 comments
Read more