CUP IN A COCONUT SHELL

CUP IN A COCONUT SHELL
This is a new edition in the art of coconut shell craft.
A matured coconut shell was suitably cut and polished. Another suitable piece of shell is craved out as a handle and pasted. A base is also joined for a firm standing. An image of holding fingers are craved on the shell. The whole piece is polished
The craft is presented in the following picture.
Hope that you will like this.

Narayana Das.T

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HOLY CROSS IN A COCONUT SHELL

Holy Cross Inside A Coconut Shell 

4th May 2019,  a memorable day to me. I was able to meet almost all of my B Sc chemistry batch mates (as prodigal sons and daughters with their families along with the chemistry professor,our mentor, Mr. R.S.A.Sundarsingh who is in his 80s in a Hotel in Kanyakumari after 47 years.  1969-1972 batch is a unique batch in the sense that three full years the professor took much pain in planning to make 100% first classes in this batch. The students during 1972 are now grand parents with many grand children. Now their physique had completely changed and hence it will be impossible to identify at the first look. Hence the organisers had took much pain in collecting the old black and white photos  from the 1972 group photo and the present individual photos .Both were printed side by side and circulated in the whatsapp group  This made each one to identify with much ease. Classmates arrived here from America, Gulf, (adjusted their travel plan to suit the get together date) Bombay, Chennai, Kochi, Trivandrum, Kovai ,Tirunelveli and from around Nagercoil.  I wished to give my personal gifts to the professor. One is a pencil drawing of his present photo and a coconut craft in which a cross is placed. Open/shut two door facility is also provided. Matured and a tender coconut shells were used. Tender coconut was used in the preparation of the Holy Cross because of colour contrast. A Tamil christian devotional song was selected for some audio effect. Both the framed laminated drawing and the craft were presented to the profesor in the

  

meeting. Mementos with individual's old and new photos and a address book with photos were given to all. In his personal capacity, professor had given a gift to all individually. Really a memorable occasion. The drawing and the craft is given below. This coconut shell craft is an improvement from my earlier works.

Dastn

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ATTUKAL PONGALA: 20-2-19.

Flower merchants presentation

Annadhanam preparation

Another area (Annadhanam)

Getting ready for pongala

Inside a private compound(thrown open for the devotees)

Side lane

Main road.count down starts for 10.15 am.  3..2..1..start

Fire being transfered from one to another

Transfered to hearths

Trivandrum as a yaga sala filled with smoke under the hot sun

Pongala started.

Under preparation

Annadhanam in progress

As usual, the yearly celebrated Attukal ponkala is being offered to the Goddess Attukal Amma, known as the incarnation of Kannagi of Chilappathikaram today at 10.15 am.  The legend records that Kannaki after burning Madurai reached  here and asked a devotee to built a temple here by the side of a river known as Karamana river.  Every year in this auspicious timing,  devotees offer pongala (offering).Year after year the devotees increase multi fold and now reaches lakhs and lakhs.  This is offered by women devotees under the burning hot sun .This culmination of women devotees called as "women's Sabarimala". (In Sabarimala men offer the prayers and lakhs of men's presence is taken for comparision for women in Attukal).This pongala got entry in to the Gunnies book of records because of its uniqueness.
During this pongala devotees from different parts of Kerala and Tamilnadu participate. Different associations offer free food to all. Pongala offereing was made around 10 km radius from the Attukal temple. The offerrings are made by assembling three burned bricks (hearth) and in earthern vessels.  After pongala ,blessing will be given by sprinkling Holy water on the offering by the priests,today by 2.30pm.
You can image the waste generated from these lakhs of pongalas.  Thiruvananthapuram corporation had made elaborate arrangements to remove the garbages within hours and clean the roads and the sub lanes. Locals too clean their places. This effort had helped to contain dust pollution.
A few images about today's pongala from Power House area which is around 3 km away  from the Temple.

Hope to give  similar posting in the coming years with the blessings of Attukal Amma.
Attukal Amme Saranam!

 Sprinkling of Holy Water

Self cleaning the area by devotees themselves.

LORD GANAPATHY INSIDE A COCONUT SHELL

Lord Ganapathy inside a coconut shell
Lord Ganapathy was seated inside a coconut shell with two doors.

T. Narayana das  

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