Vijayadasami snapshots

Violin vidwan Parur M S Anantharaman presides over a Vijayadasami offering of music presented by his son and all those who learn music from him at Thiagarajapuram, Mylapore.

Vijayadasami at a flutist's residence . . .

On the morning of Vijayadasami, we dropped in the house of senior flutist K. Bhaskaran on Musiri Subramaniam Road, Mylapore.
His students had gathered here for a simple ceremony and as part of it, they joined in to play some songs.
The sishyas were presented with traditional gifts.

Snapshots of Ayudha Pooja

Snapshots of Ayudha pooja

Kutcheris at Nageswara Rao Park

Nageswara Rao Park in Luz in the Mylapore neighbourhood is its biggest green lung. And it is a space that is put to good use for a variety of purposes - walking, playing, yoga, gossiping and more.

For many years now, Sundaram Finance, a private and longstanding city-based company has been hosting 'mike-less' classical music concerts by young people.

And for Navarathri, it hosts a series of concerts. And it happened so last weekend. These photos capture the scenes at the park.

Hawking for Ayudha puja . . .

A new wave of hawking spread across Mylapore this morning as hawkers got ready cater to shopping for Ayudha puja, due this weekend. Fruits, banana plants, pori packs, pumpkins, thoranams and sammendhi flowers greeted shoppers on South Mada Street.
But the crowds were bigger on Royapettah High Road, alongside the Thiruvalluvar statue where we shot these sights.

Vellaputtu by Vijayalakshmi

Mylaporean Vijayalakshmi of Warren Road went back to tradition on Friday to make 'vellaputtu' for the family and for guests today. A nice kolu, lit up with soft lights and flanked by vintage home utilities like the brass coffee filter greeted us at her apartment.

At the Universal Temple, Sri Ramakrishna Mutt campus

Photos shot at the Universal Temple of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore on Thursday evening when the swamijis led the evening bhajans and prayers to goddess Durga. The ten day long celebrations culminate on Oct.18 with the Sri Lakshmi puja.
Kumkum and anusha offerings can be made every evening - devotees wanting to do so must assemble here by 4.30 p.m.

At Sri Karneeswarar Temple

Photos shot at Sri Karneeswarar Temple, Bazaar Road, Mylapore this past week. The place was packed with activity - religious, cultural and otherwise.
Young dance students of Sri Mahalakshmi Natyalaya performed to a goodly audience while people offered prayers to the ambal in maheshwari alankaram.

For simple blouse bits . . .

Among the dozens of hawkers on North Mada Street is Ganesh Mudaliyar who sells blouse bits at affordable prices. This season, he says he has a new design sets of 'bits' to offer women. He says he has been a hawker for 40 years and is on this veedhi every Navarathri.
You can spot him outside Sri Ambal Jewellery.

At Sri Karpaga Vinayaka Temple, R A Puram

Photos taken at the Sri Karpaga Vinayaka Temple in Raja Annamalaipuram this past week. Volunteers offer betel leaves, bananas, kum-kum and manjal to women who visited the temple. Concerts are held here every evening, featuring the young. Here, students of the Gnanapriya music school of Alwarpet present a concert.

At Sri Velleeswarar Temple

Photos shot at Sri Velleeswarar Temple, South Mada Street during the Navarathri celebrations this past week. The Abhinaya Dance Academy dancers perform, a display of dolls at the kolu and Kamatchi Ambal in the saraswathi alankaram.

Sunday meet on mada veedhi to sketch the bommais bazaar!

If you have the talent for sketching or creating simple works of art on the spot, here is a Navarathri event and it takes place in the heart of Mylapore.

On Sunday, Oct.13 Chennai Weekend Artists are meeting up on North Mada Street to sketch and paint. Non-members can also join them. The meet stars at 9.30 a.m. and ends at about 11.30 a.m.

You choose a nice spot on the street which is now packed with hawkers of Navarathri dolls and sketch.

Participants will later meet outside the Rasi Silks store and display the works of art.

CWA meets every Sunday at various spots in the city.

More info at https://www.facebook.com/events/690766110952750/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

Concert at Sai Baba Temple

Photo of Carnatic music vocalist Lalitha Santhanam in concert for Navarathri at the Sai Baba Temple in Venkatesa Agraharam, Mylapore.

At Mundagakanni Amman Temple

Navarathri celebrations have been going on at the Mundagakanni Amman Temple in Mylapore and they have been colourful and well attended. On the evening we were there the amman was decorated in the padmasini alankaram.
In the far corner of the campus, a stage has been erected and this evening, Bharathanatyam students of guru Srekala Bharath who runs the Tejas academy in R A Puram.

At Madhava Perumal Temple

Photo of the thayar at Sri Madhava Perumal Temple in Mylapore on the shesha vahanam. Devotees carry the deity every evening in a procession that takes place inside the temple campus.

At Sri Vedantha Desikar Temple, Mylapore. Oct.7

These are snapshots taken at the Sri Vendanta Desikar Temple, Mylapore on Oct. 7 during the Navarathri utsavam. Nadaswaram and tavil artistes lead a procession, devotees at the temple attending the religious event, two young boys carry Sri Vedantha Desikar in a palaquin and in the last photo, the deities of Sri Perumal and Sri Thayar are placed on the oonjal under the newly-built mantapam for a ritual.