{"product_id":"incredible-india-traditions-and-rituals-idi806","title":"Incredible India: Traditions and Rituals","description":"\u003ch2 class=\"title is-size-3-desktop is-size-5-touch has-text-centered product-details-description-title\"\u003eBook Specification\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ctable\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd class=\"product-details-specifications-label has-text-grey-dark\"\u003eItem Code:\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003eIDI806\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd class=\"product-details-specifications-label has-text-grey-dark\"\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/it\/book-author\/muthusamy%20varadarajan\" class=\"underlined\" title=\"Muthusamy Varadarajan\"\u003eMuthusamy Varadarajan\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd class=\"product-details-specifications-label has-text-grey-dark\"\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/it\/book-publisher\/wisdom%20tree%20publications\" class=\"underlined\" title=\"Wisdom Tree Publications\"\u003eWisdom Tree Publications\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd class=\"product-details-specifications-label has-text-grey-dark\"\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003eEnglish\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd class=\"product-details-specifications-label has-text-grey-dark\"\u003eEdition:\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e2007\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd class=\"product-details-specifications-label has-text-grey-dark\"\u003eISBN:\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e8183280714\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd class=\"product-details-specifications-label has-text-grey-dark\"\u003ePages:\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e104 (Illustrated Throughout in Color)\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd class=\"product-details-specifications-label has-text-grey-dark\"\u003eCover:\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003eHardcover\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd class=\"product-details-specifications-label has-text-grey-dark\"\u003eOther Details\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd rel=\"product-dimensions\"\u003e9.0 inch X 9.0 inch\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd class=\"product-details-specifications-label has-text-grey-dark\"\u003eWeight\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd rel=\"product-weight\"\u003e830 gm\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003c\/table\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch2 class=\"title is-size-3-desktop is-size-5-touch has-text-centered product-details-description-title\"\u003eBook Description\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"product-details-description\" style=\"max-height: 63rem; overflow-y: auto;\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e \u003cb\u003eFrom The Jacket\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Jawaharlal Nehru saw 'culture' as the ability to understand the other person's point of view. So far as rituals and traditions go, such understanding should recall ages bygone, recapture, memories preserved and comprehend practices handed down the generations. Why were certain rituals prescribed and practised, why do they not survive wholly today, if at all - these are queries that are dealt with in this book.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e The world has become a global village. However, our own villages where rituals and traditions originated and were initially practiced (and from where they were handed down) have withered or are withering away, if only from this perspective. Reassuringly though, interest is reviving even in our brethren living abroad as well as in our towns and cities; all of a sudden they seek their 'roots', and, more importantly, are frenetic in their wish that their own young ones get reconnected to their ancestors' land and its mores. This book may satisfy their curiosity.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e After serving for 36 years in the Indian Administrative Service in Uttar Pradesh, USA, UK and Delhi, Muthusamy Varadarajan retired in 1991 as Secretary to Government of India. Post retirement, he was Member, National Minorities Commission, Executive Director, Chinmaya Mission and Chairman, Expert Committee, National Museum. He is now President, Osian's Connoisseurs of Art, an arts institution in India.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e As Secretary in Ministries of Culture and Youth Affairs \u0026amp; Sports, he masterminded massive year-long Festivals of India abroad and Return Festivals, as also Bharatiyam' 89, with 50,000 children from all over India coming together to celebrate 'Freedom 40' and Nehru Centenary.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e While in UK, Varadarajan edited and \u003ci\u003epublished Nadopasana One,\u003c\/i\u003e essays on Indian music and dance. Recently, he has co-authored \u003ci\u003eHandcrafted Indian Enamel Jewellery\u003c\/i\u003e and was the cultural collaborator of \u003ci\u003eWisdom, 365 Thoughts from Indian Masters.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Varadarajan is also an aficionado of Indian classical music and dance, philosophy, issues of youth and education, minorities, cuisine, interior design, landscape, architecture and motor rallying.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e \u003cb\u003ePreface\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e The writing of this book took me on a voyage back into my childhood and adolescence and handed me back to the era of advancing age. In the process, as I delved into events and incidents, revisited temples \u003ci\u003e(kshetratana)\u003c\/i\u003e and rivers and seas \u003ci\u003e(teertha yatra),\u003c\/i\u003e and festivals and celebrations, the flashback that memory vouchsafed to me aided and enthralled me.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Rituals had been an integral part of my life, from the time my father, often away on tour or engrossed in his duties as a policemen, after a day-long fast each month on the day of \u003ci\u003eKritigai\u003c\/i\u003e in honour of Kartikeya, could not himself do the \u003ci\u003epuja\u003c\/i\u003e to the Lord, without which he could not break his fast. On the \u003ci\u003epandit's\u003c\/i\u003e assurance that his son could officiate at this fascinating task, I was oftentimes commissioned, right from the time I was about seven, to do the \u003ci\u003epuja.\u003c\/i\u003e And, as I grew up, and my father was no more, my mother would have me perform the annual Rama Navami \u003ci\u003epuja\u003c\/i\u003e for Rama, her \u003ci\u003eishta devata.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e And, of course, during the best part of my young life, travelling with my parents all over India, I had the opportunity to visit temples and to bathe in holy waters, go round sacred hills \u003ci\u003e(giri pradakshina)\u003c\/i\u003e, have a glimpse of the Chidambara \u003ci\u003erabasyam\u003c\/i\u003e at the Golden Hall of \u003ca href=\"\/it\/nataraja.htm\"\u003eNataraja\u003c\/a\u003e, or witness the Kartigai lamp being lit at the peak of the Arunachala hill after a \u003ci\u003edarshan\u003c\/i\u003e of Bhagwan Sri Ramana. I have traversed many a village around Tiruchi and Thanjavur (in Tamil Nadu) with my \u003ci\u003esanyasin\u003c\/i\u003e grandfather Gnananandendra Saraswati, as he stood before homes, intoning \u003ci\u003eBhavati bhiksham debi,\u003c\/i\u003e and received alms. All these, coupled with the fact that my grandparents and uncles and aunts galore from both sides of the family sang \u003ci\u003estotras\u003c\/i\u003e every morning in the most dulcet and appealing of \u003ci\u003eragas,\u003c\/i\u003e my mother did Deepalakshmi \u003ci\u003epuja\u003c\/i\u003e every Friday for five decades and did \u003ci\u003easvatta pradakshina\u003c\/i\u003e on \u003ci\u003eSomavara amavasya,\u003c\/i\u003e and my father sang lovely hymns in our mother tongue to his favourite deity Muruga (as the Tamils call Kartikeya), ignited a small spark spark in me very early on in life. The spark has endured.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Traditions handed down generations were explained to me; more importantly, they were observed by my parents and demonstrated to me in practice, by one or the other member of my vast joint family - traditions that were not of the Tamil or the Indian, but verily traditions of the salt of the earth the world over.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e The best part of all this was that, invariably, my parents and elders explained to me the why and where for of each ritual or tradition. This is what led me to happily embark on this book. Half a century ago, when I sat for the competitive examination for the Civil Services, I had to write an essay on 'If Youth Knew, if Age could'. It is the same story here - thoughtless disbelief would give way to understanding if only the elders could supply the \u003ci\u003eraison d'etre\u003c\/i\u003e of things. And even if many rituals are, or can no longer be, observed as in days of yore, one would at least know why our ancients did. If this feeble effort of mine contributes to the dawn of that understanding, I would be more than happy. Far be it from me to mandate the performance of any ritual, or every ritual; but I would certainly say, \"Perform or not any ritual, as you wish, but understand its significance and do it or ignore it.\"\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e My deep debt of gratitude goes to Alka Sinha who spend days and weeks researching for the material; to my learned friend Professor A. Sampahnarayan, formerly of Rashtriya \u003ca href=\"\/it\/book\/Hindu\/sanskrit\"\u003eSanskrit\u003c\/a\u003e Sansthan, for his monumental labour in going through my manuscript and assisting me with his incisive analysis and suggestions; to Dr. Varsha Das, the editor, for her patience; to my caring and wise friends Updesh Kaur Bevil and Santhanam Iyer who gave me valuable insights on rites and relevant texts of Sikha and Hindu lore respectively; to my son Tunku Varadarajan who, with his wife Amy, took time off his busy days and nights with the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal,\u003c\/i\u003e New York to edit the final version that emerged from my computer; to Shashi Banerjee who patiently helped me go through the first edited version as well as refine and compact it; to my publisher Shobit Arya who was often exasperated but always cloaked it with an indulgent smile; to my children Rathi, Sunit, Nandini and Siddharth and to many friends whose patience equaled their trust in me.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e I dedicate the book to my parents \u003ca href=\"\/it\/article\/lakshmi\"\u003eLakshmi\u003c\/a\u003e and Ombalapady Appasamy Muthusamy, without whose care, concern and personal example, my education, formal and non-formal, would have remained incomplete.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e \u003cb\u003eEditor's Note\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e India, home to one of he most ancient civilizations, is a unique example of cultural and geographical diversities. Dissimilar cultural practices are deeply rooted in people's daily lives even in the 21st century. Indian history is the fruit of geography, and geography the root of history. The history of several millennia has merged with phenomenal geographical variations to create the incredible India of today.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e India is incredible in its landscapes, and he people who adorn her. Its rituals and traditions sculptures and paintings' dance, music and theatre; handicrafts, fairs and festivals; monuments and manuscripts; and its varied cuisine-each is a definite statement that only India can proudly pronounce.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Myriad streams and rivers have been flowing for centuries in their own special terrain, sometimes forceful, sometimes gentle. Despite all kinds of obstacles, they flow on. When these waters reach the ocean, they mingle, and become one huge oceans. Similarly, these diverse, astonishingly rich and colourful cultural currents create a harmonious hymn known as India, even as they retain their unique individual identity.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Traditions are not mere dogmatic beliefs. They include religious rites, habitual actions and customs of a community or a group of people who live together at the same place. Religion in its pure form is highly individualistic but when it is performed as a ritual, the whole community participates in it. In the magico-religious ceremonies of the Vedic Aryans, rituals were combined with myths. They continue to be the same in the 21st century however, a modern Indian is free to exercise his\/her freedom of choice. As a result one finds variations in rituals from place to place, and from person to person. It is no longer a rural-urban divide. It is either a choice or societal pressure. But they survive indeed.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e The author has covered a large number of rituals and traditions in the context of the life cycle. This cycle begins when the life is still in the mother's womb. Innumerable ceremonies are performed throughout the journey from womb to tomb. He has extensively quoted from Sanskrit and Tamil literature, both the which are ancient; the latter being his mother tongue. Due to cultural diversities some stages of life have interestingly different rituals and beliefs. Indians in general love to celebrate, at time even death.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003ctable width=\"100%\"\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd width=\"90%\"\u003e Preface\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd width=\"10%\"\u003e 5\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd\u003e Editor's Note\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e 8\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd\u003e Samskaras - Then and Now\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e 9\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd\u003e Vivaha - What God Hath Joined\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e 14\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd\u003e The Moment of Birth, the Years of Growth\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e 27\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd\u003e Upanayana - Ceremony of the Sacred Thread\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e 37\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd\u003e Sandhyavandana\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e 49\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd\u003e The Other Ashramas\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e 54\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd\u003e Antim Samskaras - Funerals Rites\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e 63\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd\u003e Traditions\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e 71\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd\u003e Parallels in Other Religions\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e 82\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd\u003e Prayer\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd\u003e 95\u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003c\/tbody\u003e \u003c\/table\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003ccenter\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cfont size=\"5\" color=\"red\"\u003eSample Pages\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003ccenter\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.exoticindia.com\/images\/products\/original\/books-2016\/idi806b.jpg\"\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003ccenter\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.exoticindia.com\/images\/products\/original\/books-2016\/idi806c.jpg\"\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003ccenter\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.exoticindia.com\/images\/products\/original\/books-2016\/idi806d.jpg\"\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003ccenter\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.exoticindia.com\/images\/products\/original\/books-2016\/idi806e.jpg\"\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003ccenter\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.exoticindia.com\/images\/products\/original\/books-2016\/idi806f.jpg\"\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003ccenter\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.exoticindia.com\/images\/products\/original\/books-2016\/idi806g.jpg\"\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003ccenter\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.exoticindia.com\/images\/products\/original\/books-2016\/idi806h.jpg\"\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e \u003ccenter\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.exoticindia.com\/images\/products\/original\/books-2016\/idi806i.jpg\"\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Occultnthings","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44614315409709,"sku":"IDI806","price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2094\/2117\/products\/incredible_india_traditions__rituals_idi806.jpg?v=1677716241","url":"https:\/\/occultnthings.com\/it\/products\/incredible-india-traditions-and-rituals-idi806","provider":"Occult-N-Things","version":"1.0","type":"link"}