Dear Patrons,
We are into the month of Aadi which is the fourth month in the Tamil calendar. With the transit of the Sun to the south, Aadi marks the beginning of Dakshinayana period which is a period of adhyayana / learning.
The first full moon after the summer solstice in the month of Aashada is observed as Guru Purnima / Vyasa Puja. The very words 'Guru' and 'Purnima' are profoundly meaningful. In Sanskrit 'Guru' means dispeller of darkness and 'Purnima' means the luminous full moon. Similar to how the resplendence of the full moon removes darkness, a Guru dispels the seeker's ignorance. It is therefore an appropriate time for one to offer gratitude and prayers to one's Gurus. Acharyas like those in Kanchi, Sringeri, and other traditional Matams perform Vyasa Puja, and start their Chaturmaasyam which is an intense period of learning. This Guru Purnima, may we all offer our humble pranams at the feet of our Gurus and seek their blessings.
In Tamilnadu, Aadi is a crucial month in the agrarian calendar. 'Aadi pattam thedi vidhai' is an oft-repeated adage amidst the farmers and it is believed that sowing, rooting, planting of seeds and vegetation in Aadi will yield abundant results due to the favourable fertile conditions created by the monsoons.
Aadi is generally considered in-auspicious for conducting programmes like marriages, gruha-pravesham, upanayanam and other important functions. In earlier days, there used to be a tradition of a newly wed couple to stay away from each other in Aashada to avoid the possibility of difficulties associated with birth during hot summer months in India of April and May. Though considered inauspicious for celebratory occassions, Aadi is considered highly auspicious for worshipping the divinity, especially Shakti worship, and conducting pujas and vratams. Several temple festivities happen during the month especially in Amman temples.
Aadi Pandigai, Aadi Pooram, and Aadi Amavasai are some of the important festivals this month. Aadi Karthigai dedicated to Lord Murugan is also celebrated with great fervour, in which special pooja and kavadis are offered to the Lord. Additionally, Aadi Velli and Aadi Chevvay are considered very significant days for worshipping Ambal.
Aadi Perukku / Padinettam perukku, observed on the 18th day of Aadi, is a festival unique to Tamilnadu and especially popular in the region around the Cauvery delta. 'Perukku' means rising to indicate the overflowing of rivers, such as, Cauvery due to the monsoon rains. It is essentially a nature worship/thanksgiving by people to pay tribute to rivers and rains which are key to sustenance. This festival has found mention both in ancient Tamil literature such as Silapadhikaram, as well as fairly recent literature such as Kalki's Ponniyin Selvan where the opening scene starts with a vivid description of the hero witnessing the joyous celebration of AadiPerukku on the banks of Veeranarayana Yeri lake fed by a tributary of Cauvery and partaking mixed rice with the villagers. The descriptions can't help but evoke a feeling of nostalgia and pride in our rich culture and traditions that have stood the test of time.
Wish you all a very happy Aadi month overflowing with joy and prosperity!
Important days this month:
| Vyasa Purnima: |
23rd July |
| Ekadasi: |
20th July, 4th Aug |
| Aadi Perukku: |
3rd Aug |
| Aadi Amavasai: |
8th Aug |
| Aadi Pooram / Andal Jayanthi: |
11th Aug |
SIS August Satsang
After nearly 15 months of virtual Satsangs, we are happy to announce that we plan to hold the Aadi Satsang at the residence of Mrs Sabitha Ramani and Mr Gururaja Ramani who have kindly volunteered to host the event
Time: Sat, Aug 7th from 3:00 to 5:00 PM BST
Zoom participation will be available:
Zoom meeting details: Please join
by clicking this link: August 2021 Satsang
or,
by using Zoom meeting id: 841 9340 8871 and passcode 1234
Satsang will include reciting
- Vishnu Sahasranaman and Mahalakshmi Ashtakam
- Lalitha Sahasranaman
- Bhajans
- Hanuman Chalisa
Please attend with your family and importantly involve the next generation.
AmazonSmile Initiative
We are glad to inform you that 'South Indian Society' is now an eligible charitable organization in AmazonSmile.
AmazonSmile is a wonderful initiative where Amazon donates to charities chosen by customers, everytime an eligible purchase is made and there is absolutely no additional cost to the customer. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.co.uk on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping App for iOS and Android phones. The prices, manner of shopping, account, etc., remain the same with the added bonus that AmazonSmile will donate a portion of the purchase price to the selected charity.
You can find more details about this initiative in this link, SIS - AmazonSmile.
We request you to select 'South Indian Society' as your favoured charity by clicking this link: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/ch/1053076-0.
SIS WhatsApp group
In addition to continuing with our email communication, we have a WhatsApp group as a broadcast only group to communicate information regarding SIS events and updates. If you would like to join, please open this email on your phone and click on SIS WhatsApp group invitation link. Alternatively, you may email sisnambalava@gmail.com with your mobile number and we will add you to the group.
The Website
We trust that the articles that we are publishing on the website
are interesting and useful. We are encouraged by the number of
hits that have gone up multi-fold. Please visit www.sisnambalava.org.uk,
read the articles and let us know your views. We are very keen
to receive your feedbacks and views and will be uploading more
interesting articles. We welcome articles written by our members
that are relevant to the objectives of SIS, ie., South Indian
arts, culture and vedic religion and these will be uploaded
after review by the editorial panel. Please feel free to ask for
detailed guidelines.
Your
Participation
South Indian Society as an organisation has come to shape with
lots of hard work and contribution from several veterans of our
community in this country over the years. We sincerely thank
each and every one who has contributed towards the growth of
this organisation. This organisation runs for YOU and without
YOUR involvement, contribution and participation it cannot
succeed.
SIS Trustees