Pooja Memories !!!!!!!!!!!

It's already the 8th dayof Navaratri. Ashtami.  Having grown up in Kerala, Navartri was significant to us specifically for the last 3 days attributing to Pooja veppu , Pooja eduppu, Ayudha pooja and Vidhyarambham. During those time on the evening of Ashtami we used to neatly wrap one or two books on newspaper, stick a white rectangular paper with our names on the wrapper , take it to the temple and bequeath it there with the gods to shower their blessings and wisdom. From that evening of Durgashtami, until the 2nd day morning which is Vijayadashmi, we refrain ourselves from reading and writing. At home in our pooja room, all the holy books such as Ramayana ,Mahabharata etc were neatly arranged on a decorated stool and kept for pooja these 2 days.  All these days are contributed to the worship of our beloved goddess of learning, Sarswati devi. Being too religious at that time, I was too scared to read anything and considered it a sin even to read something accidentally.I used o nag Amma if I read something by a fluke,asking her if God would punish me. On Vijayadashmi morning, we would go back to the temples , get our books which were being distributed, either open and read it there or come back to home and at the pooja room , open the book and read one or two pages as part of Pooja eduppu. 

Vidyarambham or Ezhuthiniruthal which is actually the tradition of initiating children to the world of letters. It is conducted at temples or at various cultural centres. Also there is Ayudha pooja where in we actually do pooja of vehicles ,tools or instruments.

Until I moved to Mumbai, I had no idea about the grand festivities of Pujo or Dusshera. As a malayali, I really don't think we have much festivals that are really pompous. Even our most popular, Vishu and Onam are far away from the razzmatazz of Diwali in North India.  For us,Dusshera, Navaratri was all Sarswathi pooja. Strolling through the memory lane, I really miss those days where the books of the toughest subjects were kept at the temple hoping Sarswati devi would help me ace it and relieving myself from studies and again on Vijayadashmi getting the books and studying with much rigour . Good old memories :)