www.yagnopaveetham.com

The day all the brahmacharis look forward to the whole year next to their birthdays. This is the day, when for a change we are at the receiving end…. Relax all in positive sense… Avaniavittam is one the important events of the year in all Brahmin families.

…Year2003…Chennai

Every year appa and I would get up early in the morning; take bath and head to my periappa’s house in Velachery. All my cousins would gather up and go to the barbershop for the customary haircut…the shop owner would do brisk business, with a long queue of clientele waiting for their turn…

After everybody in the family assembles, veetu vadhiyaar (in my case my very own athimber) would kick of the proceedings and before we realize its 1 PM in the afternoon – We call it the collection hour… We kick of our collection with a namaskaram to Paati… Appa, Periappas and Chitappas to follow… Have delicious lip smacking food prepared at home…take off the rest of the day and spend time on vetti arattai with cousins.

…Year 2005…Chicago

Got up at 7.30 in the morning…Took bath and wore the only veshti I got from India. Take the unused stainless steel glass from cupboard. Sit down with required items in front of a laptop… Log on to www.ahobilam.com go to the English version of the Upakarma 2005. With the help of the picture/textual directions and after a 1 hr ordeal of pronouncing the words weirdly spelled in English, it done.

Called Appa/Amma got their asirwadham… Called my Family friend in US and got his asirwadhams too. Went to office---- same old mails, same old issues and same old clients.

Gayathri Japam day is no different…