Chooda karma Sanakar!

Chooda karma sanskar or Mundan is one of the 17 main sanskars listed by the Vedic pholosophy that an individual must perform from 'womb to tomb'. The relevance ... well its there in the Sankar Vidhi book, I'll just gift one to my son when he is old enough to follow.

So Mundan is basically shaving off the hair on the head that the child has had since birth. As per Sanskar Vidhi, for boys the appropriate years are odd ones(eg having completed two when the boy is in third year). So Aarshabh was eligible for it this year.

While I follow the Vedic Philosophy and my ancestors were active reformists contributing in a big way to the Arya Samaaj movement, I wanted to honor Aarshabh's Grand Mom's (daadi) sentiments to perform this Sanskar in Navaratri.

So yesterday, October 9 2010 was the day. Actually I planned it for Sunday as in our world Sunday is auspicious (basically practical - I work Saturdays even). But on talking to G I came to know he was on his way to England on Sunday and would be stopping over in Delhi for an hour. Within two hours he called again, asking if I could prepone the whole thing so he could attend on Saturday.

There was no way I would get a Purohit to perform the ceremony at such a short notice so I decided to the honours myself. (Not that I am a castist in a bad way)but what the hec ... I am a Brahmin both by 'janm and karm' :-). Besides all these years of my Grand Father and later my parents creating the environment where perfoming havans becomes second nature has to pay off right!

So Dear Aarshabh,

here goes the account.

I know baby, I made a promise to myself that I will follow all the sanskaras by the book, and have done so far; supported with great celebration and having lots of people over, starting from Seemanto nayan sanskar (three months of pregnancy). I had reasons to go low key this time.
You know how I feel about Yajur bhaiya, he is not only your elder brother but my elder son even. He came in our lives and we celebrated like there was no tomorrow, thanking God at every step. It just so happened that we celebrated his Mundan again with alot of enthu, putting pictures of him on the invitation etc. Aur beta, Mundan ke theek baad, Yajur bhaiya was diagnosed with Lukemia. I know we are not illeterate, Mundan may not have any role in this, but hum jinse pyaar karte hain, unke liye hum dar jaate hain. Uss function ke baad ke sannate se hum itnaa dar gaye ki dobaara itnee dhoom dhaam karne ki himmat kabhee jutaa nahin paaye.

That is why we never went with a bang while celebrating your functions, it was either in Arya Samaaj with a simple lunch as prasad or at our residence with select few people attending. And both your Dad and I have developed a certain phobia for Mundan. Even Maamu may not wish an elaborate affair for Atharvee.

But true to my menti sental style, I did things to make it special for you. For one, I convinced Daadu to perform the Mundan for you (shaving your head). Papa did his bit by making himself available. I bought you and papa Kurta pajaama from Fabindia following a theme of blue (your dad is fixated on blue). I wore a green suit again from Fabindia. So on the occasion we were one Fabindia Family:-)

Naani, Maamu, Atharv and especially Yajur bhaiya (who is running high fever) came to bless you with lots of love, presents and your favorite 'shuun paapri'. All in all it was smooth.

We had our roles defined, papa held you on his stomach while you slept in prone position and daadu started first with a pair of scissors. I did purohit's role, dabbed your hair with ganga jal and kachcha milk along with chanting the required mantras, tied your hair in 7 partings with molly and dhoob (grass). Daadu first cut off those 7 strands while I had the movie camera in one hand, sanskaar vidhi in the other and kept chanting the mantras. This alone took us an hour. Then you woke up just in time for the shaver. At first you retaliated by crying, but soon you got engrossed with Papa's antics and were amused. But that could not keep you engaged for long, enter Debbie duck - the online story you love watching on my laptop. I set that up for you and we were nearly there ... the final touches were the most challenging because you had lost patience - we were at it from 3 pm till 5.30 pm. I think most of all it was Daadu who might have got really tired owing to all the concentrating and focusing he had to do.

The end result is Fantabulous. After having a bath with turmeric, yogurt and sarson oil paste, I got you ready, with a chandan kaa teeka.

MY GOD! itnaa divya tej .... thu thu thu ... meri hi nazar lag jaayegi.

Par beta tum bohot sundar lag rahe ho. Sachchchi!

Its a different story that since morning you have been bringing me clips declaring 'clip lagaayegaa babu!'.

So goodbye and good riddance to dreadlocks, good bye and good riddance to long shampoo struggles and finally good bye and good riddance to the trauma you went through every morning and the pain I went through while making your pony.

I do miss that bouncy little tail of yours especially when you swing from side to side when you dance.

And yes ... all your colorful bands ... mummy inherits them .... yippie!