Mylapore DCP Rajat Chaturvedi

Tech Grad and a Passionate Guitarist DCP aims to minimise crimes in Mylapore through Technology initiatives

'Make Marina a Safe Zone, Mylapore a No Crime Heartland of Madras'

Over the next ten days, he is hoping to experience and enjoy the Kapali Panguni Utsavam in the same way he managed the Chitrai Utsavam in Nanguneri Divya Desam

When the cool looking Lucknow born Rajat Chaturvedi was transferred to Mylapore to take charge as the Deputy Commissioner of Police a couple of months back just ahead of the big Panguni Utsavam at the Kapaleeswarar temple, one may have wondered if the short period was enough for him to understand the scale of the festival and challenges for the police force especially on the Chariot and Arubathumoovar days. 

It was a big surprise to find him all at peace during the two long discussions at the Thiru Kalyanam Mandapam over the last week in preparation for the Panguni Utsavam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/03/kapali-devotee-aparna-panguni-utsavam.html). Chain Snatching, Vehicular Thefts, food wastes, over-crowding and traffic management pose big challenges for the Mylapore Police every year during this utsavam. As he sat next to temple EO R Hariharan, DCP Rajat was simply unfazed and there is a reason to it. He told this writer that in his previous posting in the Tirunelveli region, he came to experience a festival just as large as this.”

Nanguneri is the headquarters of the Vanamamalai Mutt and usually attracts big crowd during the Chitrai utsavam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/03/nanguneri-vanamamalai-divya-desam.html).

He proudly looks back at the festival management “I was in Nanguneri for the Brahmotsavam at the Thothadrinathan temple. Over 50000 people were there for the Chariot festival and I led the Police team at this utsavam. The devotion of the people was an eye opener. There was minimal chain snatching or drinking or thefts during the entire festival that attracted huge crowd. I saw devotion at its best there.”

Kapali Panguni Utsavam from Tuesday

With that experience behind him, he seems to be in complete control of the Panguni Utsavam and its arrangement. He understands the challenges and instinctively knows what the solutions are. For example, crowd management inside the temple complex is a high priority for him as he sits down with Inspector M Ravi to discuss the entrance and exit routes during the Chariot day and Arubathumoovar utsavam.

Tirunelveli to Mylapore - Caste based Crimes to Cyber Crimes

From a crime heavy Tirunelveli region to the traditional heartland of Mylapore, it might seem quite an extreme shift.  “Yes, I experienced Caste based crimes during my stint in Tirunelveli. To someone new to that region, it seemed illogical for people to be at caste war but that was the reality and I had to be on my toes every minute prepared for some caste led eventuality. Even small issues got escalated and the streets turned a battle field”, Rajat told this writer sitting in his office on Kutcheri Road on Saturday morning.

Call 1930 for Cybercrime intimation

Mylapore is completely different for Rajat and at the other end of the criminal spectrum. From hardcore physical brutality on the ground in Tirunelveli and around, he is experiencing high rate of cybercrimes in Mylapore. “There is very little awareness among people as to how they are being easily conned. There is a 1930 number to call and report immediately about such crimes but people are not using this service and hence there is a time lag between the crime and the complaint.”

High on his priority list is to bring down the rate of cybercrime in the Mylapore region but he strikes a note of caution ‘Cybercrime is still in its nascent stage and one should not be surprised if the rate shoots up in the coming years. I want to educate people on the preventive steps to safeguard themselves from being conned. Another key feature of cybercrime is that the perpetrator is usually in another city unlike a physical thief. But there are immediate solutions available to citizens and I will be taking initiatives to bring down the cybercrime in Mylapore.”

DCP Rajat plans to soon have a meeting with Banking officials and Nodal Officers on faster resolution of cybercrimes and to freeze accounts as quickly as possible after the incident.

Reduce Vehicle Thefts and Chain Snatching

Among his first initiatives is to increase the number of CCTV cameras in the Mylapore Zone. “By end of March, the plan is to install high end 8 MB CCTV cameras at 135 locations on the streets of Mylapore. This will act as a deterrent for the wrong doers and is a big step in crime prevention as well as detection. Also, the monitoring control of the CCTVs has been moved to our office on Kutcheri Road. This will lead to a faster resolution of crimes through instant actions” says Rajat.

A three year AMC has also been provided for these CCTVs to ensure that their shelf life is longer.

Tech Grad - Passionate about Technology

DCP Rajat, a Computer Engineer from Mathura, is high on tech implementation in the police force. He had a big programming interest while at college and undertook programming projects. He believes that Technology can play a big role in reducing crimes. His vision for the Mylapore zone is to strengthen the Cyber Police stations. He is keen to execute the LIVE Mobile tracking for lost phones to help faster recovery.

He is also pushing for his team members to increase the usage of the Smart Kaavalar Mobile App “When I am on my rounds every day, I stop by and personally showcase the value of this app to my colleagues with a practical on the ground display at the time of the offence. “I am confident that the entire Mylapore team will soon begin to use the Smart Kaavalar app in a much bigger way and through that I believe the speed of resolution will be higher.”

A Guitarist and a Footballer

Rajat is a guitarist and was part of the band while at college in Mathura. For a while over a decade ago, he also explored the possibility of becoming a professional guitarist but then the Police duty took over and he does not find much of a time these days to play the guitar. He is also a footballer and plays in the annual inter office tournaments. When he finds time, he can be seen at the Nehru stadium practicing with his colleagues.

His wife Shreya Gupta too is from the IPS and the couple are dedicating their lives to public service “In these three months, I have not had time to even enter a shop, let alone a holiday outing within the city. I love beaches but I find hard pressed in making time for a walk along the beach.”

Making Marina Safe

However, he is at the Marina beach every Sunday on professional patrolling duty to monitor and manage the huge crowd that visits the seashore. One of his big personal ambitions during his Mylapore stint is to make the Marina a completely safe place for people. He is confident he will be able to bring down the crime rates on the beach. He is now planning to secure an ‘All Terrain Vehicle’ for his team so they could drive on the sand while on their crowd management duty. "It is extremely physically sapping for our team members to be walking from one end of the beach to the other while on duty and hence the ATV will be a big value add for them in discharging their duties better. I have also deployed anti-theft teams to reduce crimes along the Marina and positive results are already being seen.”

FIR for Vehicular Thefts

Mylaporeans had in the past raised issues about the challenges relating to filing FIRs at police stations for vehicular thefts. Rajat is keen to fast track this process. FIRs for vehicular thefts will be accepted and loaded on to the Smart Kaavalar App. “I believe that such apps will be the biggest aid for police in tracing vehicles. Another tech feature is the use of FRS (Face Recognition System) and this too helps in fast tracking and identifying the criminals from the data base. ”

Rajat is quick to point out the assistance from his predecessor at the Mylapore office Disha Mittal “She is ever ready to provide insights on the peculiarities in Mylapore and has been of great support to me in these three months since I took charge here.”

He is also working closely with the Chief of Traffic Police with whom he had worked earlier in the Tirunelveli zone.

Be Considerate to Police Personnel

He also has a soft corner for his colleagues “They are over worked most of the time. There are no fixed time of duty for the police personnel. Mylapore is also an area that the CM passes through every day and hence there is extra deployment of personnel during that period."

                 Nanguneri Thothadri Nathan Divya Desam

Starting Tuesday (March 28), the young 32 year old DCP Rajat Chaturvedi, who arrived in Mylapore only this January, will experience and enjoy the Panguni Utsavam at the Kapaleeswarar temple in just the same way he enjoyed the Vanamamalai Divya Desam utsavam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2010/04/vanamamalai-thothadri-nathan-nanguneri.html) in Chitrai last year. He is looking forward to this challenge and is confident that big crowd days at the utsavam will go off well for the entire team is well prepared. With the blessings of the Divine Couple, Kapaleeswarar and Karpagambal, it is likely that DCP Rajat Chaturvedi will transform Mylapore into a No Crime Zone.

Mannargudi Prasanna Dikshithar

The hereditary priest at Rajagopalaswamy Temple has created 40 Next Gen Agama specialists over the last decade

When he completed his schooling in the early 1990s, Prasanna Venkatesa Dikshithar, now 46, had no inkling to become an archaka. His forefathers belonged to the hereditary archaka clan at the Rajagopalaswamy temple in Mannargudi. His grandfather Krishnaswamy Dikshithar had served as an archaka for over five decades at the temple but like in most remote temples in TN, the scenario in the 1960s and 70s had turned sour. Original inhabitants moved away from the temple towns to cities. There was an oversupply of archakas at the temple and the number of days of service per year was minimal but devotees were few and Thattu Kaasu was pretty low. 

The scenario in his childhood days led him to focus on academics during the first 15years of his life. Prasanna Dikshithar recalls his childhood “My grandfather would come back home by 9am as there were no devotees. He would go back and wait in the huge temple complex but most often devotees were elusive. There was absolutely no income in terms of Thattu Kaasu.”

Transformational late teens - Academics to Agamas

Till he was into his mid teens, it was likely he would get away from the hereditary temple service for the future did not seem bright. But a dramatic turn of events led him into continuing the hereditary service “I had just joined B.Sc in the Poondi College when the revered Chempakesavan Dikshithar suddenly took me under his fold and initiated me into the agamas and pooja  kramams. It lasted a full three years and revitalized my interest in temple service.”

He then went to Tirupathi where he learned Sanskrit and Divya Prabhandham for two years. At the turn of the century, he learned Rig Veda for a couple of years in Kumbakonam from the current head of Ahobilam Mutt.

At 23, he got married (a pre requisite to perform archaka service there) and joined the Rajagopalaswamy temple to continue the hereditary service.

A surprise call to teach Agamas

In Thai of 1998, when he was 21, he had gone to Thiru Nangur for the 11 Garuda Sevai. Muralidhara Swami had seen him then and much to Prasanna Dikshithar’s surprise called on him over a dozen years later with an invitation to teach the students at the Nangur Patshala. “I was a young then in 1998 and surprised that he remembered me from that trip. I was hesitant to take this up as it was a big responsibility and not sure if I would be able to discharge this given my other engagements.”

By this time, he had also begun to perform consecration events and was a regular at utsavams at the Banaswadi Perumal temple, where his appa Sridhar Dikshithar had been the chief priest for over three decades. The consecration events - annually about 5 large ones - that he has anchored over the last decade has helped bring out his leadership qualities and he has been able to carry and build his agama team members.

Creating the Next Gen Agama Specialists

He wanted to give himself six months to see if he would fit into this role. A decade later, he is delighted that he had taken the call to continue “Soon after I began taking the agama classes, I found I connected well with the students and the engagement has now lasted a dozen years. Not only was I sharing my learnings, but also my knowledge has improved dramatically as I have often been challenged by the students with inquisitive questions.”

He has spent a week to 10 days at the Patshala every month over the last decade.  40 students who have undergone agama initiation have graduated from the Nangur Patshala and that is something that he is particularly pleased with and one that has given a special satisfaction.

It has been a dramatic transformation for Prasanna Dikshithar in every way. From the financially challenging times that his grandfather experienced in the 1960s and 70s when there were no devotees at the temple outside of the big utsavams, he has had a rewarding life and says that Rajagopalaswamy has been very kind to him and given him all that he could  have asked for from this life. In terms of devotional service, he has come to be well respected for his alankaram capabilities and in the way he manages the utsavams and the devotees. He has been sought after for consecrations from across geographies including outside Tamil Nadu. The biggest happiness for him though has come from the opportunity to teach young students and help them graduate. The creation of the next generation of agama specialists has been the most fulfilling experience for Prasanna Venkatesa Dikshithar. 

Mannargudi Rajagopalaswamy Panguni Garuda Sevai

Rajagopalaswamy goes on a night long procession around the Mada Streets providing Garuda Sevai

It’s just after 7.30pm on Wednesday (March 22), the 12th day of the 18 day Panguni Brahmotsavam and a few rounds of fire crackers have gone up around the temple complex alerting the residents to the start of the much awaited Garuda Sevai procession at the Rajagopalaswamy temple in Raja Mannargudi, referred to as Dakshina Dwaraka. It is a temple where many  physically challenged Dikshithars have been performing service for decades (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/09/mannargudi-rajagopalaswamy-temple.html).

53 year old Nattaamai Murugaiyan arrives at the temple leading a team of 40 Sripatham members. He has been at the temple since the time he was 8 years old. His Grandfather, uncles and his appa had performed the Sripatham service and his family has performed the role of the leader of the Sripatham team for several generations. He himself has been carrying Rajagopalaswamy on his shoulders since the time he was 18 years old.

Garuda Vahana Alankaram

Earlier in the day, the set of hereditary priests, comprising of those in their 20s and a few in their 60s and 70s, worked for hours to get the Lord decorated atop the Garuda Vahana. It is an alankaram that each of them take great pride in. From the crown to the vastram, from the glittering kaasu maalai to the large flower garlands, they pay attention to minute aspects to beautify the already handsome perumal. At 6pm, when the screen opens for devotees to have their first look at Rajagopalaswamy atop the Garuda Vahana, one spots a certain delight in each of the priests having worked on this special presentation.

Huge Crowd inside the temple complex

It is a huge temple with 7 prakarams, 16 towers, 18 Vimaanams and 24 Sannidhis housed in 33 acre area with an equal area (33 acres) for the temple tank. A majestic looking moolavar Para Vasudevan seen with a conch, maze and discus and a beautiful and alluring utsavar Rajagopalaswamy with dangling Kundalam in one ear and an earring in the other ear keep the devotees devotionally glued.

The lights have gone up at the Rajagopuram and the entire place wears a grand festive look. A loud devotional cheer erupted when the Sripatham lifted the Lord for the night long procession. Devotees had lined up the entire long pathway to the Eastern Raja Gopuram, among the tallest in TN at 154 feet. The Deepaarathanai at the Raja Gopuram is an important moment at the start of the procession and the faces of devotees lit up as the Bhattar’s hands went up.

The biggest crowd of the evening was at the Theradi where devotees in several hundreds thronged for the darshan of the Twin Kudai being posted atop the Lord. Every year, this is a location where Rajagopalaswamy stops for close to an hour but with the makeshift bus stand that has come within 50 yards, he made a move quite quickly into the busy bazaar street.

Much to everyone’s surprise he was at Pandaladi at the East end of bazaar street by 9.30pm. It is the location where the Garuda Sevai devotee donors are provided a special darshan and mariyathai.

The big team of Sripatham personnel take a well earned rest after a 90 minute procession through the crowded bazaar street.  Nattaamai Murugaiyan is seen mingling with his team members. He is a Mason by profession but has been performing this as a Kainkaryam for almost five decades now. He looks back at the Garuda Sevai evening from almost five decades ago “People think that this is big and unmanageable crowd but when I was young, this day would attract devotees from all the surrounding villages. There would be no place to stand from the Sannidhi to end of the Bazaar street. This was the big day in the year for them as they all came here ahead of the procession to have darshan of the Moolavar Lord and then of Rajagopalaswamy on the Garuda Vahana. Now most of the original inhabitants have migrated to cities and the Garuda Sevai crowd is not like what it was in the past. People now watch the procession on social media (whats app videos and so on) and they don’t make the time to spend the night through the procession.”

“It was a nightmare for Sripatham back then as we had to wade through the huge crowds in those decades.”

Performing as a Kainkaryam

Each of the Sripatham members get paid Rs. 700 for a procession.  But Murugaiyan says that for him and his team members, this is service to Lord. "A lot of the members are farmers and masons and we do this as a Kainkaryam carrying on the service that our forefathers had performed and passed on to us.”

Murugaiyan’s sons too have shown interest in the Sripatham Service and they too are keen to carry on the kainkaryam into the future.

Garuda Sevai on the Chapparam

Past 10.30pm, the street lights in Mannargudi are switched off, an indication that that the tall Chapparam is ready to make its way from the Raja Gopuram to Pandaladi.  By 11pm, the Sripatham personnel mounted Rajagopalaswamy on to the Chapparam in the same way the personnel at Thiru Kannapuram Divya Desam did on the Garuda Sevai night in Maasi (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/03/thiru-kannapuram-maasi-garuda-sevai.html) and Perumal began his night long procession on the Chapparam via the Four Mada Streets. 

Back on those streets, where in the century gone by traditionalists lived in thousands, ladies are drawing devotional white kolams in front of their homes to welcome the Lord on this Garuda Sevai night. The entire South street is dotted with pulli kolams late into the night. The noise from the huge crowd at 8pm has transformed to silence with residents waiting quietly in front of their homes to present coconuts and fruits to Rajagopalaswamy and to have a peaceful darshan on this 'dark' night following the Ammavaasai.

Time is up for Nattaamai Murugaiyan and his team members for the night and they are back home for a well earned rest as the Chapparam turns on to the Mada Street. For the 40 members, the next service starts early next morning when the Lord makes his way on the Chapparam to the Theradi for them to carry Rajagopalaswamy back to his abode via the Raja Gopuram.

For Chief Murugaiyan, it is all about leadership and team work and he is seen motivating his members to perform this service to the best of their ability as he heads back for a well earned night’s rest. 

Jolly Rovers Bharath Reddy 40 years First Division Title

Bharath Reddy celebrated his four decades with Jolly Rovers in style with a first division crown achieved with a match to spare

With a lot of the reputed players and those with aspirations to move up the cricketing ladder choosing to sign up with India Cements’ clubs in the first division, it was a big achievement for Bharath Reddy managed Jolly Rovers to win the Palayampatti Shield with a match to go in the new format that was introduced this season. Only recently, he had just been felicitated on completion of 40 years with Jolly Rovers and he capped off the four decades journey with yet another first division trophy.

So how did he manage to pull this off at a time when it has remained a challenge to rope in the cream of the TN players.

Just as a background, last year, Bharath had a twin blow first losing his boss of almost four decades N Sankar and then a semifinal defeat at the hands of Vijay CC in the first division. Prior to that, he had offered to let go off his cricketing engagement with the decreasing importance of first division cricket. But Sankar, just before his demise, took a promise from Bharath that he would continue this engagement as long as son Vijay wanted him to (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/05/vijay-sankar-jolly-rovers-takes-over.html).

And so he got on to the new season with renewed vigour with the aim of adding another trophy to his belt. He had told this writer at the start of the season that the new format would lead to home teams ‘preparing’ pitches to secure outright wins (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/11/tnca-first-division-league-2022-23.html).

The Players

While the longer term trend has been for players to move to India Cements’ clubs from Sanmar’s Jolly Rovers, Bharath Reddy managed to rope in three batsmen at the top of the order from India Cements. Kaushik Gandhi after spending years with India Cements has been captaining Jolly Rovers in recent times (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/08/kaushik-m-gandhi-tn-opener-tnpl-captain.html). 

Bharath Reddy says that he was persistent for three years and secured the services of Aparjith and Indrajith and that has strengthened the batting order significantly. He himself is surprised as to how the twins accepted his invitation but their presence has been a big boost. “They have been centric to the team composition and I have built a team around those two. Of course, Kaushik Gandhi has captained the team well and contributed well with the bat.”

This section had featured a story in October last year on the transformational form of opener Sai Sudarshan and his breathtaking centuries and the partnership with his captain gave Jolly Rovers the batting boost early on in the season.

Off Spinner Jalaj Saxena had played for Kalpathies’ Young Stars. Bharath Reddy had watched him in action during the league matches here and was clear that he would make a difference in matches where crucial big wickets mattered “I could count on him to get us the key wickets against the top teams. His wickets has helped turn the course of matches.”

If he managed to have as good a top four in batting as one could have in the first division, with Jalaj he had a match winning bowler who would get you outright wins or the crucial first innings lead against stronger opposition. While Jalaj picked up crucial wickets in big matches, Mohan Prasath was the star spinner for Jolly Rovers this season picking up close to 50wickets and bowling a majority of the overs for them.

A ‘Desire to Win’ attitude has been instilled in every player and there was no better indication of this when they turned up for that match against Vijay CC last month. “The Cricketing ‘Veri’ is a standout feature of every single Jolly Rovers’ player.”

The Pitches

He has been a master at preparing pitches and strategized ahead of time on the kind of pitches he would have for his home based on the opposition. “Depending on the opposition and their right /left batting  combinations, I knew the kind of pitches that would work for our off spinner and left arm spinner.”

The Big Match of the Season

Ahead of the match against Vijay CC (India Cements) last month, Bharath Reddy was keen to go for the first innings lead but much to his surprise his captain and the top players in the team were raring to go (a bit more than usual) and they pitched with him for the outright win. “When the opposition players landed up at the ground that morning, you could see all the Ranji faces there.  There was a sudden sense of aggression to do well against that team and they gave their heart out in that match. To post an innings victory against them gave me the greatest satisfaction.”

Sai’s double hundred and Jalaj’s six wicket helped set up the first ever outright victory against Vijay CC.

The men in the background - Coaches and Support Staff

While the players and pitches have played a role in the championship win, Bharath is quick to point out the biggest differentiator and the reason why the biggest of players want to turn up for Sanmar “We have unmatched cricket infrastructure for any league club in the city. We provide two new balls every day of the year (new balls are very expensive these days!!!). The players have round the year option to play on the center wicket (when there are no first division matches).  Four of the five coaches led by Ajay Kudua have been with us for well over a decade without a break, once again unmatched elsewhere in the league. There is a continuity and the coaches understand our culture.”

The accountability model that has been in place for all the coaches and support staff is another differentiator. There is even an attendance register for them!!! 

For someone like Vimal Khumar (who is now wanted by everyone after his triple hundred and his rich vein of form in the 2nd half!!!) about whom this writer had featured a story as early as 2019(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/01/vimal-khumar-tn-cricketer.html), Bharath says he has provided an exclusive coach to work on his batting and his mental strength. 

He also points to a least spoken aspect “The fitness trainer works magic. Shyam Sundar gets the injured players back on to their feet in no time and the players truly value his contribution.”

Management support

The approval process for cricketers and their requirements has been yet another big differentiator for Bharath. He says that his bosses get back to him in no time with a yes or a no. This makes it easy for him to engage with his players.

Bharath (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/11/bharath-reddy-players-man.html) has won 50 titles in his four decades with Sanmar. Only a couple of weeks back he was felicitated for his 40 years of cricketing association with Jolly Rovers.  So what kept him going for another first division championship this season “For me, it’s the pride. After winning the first division title with a match to spare, I felt on top of the world. It’s like being in the 10th heaven.”

N Sankar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/11/jolly-rovers-n-sankar-75.html) was very passionate about cricket in the five and a half decades he was associated with Jolly Rovers. Over the last one year, Bharath Reddy has found Vijay (Sankar) crazier about cricket at JR than even his appa. “The corporate business has grown manifold and he is on travel all through the year but his passion for cricket has not diminished one bit from the time I first saw him closely when he managed Kohinoor all those decades ago.”

Cricketing Legacy safe and intact

Vijay is at a Board meeting on a busy Monday morning and just a few hours ahead of an overseas trip but he makes time out of the Board to share his thoughts on why Jolly Rovers continues to be a destination for the cricketers in the country “We still have old school cricketing values. We focused a lot on setting up the core values even in terms of the top players turning up for practice and playing matches. We don’t want to give those (values) up. The discipline of players in how they approach their net sessions and the matches is a differentiator. The overall cricketing environment we provide and the skills improvement opportunities is a prime reason for them to partner with us in their cricket journey.”

The top two run getters in the first division league were both from Sanmar with Sai Sudarshan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/08/tn-selectors-chairman-vasudevan-sai.html) scoring just over 1000 runs for Jolly Rovers and Vimal Khumar with close to 1000runs for Alwarpet finishing the 2nd half of the season with a bang and becoming the cynosure of all eyes. Already, there have been multiple calls from other clubs wanting the services of Vimal but Bharath is confident that both Sai and Vimal (he will graduate to Jolly Rovers from Alwarpet) will stick with them and the core of the team will continue into the new season.

For Vijay Sankar, there is a legacy of keeping the cricketing reputation intact. Anchored by Bharath Reddy, the recent crowning with the Palayampatti shield for the 22nd time is testimony to the fact that the reputation built over several decades of Jolly Rovers being the team to beat in the first division remains undiminished.

It was the first full season for Bharath Reddy without N Sankar, whose photo continues to be his display message on his whatsapp. This 17th first division title under Bharath is one dedicated to his mentor and the man who meant everything to him from the time he joined Sanmar in the early 1980s. 

He has over 50 trophies and is acknowledged by the cricket fraternity as one of the best people(player) managers. It is hoped that the new President Ashok Sigamanii (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/11/ashok-sigamani-tnca-president.html) will get talking to Bharath Reddy to see how his cricketing knowledge can be used for the betterment of TN cricket.

For the moment, it’s time for Bharath Reddy to celebrate yet another memorable season. His success story is likely to see no end in the near future.

Thiru Vellarai Pundarikaksha Perumal Kollidam

The Divine Couple make a long almost 12 hour trip to provide Serthi Sevai on a scorching Sunday at Kollidam

The unfolding of events on the Kollidam river bank North of the Ranganathaswamy temple on a hot Sunday afternoon served as an indication of what’s in store at historical Divya Desams in TN. Just over a fortnight ago, one of the chief priests at Thiru Vellarai Divya Desam told this writer that the JC had clearly mandated restriction of mandagapadis on the annual trip of Pundarikaksha Perumal and Shenbagavalli Thayar from Thiru Vellarai to Kollidam. He had also directed reaching Kollidam on time as per schedule (10am). Long time devotees who waited at the Kollidam banks on Sunday morning narrated stories from the century gone by of Thiruvellarai Perumal reaching here by 8am.

A night long trip from Vellarai

It is past 5am and the Sri Patham personnel have already had a long night on the Thuraiyur highway but the procession had only reached the outskirts of Manachanallur. Over the next couple of hours, the mandagapadi in Manachanallur is mind boggling with stops at several of the rice mills. Devotees presented fruits and flower garlands at every stop. As is the case in remote locations, food was distributed in large quantities to devotees at each of these stopovers.

Clearly there were far more stopovers and mandagapadis than was expected (directed).

 இந்திரனோடு பிரமன் ஈசன் இமையவர் எல்லாம்
மந்திர மா மலர் கொண்டு
மறைந்து உவராய் வந்து நின்றார்

சந்திரன் மாளிகை சேரும் சதுரர்கள் வெள்ளரை நின்றாய்
அந்தியம் போது இது ஆகும்
அழகனே காபிட வாராய் - Periyaazhvaar's Kaapidal

The scene at Kollidam

A sizeable crowd had gathered at a completely dry Kollidam by 10am but there were no signs of Thiruvellarai Perumal and Thayar. Even more Mandagapadis all along the way meant the divine couple were past Nochiyam after 11am and on to the North end of the Kollidam banks. It required an extraordinary effort and highly devotional commitment on the part of the Sripatham to carry Perumal and Thayar from the North end to the South in the sand on this scorching Sunday. Rolling of a long mat across the river bed may have been a good idea but the mats came well after the Perumal and Thayar had reached the South end where a Pandal had been laid out. Soon after they placed the divine couple, many of the Sri Patham were short on breath after almost a 12 hour over 10kms trip from Thiru Vellarai to Kollidam.

Arguments Galore

Much against the run of play, a mini battlefield opened up. It started with the archakas of Thiru Vellarai refusing Shatari to the Sri Patham. This unexpected announcement angered the already tired Sri Patham personnel that were short on numbers for this trip with just around 40 of them having carried Perumal and Thayar on separate Pallakkus through the entire trip (many of these service personnel would have to get back to college and office on Monday morning and that would make the return trip on Sunday night even more challenging though there would not be those big numbered Mandagapadis).

Sacred boxes arrive late, Vadaparuppu forgotten

The boxes containing the alankaram items had not arrived though the tractor had left Nochiyam before the divine couple entered Kollidam. To complicate things further, the archakas found that Vadaparuppu had not been sent from Thiru Vellarai. The series of events put off the Sripatham personnel and a few of them walked away for lunch while a few other angry members continued to express their angst to the archakas. 

By now, the service personnel from Ranganathaswamy temple, Srirangam arrived with the Mariyathai and they too had to wait it out for the arrival of the boxes.  Sridhar, the maniyakarar of the Srirangam temple too reached the venue (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/03/srirangam-temple-time-keeper.html). It was his assurance that the Shatari would be presented to the Sri Patham that cooled the carriers of the Thiru Vellarai Perumal.

Sridhar told this writer late on Sunday night that shortage of personnel was making it a nightmare to manage utsavams across the Divya Desams in and around Srirangam. In this case, he said if he had been alerted on Sunday morning, he could have organised the vadaparuppu from the Srirangam Madapalli. An overdose of mandagapadis leads to a delay in the processional schedule. Earlier in the day, he narrated as to how just ahead of the mega Samprokshanam in Srirangam, he had carried the Lord on this trip with minimal service personnel in the 1980s. But now communication channels were far better and issues such as those faced today could be handled easily through better communication.

It was well after noon when the screen came down for the alankaram but over the next hour there was bitter argument between multiple service personnel that could be heard outside amongst the devotees who were eagerly waiting for a darshan of the Serthi Sevai.

Food Plates scattered on the Kollidam bank

And as is the case on such big occasions, food was served by devotees (Ubayadarars) to those present. While the Perumal and Thayar were being decorated, it was time for devotees to have their lunch. Very soon the entire sacred Kollidam banks was dirtied with food plates thrown around outside the Pandal. 

மன்றில் மாம் பொழில் நுழைதந்து
மல்லிகை மௌவளின் போது அலர்த்தி
தென்றல் மா மணம் கமழ் தர வரு
 திரு வெள்ளறை நின்றானே

உயர்கொள் மாதவிப் போதொடு உலாவிய 
மாருதம் வீதியின்வாய்
திசை எல்லாம் கமழும் பொழில் சூழ் 
திரு வெள்ளறை நின்றானே- Periya Thirumozhi- Thiru Mangai Azhvaar

It was 1.30pm when the screen finally opened for the devotees to have darshan of the divine couple.

Former correspondent of PTI and a kainkaryapaka at  the Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple Singan points to the the unique term Vazhi Nadai Ubayams and the several stipulations laid by Poorvacharya for this. 'The main one is that the deviation should not exceed 10ft. But mysteriously the number is increasing beyond limits, affecting the schedule and shortening pooja procedures. The objective is  to give rest to the deity as per agamic principles. And, definitely not to treat the deity as a toy."

This Sunday morning was to be a devotional morning at Kollidam but it was overshadowed by the series of events that took place in full public view.

While the HR & CE administers the temple, no senior officials were present to ensure that the event took place as per schedule. With the devotional wave across TN temples, the mandagapadis are increasing in number but there is shortage of service personnel across Divya Desams. The madapalli is short staffed leading to challenges there. Attention to detail is missing- in this case, there was no responsibility taken to ensure that the sacred boxes arrived on time and that the vada paruppu was in order to present to the adyapaka, araiyar, theerthakarar and service personnel. Added to this was the emotional outbursts after a long trip in the hot sun.

In some of the historical temples such as Srirangam and Thiru Vellarai (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/10/thiru-vellarai-divya-desam.html), the Lord is still carried by the traditional Sripatham on their shoulders even on long trips to Jeeyapuram, Uraiyar and this one from Vellarai to Kollidam. It is important to take care of them. This section had a few years ago featured a story on how the Sripatham bore the brunt of a stony path all night trip from Srirangam to Jeeyapuram (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/03/srirangam-namperumal-jeeyapuram-utsavam.html). Today, it was yet another tiring trip including a final long burst from one end of Kollidam to the other. On the Jeeyapuram trip, this section had asked as to the presence of senior HR & CE officials on that night long trip. Here too the JC / his senior members were missing. 

If such traditional endeavours are to continue in the future like it has for centuries, coordinated and concerted efforts will be required amongst the multiple stake holders to make such trips lot more devotionally engaging.

Super Kings Academy Madras Indians TNCA League

A few youngsters from SKA showcased themselves on Saturday at a  TNCA lower division league match

Left arm spinner Laxman Rahul turned the ball square and tied the rampaging batsmen in knots

This section had featured a story on Super Kings Academy and its expansion plans in October last year(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/10/super-kings-academy-mega-expansion-plans.html?m=1). A number of league clubs had been taken over by India Cements to provide opportunities to SKA players. This section had also subsequently broken the news of Sriram Krishnamurthy (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/11/sriram-krishnamurthy-head-coach-super.htmlmoving back from New Zealand to take over the role of the head coach of SKA.

On Saturday this writer umpired a lower division match featuring one of those clubs. In recent months, this writer has umpired several matches but this one was a different experience. The impact of the academy was clearly seen in the way the players approached the game. 

The top order batsmen were confident against one of the best new ball combination that this writer (umpire) has seen in recent times in lower division cricket. Interestingly it was a top of the table clash with both Madras Indians (SKA players) and Milky Way having won 5 out of their 6 matches. It came as a relief to the Madras Indians’ batsmen when one of the new ball bowlers was taken out of the attack after he had bowled four overs giving away under 10runs (that’s lower division captaincy for you!!!).  

The confidence with which the openers approached was refreshing. While the big runs on the day came from two non- academy batsmen including captain Arun Pandian who scored 86, the overall thought process was positive. Of course, two aspects that I have found in lower division cricket quite surprisingly remained unchanged. For a major part of those 50 overs, there was no calling between the batsmen and no words at all from the non-striker (complete silence through an entire innings!!!). These are things that the academy should focus on – a bit more on the basics… backing up at the non striker’s end, a yes or no call after a stroke and some communication from the non striker.

From Kanyakumari and Salem

Milky Way had posted over 400 in a recent league match and it was no surprise when they came out after lunch in a typical T20 mode. Fast bowler Milton is from Kanyakumari and has completed his graduation. He came to Madras to showcase himself at the SKA nets and was picked for this league team for his genuine quick stuff. He has still not joined a corporate and is looking to make a cricketing career out of this (his fast bowling skills). Today he was taken apart by opener Suresh who hit five sixers in his 20ball half century. 65 had been posted in 7overs but two young left arm spinners came into play and turned the match around quite dramatically. 

A spinner for the future

Laxman Rahul turned the ball square and was almost unplayable as he created doubt in the batsman’s mind. He is one for the future and cricketing success beckons him if he continues with his current style and approach while Kumar from Salem kept it tight and picked up crucial wickets. A differentiating aspect was the outstanding fielding of the academy players as they latched on to every catch and gave nothing away in terms of ground fielding. While the opposition dropped quite a few catches in the first half, the SKA fielders held on to everything. 

                                       

SKA also had a good leggie in Surya who too turned the ball big and took a brilliant catch of his own bowling but did not showcase a googly!!!

A late burst of sixers did not fluster the spinners and Laxman finally brought an end to the series of sixers from Deenadayalan to help Madras Indians notch up a comfortable win.

A Certificate of Appreciation for the performers

The anchors at the Super Kings Academy back at the Santhome headquarters had brought in a novel idea into these league matches this season. The star performers of every league match are presented with a framed certificate of appreciation by the coach immediately at the end of the match. This surely will serve as a great motivation to the youngsters. A token cash award for the MOM has been a model adopted in the past by league clubs but a certificate in appreciation and for the record is a nice gesture from Super Kings Academy and will pep up the players to give their best. It is also something that the star performers of the day can take back home with pride.

This club, comprising of SKA players, is working as one unit and it’s no wonder that they have won six out of the seven league matches this year.

SKA has already had over 400 students at their centers in Chennai and Salem and most of these youngsters are now finding an opportunity in the TNCA league. It’s up to them to showcase themselves and move up the cricketing ladder.  This Saturday the left arm spinner Laxman did just that at the India Pistons ground. He tied the rampaging opposition batsmen in knots and won the match for his team. He is someone to be watched out in the future.

The Super Kings Academy coaches would do well to focus a bit more on the basics - running between the wickets, backing up, calling and communication between batsmen, aspects where most academies focus very little.

Thiru Kannapuram Maasi Garuda Sevai

Late on Thursday evening, on the eve of Kulasekara Azhvaar's birthday, Sowri Raja Perumal goes around the streets of Thiru Kannapuram atop  Garuda as part of the Maasi Magam Utsavam

Thenthiruperai's Aravinda Lochanan presents Upanyasam but Araiyar Sevai was missing this year

There is a certain devotional charm about Garuda Sevai in remote Divya Desams. The devotional fervour of those that have come from far is palpable. They wait with big expectations of the alankaram of Perumal atop  the Garuda Vahana and experience their big moment when the screen opens for the first time on the evening as the beautifully decorated Lord presents himself before the devotees.

It was one such devotional evening at the Sowri Raja Perumal Divya Desam in Thiru Kannapuram this Thursday, on the eve of the birthday of Kulasekara Azhvaar who presented a decad of sacred verses on the Lord of Thiru Kannapuram. 

In the 8th decad, he praises the Lord of Thiru Kannapuram while describing the different events in Rama’s life. He praises Thiru Kannapuram as a temple surrounded by huge fortified walls ingrained with gold and the sacred water being holier than the Ganges. He praises the place as one where Cauvery flowed in full speed. He describes the removal of weeds and the consequent blooming of lotus flowers in the huge tank. Kannapuram was a place where red lotus grew everywhere around the temple. In his Perumal Thirumozhi, he says that Thiru Kannapuram was home to master craftsmen.

கன்னி நன் மா மதில் புடை சூழ் கணபுரத்து என் கருமணியே

களைகழுநீர் மருங்கு அலரும் கணபுரத்து கருமணியே 

Early in the morning, he found bees circling around the temple with a buzzing noise that seemed to be in melodious tunes. Kannapuram, he says, was a place where learned sages lived and one where elders resided.Thiru Kannapuram is praised as a temple by the seashore where strong winds washed ashore jewels and the Lord as one who is seen with fragrant flower garland in his crown

காலின்மணி கரை அலைக்கும் கணபுரத்து என் கருமணியே

Thiru Kannapuram is truly a legendary temple for it is one of the only two temples, along with Nachiyar Koil, in the Nalayira Divya Prabhandham to receive a praise of over a 100 verses from Thiru Mangai Azhvaar. 

In his 100 verses, he provides great insights into Thiru Kannapuram as a location by the Sea Shore, the unflinching devotion of the people who visited the festivals, the green fields around the temple and the handsome features of the Lord. Clearly it was a vibrant location a thousand years ago. High rise buildings in Thiru Kannapuram seemed to touch the water bearing clouds in the sky. Huge crowds thronged the temple to invoke the blessings of the Lord. Also, one saw love filled devotees during auspicious festival days. The town reverberated with Vedic Chants right through the day. They tended to the sacred fires offering sacrifices and kept the Vedas alive.Situated by the lashing ocean, Thiru Kannapuram had fertile fields where one saw an abundance of Mullai, Karumugil and Sankalunir flowers around the temple. Punnai Trees cast shade and light over the waters.

The vast fertile fields that had a rich growth of flowers spread a sweet fragrance all around Thiru Kannapuram. One could inhale the sweet scented lotus at all times at Thiru Kannapuram. Red Paddy plants were seen waving like fans.  There were Pearl like buds that gathered by the waves. There were well grown coral branches. Red corals grew with branches spreading light everywhere. Ripe Paddy grew tall in the fields. The streets were wide with fragrant groves.

The Sacred Tank

In the rain fed lakes, sharp peaked water birds pounced upon Fish which then ran helter skelter in fear of being consumed. The lakes were clear and the fragrant blue water lily seemed liked the eyes of the Lord and the red lotus bright like his face. Swans in lakes learnt the art of graceful gait from the young girls.

The Sea Shore

Thiru Mangai Azhvaar refers to this place as ‘Wealthy Kannapuram’ and says that the roar of the sea could be heard at the temple, praised as one standing tall near the sea shore. Boats seemed to be carrying the riches and crowded the shores at all times. Thiru Kannapuram was lashed by the ocean that threw up great resounding conches. Pearls were washed on to shores following the high waves.

கரை எடுத்த சுரி சங்கும் கணபுரத்து எழு கொடியும்

Peacocks danced around in flocks all over Kannapuram. The harvesters’ sickle brought out the rabbits from their burrows. The huge number of Fish danced in a trance in the fertile fields. Lotus blossomed everywhere thronged by bees that sung in beautiful humming tunes.

வாய் எடுத்த மந்திரத்தால் அந்தணர் தம் செய் தொழில்கள்

தீ எடுத்த மறை வளர்க்கும்

திரு கண்ணபுரத்து உறையும்

Devotees and Celestials flocked to Thiru Kannapuram for worship seeking an elevation of spirit.

தொண்டரும் அமரரும் முனிவரும் தொழுது எழ

That was a thousand years ago. The greenery is still intact. As one walks through the one km newly laid road from Thiru Pugalur to Thiru Kannapuram, one finds huge fertile fields on either side. However, there is no hint of any the temple’s glorious past with most of the original inhabitants having left the shores of Kannapuram. The Raja Gopuram and the huge walls wear a faded look with the last repair works having taking place over 15years ago and it should be time for Thiruppani to start in the near future. 

Upanyasam on Pillai Lokachariyar's Artha Panchakam

Bhagavathas from across Tamil Nadu gathered for this big occasion in Maasi. The huge temple complex allows them to sit in different corners and there were those reciting slokas through the evening.  Following the pathi ulathal just after 4pm, Thenthiruperai’s Aravinda Lochanan, now residing in Thiruvallikeni, has been presenting upanyasam at this Divya Desam for the last many years during the Maasi Utsavam. This time, over five days, he presented Pillai Lokachariyaar's Artha Panchankam describing Jeevathma and Paramathma, ways  to attain moksham, causes for this materialistic life and things to perform after attaining vaikuntam.

                         Aravinda Lochanan

No Araiyar Sevai this year

Centuries ago, Araiyars resided in this town. Their house still exists but their descendants have stayed away from their traditional art of presenting before the Lord. In recent times, Araiyar from Srivilliputhur had made it to this Divya Desam during the Maasi Utsavam. As in previous years, the expectation of the devotees was to watch the Araiyar Sevai but the Araiyar from Srivilliputhur did not turn up this time on the Garuda Sevai day much to their disappointment.

Bhattar confined to bed

Raghava Bhattar, now in his 70s, had performed archaka service at this Divya Desam for a few devotees from the 1980s in financially challenging times. His daughter secured well over a 1000 marks in her SSLC examination. And yet she could not fulfil her educational dreams for want of an institution in the temple town.  A paralytic attack has confined him to the bed and over the last decade, it has been his brother, Sampath Bhattar, who has taken his place at the temple. The revered Sowri Rajan Bhattar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/11/thiru-kannapuram-sowri-rajan-bhattar.html) who has been at the temple performing kainkaryam for five decades was away through the evening with his service at the Kannapuram Thayar Sannidhi. For almost two hours, Sampath Bhattar decorated Sowri Raja Perumal atop the Garuda Vahana while devotees enjoyed the group dance presentation on the Northern prakara.

                           Raghava Bhattar

Sacred food had been organised at the Ramanuja Koodam for traditionalists and ahead of the procession, the visiting devotees  had a sumptuous puliyotharai and dhadhyonam.

The devotee family that has been taking care of the Garuda Sevai during the Maasi Utsavam for generations arrived just after 8pm. An hour later, devotees had  further gained in strength. Sri Patham personnel who belong to this Divya Desam arrived in large numbers for this occasion and carried Sowri Raja Perumal around the prakara in a majestic display. The legend has it that Perumal asked Vibheeshana to come to Kannapuram to have darshan of his 'Walking Beauty'.

Its past 930pm when the Lord made his way on to the North Street where Prabhandham members including those from Kesava Perumal Koil,  Mylapore and Thiruvallikeni were waiting for Thodakkam. 

The four sacred streets have been newly laid making it easy for the Sripatham to carry the Lord on their shoulders. It’s been a tradition on the Garuda Sevai evening in Thiru Kannapuram for the Lord to be carried till the Chariot by the Sripatham and then for him to be mounted on to a specially designed chapparam. Devotees were waiting in large numbers near the Chapparam to watch the Sri Patham load Sowri Raja Perumal on to the Chapparam. Bhagavathas who had come a long way for this utsavam began their Bhajans while the Prabhandham members led the procession with the presentation of the sacred verses.

The original inhabitants in the agraharam that had been vibrant till the 2nd half of the previous century have all gone away seeking greener pastures and they were missing on the night but the devotion of the villagers was beyond measure as they sought the blessings of the Divya Desam Lord with folded hands. The delight of a Garuda Sevai darshan could be seen in their eyes as they began pulling the rope to move the chapparam along the streets of Thiru Kannapuram.

Semmangudi Varadaraja Bhattar

Plight of a Remote Temple Priest

He has been performing daily aradhanam at multiple village temples for decades for financial survival but the Salary and Thattu Kaasu are now proving insufficient to run a family

Varadaraja Bhattar (referred to as Vardhu Bhattar in temple circles) is a prime example of serving in remote non Divya Desam temples. He has spent the last four decades in Semmangudi (Sembangudi), residing in the agraharam where the renowned musician Srinivasa Iyer once lived. He learned the agamas from his grandfather and even as a young boy accompanied him to the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Semmangudi.

The salary at the temple was quite low and Thattu Kaasu almost non-existent. But the temple had handed his forefathers farming land from which they earned some income to run their family. His appa had been bed ridden for many years before he passed away. 

Varadaraja Bhattar has been enterprising in his devotional endeavor to meet the monthly financial requirements to run a family. He identified around 10 remote temples in the area that had been left unattended and secured a couple of them for each of his brothers to perform archaka service. He himself has also been performing pooja at the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Sri Vanjiyam (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2014/08/srivanchiyam-varadaraja-perumal-temple.html), about 10kms from Semmangudi. In addition to the three Kaalam pooja at Semmangudi, he has also been performing daily pooja in a couple of other remote village temples. While he used to cycle his way to these temples in earlier decades, he now rides a two wheeler each day to these temples. 

Varadaraja Bhattar had received offers from overseas but did not go. Within TN, He had forged an early love for cows and has had at least of couple of them at home over the last two decades. When he lost his parents, he had to sell his cows to perform Pitru Kaaryam such was his financial state. He is now back to bringing up a couple of cows but recently faced another big challenge at home. 

The house that he had lived in the agraharam since his childhood had become dilapidated with water seeping in during monsoon. Over the last year, he has moved to another house near the temple.

The income from the farm lands has not been consistent given the vagaries of the monsoon. With his two school going daughters, the current finances from these remote temples are not proving sufficient. He is hoping that the Varadaraja Perumal temple in Semmangudi where he has served for decades would offer him a higher salary and also rebuild the agraharam house where he has spent close to four decades.

For the moment though he continues to perform service to Varadaraja Perumal just in the way he had performed when he started out decades ago with the firm belief that the Lord for whom he has served for long will take good care of him and his family.

Varadarajan Bhattar can be reached on 9442467631