Kapali Temple Thevaram Kids

Driven by APJ Kalam's inspirational words, a Mylapore School Teacher is now initiating the new gen into the Thevaram Verses at the Kapali Temple

Exactly a month ago, this section featured a story on 50 year old Mannargudi’s Ramkumar, a Kainkaryapara at the Kapaleeswarar temple, who has been performing the Theevatti service at every street procession over the last year. This one is about a 53 year old Mylapore school teacher hailing from Thanjavur who this year has been initiating young kids into the Sacred Verses of the Saivite Saint Poets. 

It is devotionally invigorating watching the tiny tots, most of whom not yet 10, recite the sacred verses at the Kapali temple. The loud recital in this public space is helping them develop their personality, overcoming shyness and any inhibition they may have at this age, in addition to the traditional and cultural aspects.  

Soon after her evening Thevaram teaching engagement with the kids at the Western Prakara, Veda. V. Rasu told this writer that 3 to 7 years is the right age to initiate the dharmic things in children “Early initiation into our tradition and culture will help them retain the right values through their lifetime. This is the age when the child’s brain is like a fresh sponge. If you give the right inputs, especially on our tradition, culture and values, during this early period in their life, it is likely you will see a great outcome.”

The Transformational Moment - A chance meeting with APJ Kalam

Like IITian Ramkumar, who was a consultant with the World Bank (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/07/kapali-theevatti-pmo-consultant-v.html), Veda too is high on academics with a MA-M Phil in Sociology and a P.hD in Disaster Management. It was a chance meeting with the former President of India, late APJ Kalam that transformed her life. She recounts that day from her life just under 20years ago when she was a freelance teacher “I was at the Anna University for an event and as is my style I was strict with the kids and directing them on the right way to conduct themselves on that great occasion. The President came up to me, congratulated me and asked me create at least four kids for the ‘FUTURE’. And those inspirational words transformed my life completely.”

Following that inspirational moment, she enrolled at the Cambridge University, UK and did a Dip in Teacher Training. And soon after she converted herself from just a freelance teacher and became a full time teacher engaging with young kids all the time “My husband has been of great support encouraging and motivating me all through this phase when I have been involved full time with the kids.” 

Historical Contribution of Saivite Saint Poets

Unfortunately, those in the new gen do not know much about the great works of the Saint Poets and their contribution to the ancient temples. And that is what Veda is aiming to do. She is delighted that within a few months, the parents have seen unbelievable transformation in the kids. Interestingly in addition to the kids, the parents themselves have become part of these sessions and they too are finding great insights from the sacred verses.  

Veda is also inculcating in them a sense of discipline and values that they can take forward in their everyday lives both at home and school. From September 1, she has asked the kids to present themselves in traditional attire for the classes and that will be another significant moment in the lives of these young kids…to actually come to the temple in Veshti and Paavaadai.

How to sport the Vibhoothi

Devotees of the temple were also surprised to see every kid carrying a small dabba. Veda has been teaching these kids the right way to sport the sacred ash on their forehead “I have asked them to open the dabba containing the Vibhoothi, take it with their three fingers without spilling it and apply it by reciting the Panchaakshara Mantra. This is a process that they have now begun to follow at home as well.”

A Letter from the Indian PM

Just this fortnight, one of her Thevaram students received a surprise response from the India PM personally appreciating the young kid of her interest in the tradition and culture at this young age and where he has also spoken about the greatness of Uthiramerur from the standpoint of  democracy. (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2008/12/uthiramerur-sundara-varadar.html)

A long standing devotee of Kapali Temple

Veda has been presenting the Thaalam at every Panguni Utsavam for almost the last 25years and has been a longstanding devotee of Kapaleesawarar and Karpagambal (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2023/04/kapali-panguni-utsavam-2023.html). Just under a decade ago, following a divine instruction during the Kumbhabhisekam, she began to blow the conch during the Lord’s procession. Like Vilvam Vasudevan Anna (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2021/03/vilvam-anna-vasudevan-kapaleeswarar.html), Veda too had remained a ‘silent’ devotee inside the Kapali Temple for over two decades before breaking her silence for these young kids.

It was the Pandemic that drove her to initiating the kids into the sacred verses “They lost their sense of discipline during the two years of the Pandemic. The online learning model was not suited to them and they developed poor language and communication skills. As a teacher, it was challenging to handle their new ways after we came out of the battle against Covid.”

To start with, she is trying to bring about a big behavioural change in these 20 kids. She is confident that at this young age, a positive change can happen at a faster pace as was seen in a boy recently. One with a stammering presented himself at a competition as Thirunavukarasar – Appar and the applause he received has instantly boosted his confidence (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/12/thiru-vathigai-veerateswarar.html).

She begins her session with the recital of the Thevaram Verses and ends with a bhajan. An interesting addition last week was the walk around Mylapore's famed Mada Streets. Veda is hoping to make this a monthly feature from September.

Quiz Programmes on the Saint Poets

The main aim with this exercise, she says, is to instill in the young minds the greatness of our tradition and culture by presenting to them the historical role played by the Saint Poets in creating bhakthi. Based on her sessions, she has also begun to assess them through quiz programmes on the Saint Poets and their verses. It is now a delight to the devotees of the Kapaleeswarar temple to watch 5year olds talking about Sekkizhar and the Periya Puranam, singing the first verse rendered by Appar at Thiru Vathigai (Panruti) and the life story of Sundarar.

கூற்றாயின வாறு விளக்ககிலீர்

கொடுமை பல செய்தன நான் அறியேன்

ஏற்றாயடிகே இரவும் பகலும்

பிரியாது வணங்குவன் எப்பொழுதும்

தொற்றாதென் வயிற்றின் அகம்படியே

குடரோடு துடக்கி முடக்கியிட

அற்றேன் அடியேன் அதி கைக்கெடில

வீரட்டானத்துறை அம்மானே– Appar's First Thevaram Song

To make it interesting for these young kids, she organised a fancy dress competition where the boys had to come dressed as Naalvars and the girls as Thilagavathy or Karaikkal Ammayar. She is also organizing a Thevaram competition for these kids to make it devotionally more exciting for them. She wants the kids to celebrate their birthday by lighting a traditional lamp instead of blowing candles on the cake.

பித்தா  பிறைசூடி பெரு மானே  அருளாளா

எத்தால் மற வாதே நினைக்கின்றேன் மனத்துன்னை

வைத்தாய்  பெண்ணைத் தென்பால் 

வெண்ணை நல்லூர் அருட்டுறையுள் 

அத்தா உனக் காளாய் இனி
அல்லேன் எனல் ஆமே

As directed by the former President, Veda Rasu is beginning to play a transformational role at the Kapaleeswarar temple and clearly the devotional excitement is palpable in the outer prakara. More and more parents are now getting their kids to be part of these evening Thevaram sessions and that by itself is an endorsement that she is heading in the right direction with these kids. The devotional fervour among these kids is becoming louder by the day and the entire temple is reverberating in the chants by these kids of ‘Kootraayina Vaaru’ and 'Pithaai Pirai Soodi' (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/01/thiru-vennai-nallur-kripapureeswarar.html).