MB#63: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙏𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙈𝙞𝙘, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚 𝙇𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙘𝙮.

The Five-Day Festival at PWD Quarters

My 'Upanayanam' ceremony was performed in 1971 when I was eight years old. The venue was the PWD government quarters in Satyanarayanapuram, Vijayawada. To accommodate the many relatives traveling from distant places, we secured permission to use an unoccupied quarters building. A beautiful 'pandiri' (ceremonial canopy) was erected around the house well ahead of the function.

My father explained that the 'Upanayanam' marks a boy's entry into formal education and a new spiritual life, involving the investment with the sacred thread ('Yajnopavitam') and initiation into the 'Gayatri Mantra.' He intelligently prepared me for the five-day schedule, assuring me I would be the 'focus point' and that the first day would be attended by local well-wishers and family, followed by a large lunch.

The Attire and the School Leave

The traditional attire represented my transition to 'Brahmacharya.' My father patiently explained the symbolic elements, showing me black and white photos of cousins' ceremonies:

Head & Ears: The ritual involved the symbolic shaving of the head (shikha) and the wearing of earrings (Bhikbali) as a rite of passage.

Body: I wore the lower garment (dhoti), the upper garment (kurta), and the central element—the sacred thread (yajnopavita).

Accessories: I was equipped with the danda (wooden staff) and the mekhala (grass girdle).

Having sensed my hesitation about the sudden change in appearance, my father reassured me that most changes were temporary, but he granted my request for three weeks of leave from school to allow my hair to grow back, promptly sending a leave letter.

### The Public Address System and the Grandparents 🎤

The entire five-day event felt like a festival. To announce the celebration to the public and amplify the devotional atmosphere, a public address system was arranged. Devotional songs and Vedic chantings were played throughout the day.

A highlight for me was experimenting with the technology: I got to hold a wired microphone—brought by my maternal uncle, a radio engineer from Amalapuram—testing my voice and asking my age group friends to listen from various distances.

The event was made complete by the presence of my family. My father fulfilled the long-held desire of my paternal grandparents to witness the ceremony. My maternal grandfather also made a surprise solo journey from Amalapuram, arriving at his ripe age to bless the occasion. A professional photographer was arranged to capture the many group photos.

### The Enduring Legacy of the Cassette 📼

The spiritual training continued for sixteen days, during which my father meticulously taught me to perform the 'Sandhya Vandanam' three times a day (morning, noon, and evening).

Knowing that I would soon be moving from city to city for my jobs, he preserved this knowledge in a masterful way: he recorded the entire Sandhya Vandanam procedure in his own voice on a cassette tape.

Today, I still preserve that cassette and play it to perform the rituals, especially for the annual ritual of Upakarma, celebrated on Shravana Pournami (the full moon day of Shravana). This is the traditional day for changing the sacred thread (Jandhyam or Yagnopaveetham). I listen to his recorded voice to follow the precise procedure, fulfilling his insistence that I honor this ritual wherever I am—a final, enduring teaching that ensures his guidance remains constant.

MB#63: Quiz

MB#63: Quote

"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." – Gustav Mahler