a tale to tell from Guruvayur

Manjadikuru/Lucky Red Seeds are found in Krishna temples in Kerala. In fact nowadays, that is the only place we see them. The origin of this practice lies in the folklore of the Guruvayur temple. The temple of Guruvayur houses the deity of Vishnu*, and this particular idol is believed to have been worshipped by Lord Krishna** in Dwaraka. The first time I set eyes on Manjadikuru is in this temple.

The story goes thus… a long time ago, there lived a woman in a northern province of Kerala. She was an ardent devotee of Krishna and aspired to someday visit the temple in Guruvayur. She wanted to carry offerings to the temple as most people did but she was too poor to be able to afford anything. But she knew of an old tree that shed beautiful glossy red seeds. Fascinated by their beauty she began to collect them, hoping to one day carry them with her to the temple as a gift to the Lord. One by one she would pick them from the ground, treating each one like a precious gem. Polishing them and keeping them safe from the rain and the dust. In her eyes each of them glowed with warmth and radiance. She eagerly awaited the day when the Lord would see them. Others laughed at her and called her mad to pick the worthless seeds but she continued to do what she believed in.

Over a year the collection was built up and she had a large pouch full of Manjadikuru. Her eyes filled with glee as she held them close to her while she slept at night. Making up her mind to take them to the temple, she set out on a journey. Leaving the safety of her home and her loved ones, she set out on foot towards the temple. Her home was in a hilly province and she had to traverse rivers and deep forests as she moved towards her destination. She met people on the way. Some of them discouraged her. Some of them applauded her. But she didn’t care. Her mind was set on the temple and its deity and with single-minded focus she trudged on. Many people told her “this is not the way” but she followed her instinct and a force within her guided her ahead.

Every morning she would wake up with stiff joints, through the day her body would ache and at night she would collapse on the wayside in a tired stupor. In her mind she was aware that she may never be able to do this again in her life but in her eyes was a dream and on her lips was a smile. Forty four daunting days later, she arrives in the temple city of Guruvayur. Unfamiliar and tired she stumbles through the streets, forcing her body to make the last mile too.

Finally she arrives at the temple portals. She hears people talk amongst themselves about the special day at the temple. Apparently the day was the first of that month and the local ruler or Naduvaazhi would visit the temple on the first of every month. To display his devotion, he would submit an elephant every month as an offering to Krishna. Hearing these tales, the woman carefully makes her way to the inner precincts with her pouch.

The officers of the Naaduvazhi are clearing people from the path to make way for the ruler. In their powerdrunk arrogance and pettiness, they are unable to distinguish between wayfarers and devotees. Mercilessly they insult devotees and trample on children to get them out of their way. The woman tries to balance her pouch of Manjadikuru so that she doesn’t lose them but the officers insult and mock her and physically shove her out of the area. The trumpeting of the Naaduvazhi’s elephant is heard. With a last push from the insolent officers, the woman falls down and the pouch falls open and all the red seeds get scattered all over. A tear from the woman's eye fall on the temple floor.

Immediately the Naaduvazhi’s elephant goes beserk and starts to run amok in the temple. People run for their lives as the mad elephant starts to destroy things within the temple. Unable to control the elephant, the Naaduvazhi prays to Krishna for a solution. A voice is heard from within the temple - “where is my Manjadikuru?” "where is my devotee, who you have insulted and hurt?” "where is my gift that she lovingly put together?”

Realizing their folly, the people apologize to the woman and start to gather the red seeds that are scattered all over. Filling her pouch for her, she is escorted to the sanctum sanctorum with her lucky red seeds. After her submission of the offering, the elephant returns to normal. In memory of that devotee’s offering, even to this day, a big uruli full of Manjadikuru are kept within the temple.




*Vishnu is part of the primary Hindu trinity godhead
** Krishna is considered an avatar/birth of Vishnu

Why make films?

Somewhere in between cajoling an actor, changing the dialogue, choosing a costume, reading a legal document, signing a cheque, calming the fraying temper, finding the right lens, waiting for the right light, running from the rain, cutting out a scene - we were making a movie. What is it that makes us want to rise at 4.59am, reach the location at 6am and work like bonded labour till 10pm only to return the next day where every possible variable would have changed and yet we aim to find that continuity to everything as the day before and the day before that?

Surely there is a streak of masochism in everyone who willingly works on a film set. "Willingly" is a strange word- it can also mean some one who would rather not do something else. Which is actually the case with most people. The phenomenon seems to be alive whether one is a spot boy, an propmaster, a boom swinger or a director.

They tell me that the feature film is the most peculiar of addictions, though I am still in limbo about this. "Despite it all, you want to do it again". Maybe once my joints cease to ache and my voice comes back to its normal tone and I stop dreaming of that one scene I forgot to shoot, I'll ponder on it.

To Mom, with love

Ruchi Gulati - a trueblue second generation NRI who spent all her life outside her home country. Qualified in human resources management, today she lives in Singapore with her husband and two sons.

"Its amazing as I read your blogspot, how much it brings back the memories of us growing up in Dubai. We have since moved and went to UK and then now reached Singapore...where we found some amount of magic.

Our building/s, have a huge amount of land area around them and when Aryaman (my 7yr old!) was walking down this path between trees - his term 'secret pathway' little did he realise that he was going to start a new vocation - collecting these pretty little red seeds - for his mom and make her very happy. I was pregnant with Krishu (my second son, now 2+) then and I thought, wow, what a beautiful gift from my little one. I started collecting them in a crystal bowl and it became a bit of a competition within little Aryaman's mind, how much more magic and love he could collect for his mom!

I have them sitting very pretty in a lovely crystal bowl and i love the feel of the smooth red beans. I have often wondered if I could have them transformed into jewellery or something that I could showoff more, but then each time I think of that I get a little selfish and think, I dont know if I would want any other hands 'feel the magic' that was passed on to me by my little chipmunk.

I did not know that these seeds grow their own roots but I dont think I would like to part with them as Singapore does have a huge amount of these trees around. We have loud proclamations to the fact as we visit different areas of this pretty island and see these gorgeous seeds strewn in gardens and 'other secret pathways.'

I do hope your film encompasses all this and more to finally bring a lot of dreams and aspirations into reality.

Very very proud of u angs!"

...and finally the online shopping cart!

With the quaint charm of the red seeds crossing countries and cultures, could consumerism be far behind? Check out this site that a cynical friend sent me. Its an online gifts site and one of the gifts is called

"Lovesick Bottle - priced at: Singapore $ 33
http://www.giftsflorist2000.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=693

The red seeds of Red Bead Tree, ( Botanical Name: Adenanthera pavonia). Also called Lovesick Beans, the red seeds are bright red and never fades in colour... The significance of this red seeds represented the meaning of " I Love You", " I am thinking of you". This is one gift that will last for an entire year!
Bring a smile to your beloved everyday of the year with this special jar with the red seeds and your own message.
The jar is 12 inches tall and 3.5 inches in diameter for the bottom. Please provide us your message and we will print it on a piece of pretty fancy paper and decorated with " I love you" ribbon. Guaranteed to warm the heart when they read a note and think of you!
A great unforgettable gift to someone special in your life."

Consumerist lovers with a preference for packaged romantic notions may immediately enlist!

And yet another one...
this time 2.5 US$ for 5 red seeds on e bay
http://item.express.ebay.com/Home-Garden_Gardening-Landscaping_Plants-Seeds-Bulbs_
Bonsai-Red-Sandalwood-5-jewel-red-seeds

The description goes like this: Adenanthera pavonia has the most beautiful seeds I have ever seen. They're used for beads and in making of quality jewelry. Here is a chance to raise your own necklace and earrings. They're also pea size and easy to handle.The red sandalwood tree makes a superb subject for bonsai. It has an interesting reddish bark, tiny deep green leaves and in spring it is spectacular with its full bloom of yellow flowers.

If you live in zone 9, it is a very ornamental tree for the yard. It stays small and the dappled shade beneath it is great for growing a flower bed.Please add 2.25 for postage/doublypadded mailer with tracking number. Combine with other wins and 20 packs of seeds can ship for 2.25 or seeds ship free with plants. Thanks for visiting!"

What happened to the magic, the luck, the love in the seeds... LOST IN TRANSIT I imagine!

and China...

Some representatives of the Chinese Government's Film Production Agency were present at the International Film Festival of India 2008 film bazaar. When they enquired about our film, we handed them some lucky red seeds to explain the title. To our surprise, they began to tell us about how they were popular as "love beads" or "bead tree" in China!! The story below tells us the origin of the name and gives us a perfect Chinese Poem.


http://smc.kisti.re.kr/banna/orchistree/tre01.html

Bead tree grows in South China
It shoots up in the Spring
Many people want to collect their seeds
They are the things arouses lovesickness

This is a poem written by a famous ancient Chinese poet, Wang Wei; it was passed down generation after generation to the present and is still read by people of today. The Chinese people regard it as a perfect poem.

China has lovesick birds, lovesick trees and lovesick beans. The story goes: there was a young wife in ancient China. She missed her husband who went out for battles. She often cried under the tree in front of her gate; her tears dried up, and blood came out of her eyes. The blood dyed the roots of the tree into red; afterwards, small and red beans began to grow on the tree, and the beans were bead tree.

Bead tree mainly grows in Canton, Guangxi, and Xishuangbanna of Yunnan etc.

and Malaysia...

Check out this lovely blog page built by King Yeung & Poh Yin from Malaysia

http://kingyeungpohyin.blogspot.com/2007/08/red-love-seeds.html

They speak of the meaning that the red seeds hold in their culture and have some lovely images and poems on it.

"Red is the symbol of love.
In the south, the Saga Seed Tree buds in Spring.
The red seeds spill from the pods,
scattering on the ground.
Pick them up,
as many as you can,
as if gathering thoughts and memories of those you love."

and Assam...

Mriganka Kalita aka Micky, is originally from Assam- he currently lives in Dubai and is paid to be a wordsmith... in the form of copywriting.

ah..manjadikurus...sounds like something celestial...almost...a fairy who would grant your every wish...a 90 in maths to that shiny red bicycle...don't know about the lucky bit...but i sure do have lots of happy memories of lazy summer days spent collecting them from my grandmom's garden...now looking forward to your interpretation:-)

And the Caribbean too!

"Circassian seeds are produced by a tropical Asian tree called the red sandalwood (Adenanthera pavonina), a beautiful tree of the Legume Family (Fabaceae) with pinnately compound leaves and dense racemes of fragrant, creamy-yellow blossoms. It is also called the "bead tree," "necklace tree," and "peacock flower-fence." On many islands of the Caribbean, the bright red seeds produced by this tree are known as "jumbie beads." The generic name Adenanthera comes from the Greek aden (a gland) and anthera (anther), referring to minute glands on the anthers. The slender, flattened pods become contorted and twisted as they split open at maturity, and each pod releases up to a dozen brilliant red, lens-shaped, extremely hard seeds. The hard, reddish wood of this tree is used for cabinet-making. It is often used in place of true sandalwood (Santalum album, Santalaceae), except it gradually becomes purplish-red due to light exposure. For this reason, in many areas of tropical Asia it is known as "red sandalwood." The trees are also used extensively as shade trees ("nurse trees") in coffee, clove and rubber plantations of Malaysia and Indonesia. According to the Flora of Ceylon (Volume 1) by M.D. Dassanayake, a red dye is obtained from the wood which is used by Brahmins to mark religious symbols on their foreheads."

NP Prakash sent us this bit of info. The question is whether the red sandalwood / raktha chandanam part is true... (Plerocarpus santalinus). Does anyone know?

The film is shot...

Plenty has happened since my last post on the blog and I am not too sure about where I should begin... like a line in my script i guess i can say that there were plenty stories as we made this film but finally like old roots they have all merged and meshed together and become one. The film is shot and we're weaving it together now in postproduction.

Lucky red seeds meant something to me before this journey began but I know that more people have gotten entangled in that magical web. Most importantly four children who stepped into our small raft and held on tight right through the whole ride. These were the stars of our film. Our dearest Vicky, Kannan, Roja & Manikutty. Their real names are Sidharth, Rijosh, Vyjayanthi and Aarti but they chose to forget that during our two months together.

We stepped into our main location Kunnathveedu to discover that there were no Manjadikuru trees there but that will no longer be true... as our Assistant Art Director Prasad pointed out- "in five years time, there will be Manjadikuru trees all over this 9 acre plot!". Reason being that we has a six year old heroine carry pocketfuls of them with her everyday to shoot. She'd return to us only to say that she wanted more because her pockets were now empty. She probably doesnt know the good that she has done, as those seeds grow their own roots.

homecoming to Vaikom

Sulini Nair writes in from Ernakulam, Kerala. Sulini is a designer, a dancer, a homemaker and a tv anchor besides other things she does. She writes about her vacation to Vaikom.

"Acceptance. Thats all what Vaikom was about. Tucked away between the Ithipuzha and Vembanad lake, little changes there. The drive from Cochin is breathtakingly beautiful. Green all around with the sun filtering through in green hue, green rays of light through the foliage! The old bridge across the Ithipuzha with luxuriant coconut palms lining the river on either side. The tiny patch of island right in the middle of the Murinjapuzha river with interlinked canals and canoes and people out on their coconut felling sprees. The tiny wayside shops with the smell of freshly fried fresh water fish. The drive has offered the same sights for so many years! The familiar feel of going home.... Country roads/ take me home/......


My earliest memories of this tiny town are about the school summer holidays when I would be packed off to my maternal grandparents’ place here. An old house surrounded by thick green vegetation, and paddy fields a little across, this became a fertile field for my imagination to run riot in my childhood days. Joined by two other cousins, we would find endless sources of inspiration and entertainment here. Since we girls were the majority, the other hapless little fellow would have to tag along and join us in our girlish games!


If it was a lucky day, ammumma would allow us to bathe in the pond where Shanta, the house help would be washing clothes. By the time we would finish, it would be mid morning and Shanta would have finished her laundry by then and hung up ammumma’s and appuppan’s mundus all white and starched crisp. During the holidays ammumma would have a nice little swing put up for us in the compound. The swing was always a centre point of most of our games. It would be the mango season then and raw green mangoes with a dash of salt and chillies and ripe golden yellow sweet ones always found eager takers in us. So too the juicy pink chambakkas on the huge towering tree right in front of the house. Ammumma would not be totally happy with us just frolicking around all the time. So she would get us Amar Chitra Katha books from the local library and reading had to be part of the holidays. So too, much hated sessions of Maths and English taught by the college student next door! Thus we all got hooked to reading. Later on when we were much older and would be found sitting absorbed in books in various parts of the house, she often had to reprimand us saying, “this is a home, not a reading room and library!” Appuppan was a quiet person who would very stoically put up with three noisy children (the rest of us were abroad then!) running around and upsetting most of the curios in the house. At 4, every evening, Krishnan the man friday would bring the cows back to their shed from the various parts of the compound where they would be grazing. I remember one particular cow ammumma called Rambha!!! It was always an awesome sight for us, watching Krishnan mix their feed in huge bowls with a huge ladle. We would stand and watch till the cows had their fill slowly, their tails gently driving flies away! After that we would help ourselves to ammumma’s cutlery and conduct our cooking experiments using the powdery white sand. Of course we weren’t disciplined enough to put them back and she would come scurrying at dusk and dig out spoons and plates and knives shooing us away for our evening baths.


Those days in Vaikom, late evenings were dimly lit due to the voltage problem and we had to finish all our reading before that! My imagination would be a source of endless agony for me with every little corner seeming awfully spooky. We would have to gather flowers then for the evening puja, which we would do most happily. Ammumma would then sit in the front verandah and string garlands using vazhanaaru and tell us stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. She would try to teach us how to string them as well, but the flowers would only clumsily fall from between our fingers!


Once after repeated requests from us, Krishnan built us a tiny thatched hut with two rooms in the compound so we wouldn’t have to trouble our imaginations to create our own ‘house’! We were terribly excited and after thoroughly cleaning up the place and arranging some of ammumma’s cutlery in there, we proudly invited them to ‘visit’ our ‘house’ the next morning. It was to be our ‘housewarming’ ceremony. We insisted that they come in their best clothes and most obligingly they did so. We had arranged a few toffees to give our ‘guests’ and we all walked in, in our best attire. Appuppan and ammumma very kindly made some polite noises and we beamed happily. Right then an army of red ants started charging at us from all sides sending all of us scurrying out of the house in great hurry. The housewarming and the house were happily abandoned then and there and Krishnan promptly demolished the house.


A very colourful and happy memory of Vaikom is the talappolis that we girls had to participate in. Local little temples would have these little festivals which would include talappolis, or women’s procession from one temple to another to the beat of instruments and chanting. Ammumma would have prayed that she would make us participate and we would go gaily dressed in traditional pattu pavadas carrying a lamp in broken coconut kept in a plate which would have sacred rice in it along with flowers. Women would chant, occasionally come to say hello, little children would scamper about enjoying the sights and sounds of it all. Temple visits were a very integral part of our holidays. The Vaikom temple with it ancient oily stone walls and the huge compound with banyan trees and an occasional elephant were major attractions. Visits at dusk were most peaceful and we sat in the compound enjoying the breeze carrying the fragrance of agarbattis, oil and sandal paste. So also the Udayanapuram temple close by which totally captured our imagination because of the presence of peacocks there, a rare sight in Kerala. Our visits were mainly to watch them with awe, rather than to pray, and go and brag about it later in school!


The simple sight of grandmothers with their silvery white hair, content faces with sandal paste on their wrinkled foreheads, dressed simply in fresh white mundus with the smell of the sun and wind in them, going about their chores silently – something we so easily took for granted those days – is such a rarity in today’s times. Contentment too has become such a rare quality! These days we have them removed from their natural environs in such tiny villages and moved to small apartment rooms, captive in our worlds.. I guess we are the last generation to have had the luxury of a childhood close to nature and a natural world. It was pure joy to get dirty playing in the mud, not have computer games and gizmos to keep one company!


Memories of Vaikom are about all these things… A noisy, bratty, naughty childhood in the best possible setting for such qualities to prosper! Grandparents who have always been epitomes of tolerance! Cousins who've spent all our summer vacations with me messing up in the sand and catching fish in tiny streams, 'running away' from home to the nearby paddy field when someone scolded only to be caught and beaten mercilessly with flimsy sticks of eerkali from coconut leaves! And about a strong sense of security that comes from belonging, being part of a large family.

So thats Vaikom. Acceptance with a big letter A."