30 April 2009

Jupiter - the good news!

The good news is that on today, Thursday, April 30th, Jupiter moves from his least positive sign (Capricorn) to Aquarius where his influence is greatly strengthened.

Jupiter is considered to be the most auspicious of the planets and is an indicator of fortune, wealth, fame, luck, devotion, faith, spirituality, charity, morality, meditation, mantra, children, magistrates, ministers, lawyers and leaders in government and religion. Jupiter represents sacred scripture, wisdom, benevolence and philosophy. His nature is Kapha, or watery, gemstone Yellow Sapphire or Yellow Topaz and metal Gold. Jupiter's direction is Northeast and day Thursday.




Worship of Brihaspati or Guru (Jupiter) Devata results in a cure from ailments affecting the stomach and helps one ward off sins and gain strength, valour and longevity. He is revered as protector of the worlds. Kind-hearted he is considered to be the dispenser of justice and can be known only by a study of the Vedas.

Since Jupiter is the planet of good luck, spirituality, dharma, and meditation - this is an opportune time to strengthen our connection to these important and valuable life qualities.


28 April 2009

Ayyankulam Tank Perimeter

This morning I attended a function at Arunagirinathar Temple, next to Ayyankulam Tank. As I frequently visit this Temple, while there I also take the opportunity to explore the area.








The perimeter of the huge Ayyankulam Tank, is filled with Temples, Shrines, houses, colonies and neglected curious compounds.


















As the view of Arunachala from the front of the Tank is obscured by development, I decided to walk around to the back of the Tank for Hill darshan.









In spite of rampant development the view of Arunachala with the Raja Gopuram of Arunachaleswarar Temple in the foreground is still spectacular and rather better than I anticipated.





As is usual at tanks, many local housewives line up to wash their clothes in the tank water.









Throughout there were fascinating passages and shrines, and traditionally built Indian cottages, which I took the opportunity to explore.













It would be fascinating to learn the history of these Shrine and Temples. Many of them are currently in the condition that the now famous shrines such as the Asta Lingams, Pavala Kundru, Kannapar Temple, Arunagirinathar Temple etc., were in as recently as 25 years ago before their renovation was taken up.









So maybe some of these deserted compounds, neglected Shrines and dilapidated Temples, will also be given a ‘new life’.




24 April 2009

Saints and Devotees


In connection with the last post about the Subramany Temple at Tiruvannamalai which I recently visited; though Arunachala is primarily regarded as a Shiva Sthalam, this place has also been the home of saints who were devotees of other Gods. One of the most famous of these saints is Arunagirinathar, a Murugan bhakta who lived at the foot of Arunachala in the fourteenth century.

"Arunagirinathar was born in Tiruvannamalai and spent the greater part of his life there. He was reputed to be the son of a courtesan called Muttammai. As he grew up he found the company of courtesans so attractive, he spent most of his time in their houses. When his mother died, all the properties he inherited from her were squandered to pay for his lust. Arunagirinathar had a sister, Adi, who was very fond of him. Taking advantage of her affection, Arunagirinathar persuaded her to part with her jewels and all her other possessions so that he could continue to indulge his appetite for the local courtesans.

He continued with this way of life for many years. As he became older, his body became diseased and the better class of courtesan began to jeer at him and avoided his company. The major turning point in his life occurred when he had spent all his sister’s money. Not knowing that she was destitute, he approached her again in the hope of getting another hand-out. His sister, who had nothing left except the clothes she was wearing, told him that her funds were exhausted. Since she still loved her brother, and since she still wanted to be of assistance to him she offered him her own body, saying, 'If your lust is so insatiable, you can use my body for your sexual satisfaction'.






These words deeply affected and shamed Arunagirinathar. He mentally reviewed the wasted years of his life and came to the conclusion that he had been committing crimes against God. As his sense of shame deepened, he decided to commit suicide by jumping off one of the gopurams in the Arunachaleswarar Temple. He climbed the tower, but before he was able to jump, Lord Murugan manifested before him and held him back. In some versions of the story, Arunagirinathar actually jumped and Murugan had to catch him before he died on the paving stones below.

Murugan embraced him. Then, with his vel, (the spear that he always carries) he wrote a mantra on Arunagirinathar’s tongue, gave him a japa mala and commanded him to sing songs in praise of him. Arunagirinathar was initially hesitant, claiming that he had no knowledge of Tamil prosody, but when Murugan encouraged him by giving him the first line of a song, Arunagirinathar found that he could effortlessly compose and sing the remainder. Murugan disappeared, leaving Arunagirinathar a totally transformed man. His diseases vanished and he became an ecstatic bhakta whose devotion manifested as a stream of new songs, all in praise of Murugan, his deliverer. He toured the town of Tiruvannamalai, composing and singing songs as he went.

Later on, he travelled throughout India, still singing his songs, and visited many of the country’s famous pilgrimage centres. Traditional accounts say that he composed more than 16,000 songs in praise of Murugan. Most of them have been lost, but more than 1,300 of the surviving ones have been collected together in a work called Tiruppugazh (The Glory of God), which has now become one of the classics of Tamil devotional literature." To read more click on this link.

23 April 2009

Chithra Pournami Camp


A Chithra Pournami Camp (residential camp) will be held for five days from 6th May 2009 to 11th May 2009 at the Suddhananda Foundation, Tiruvannamalai Ashram


During the Camp, there will be lectures by Swami Suddhananda on self knowledge and also classes on Sanskrit, yoga, and chanting







The Ashram itself is located near Adi Annamalai and is well maintained, peaceful and serves good sathwic (Indian) style food. However for those that like to frequent Ramana Ashram or Arunachaleswarar Temple during their stay, be aware that this ashram is located a distance of about 6 kms from both venues.


To find out more about the upcoming camp, please visit this link here.



The Story of Idumban

Yesterday I attended a function at the Subramanya Temple located on the Vellore Road, opposite the Collectorate. The Temple itself is only about 40 years old but the statue of Lord Muruga, ensconed in the Temple's shrine room is much more ancient and hails from the Siva Temple at Kadaladi.

In 2003 work was started on the enlargement of the Subramanya Temple -- which appears in the below photograph. The work was finished in 2006 and abhisekham was performed in 2007.

Even though Lord Muruga is a loved God in Tamil Nadu, there aren't many Muruga Temples in Tiruvannamalai -- so I enjoyed my visit and while there learnt more about this gentle God.













And heard the story about Idumban, who is represented in the below photographs.









The story of Idumban

Sage Agastya wanted to take two hills -- Sivagiri and Saktigiri -- to his abode in the South and commissioned his asuran disciple Idumban to carry them. Idumban was one of the very few asuran survivors of the suraasuran war between Murugan's forces and those of Surapadman. After surviving the war he had repented and became a devotee of Lord Murugan.

At this stage, Subrahmanya or Muruga had just been outwitted by His brother Ganesa in a contest for going around the world and He was still smarting over the matter. Ganapati had won the prized fruit (the Jnana-pazham) by simply going around His parents. Long after this, Subrahmanya came seated on His peacock to find that the prize had already been given away. In anger, He vowed to leave His home and family and came down to Tiru Avinankudi at the Adivaaram (meaning 'foot of the Sivagiri Hill'). Siva pacified Him by saying that Subrahmanya Himself was the fruit (pazham) of all wisdom and knowledge. Hence the place was called Pazham-nee ('You are the fruit') or Palani. Later He withdrew to the hill and settled there as a recluse in peace and solitude.

Idumban bore the hills slung across his shoulders in the form of a kavadi, one on each side. When he reached Palani and felt fatigued, he placed the kavadi down to take rest.

When Idumban resumed his journey, he found that he could not lift the hill. Muruga had made it impossible for Idumban to carry it. Upon the hilltop the great asuran spotted a little boy wearing only kaupeenam and demanded that he vacate at once so Idumban could proceed with his task. The boy, who was yet in a fighting mood, refused. In the fierce battle which ensued, Idumban was slain but was later restored to life.




Idumban belatedly recognised the boy as none other than his Ista Devata Murugan and prayed to Him that; whosoever carried on his shoulders the kavadi, signifying the two hills and visited the temple on a vow should be blessed; and he (i.e. Idumban) should be given the priviledge of standing sentinel at the entrance to the hill. Hence the Idumban Shrine is half-way up Palani Hill where pilgrims are expected to offer obeisance to Idumban before entering the temple of Dandayudhapani Swami. Now the general custom is for pilgrims to Palani to bring offerings on their shoulders in a kavadi. The custom has spread from Palani to all Muruga shrines.

Muruga, in His aspect as Lord Dandayudhapani, stands for tyaagam or renunciation. Eschewing all wordly possessions, the only apparel He has chosen to retain is a loincloth called kaupeenam.
[The Hill Temple of Muruga by Somalay]

To learn more about the 'Skanda Cult in Tamil Nadu,' check this link here.


14 April 2009

Kolam -- Space of Transformation



To read a fascinating study by Santhi Kavuri on Kolams in relation to ‘Visual Culture and Spaces of Transformation,’ please click on this link here to read her report "Domestic Threshold Drawings of South India: A Visual Trope of the Socialized Hindu Feminine."

Tamil New Year

Happy Tamil New Year to one and all. Today is Puthandu -- Tamil New Year, which is traditionally celebrated each year on April 13th or 14th (depending on the calendar) by people of Tamil Nadu, and Tamil people throughout the world.


On this day people greet each other, "Puthandu Vaz" -- which means Happy New Year. This auspicious day is also popular as Varusha Pirappuv. As per the Hindu mythical legend, it is on this day that Lord Brahma started to create the Universe.


By way of celebration the main focus is on food eaten on this day. 'Maanga Pachadi,' -- the pulse of the Festival, is a dish made of raw mangoes, jaggery and neem flowers which tastes; sweet, salty, sour and bitter. This symbolises the different conditions one has to face in one's life.


In Tamil Nadu people follow certain rituals to ensure well-being and prosperity of their families. The most popular tradition is to view 'Kanni', at dawn with a hope to bring good luck. Thus people start the day by looking at auspicious items such as gold, silver, jewellery, betel leaves, nut, fruits, vegetables, flowers, raw rice and coconuts.




Photograph of the real 'Kanni'
(taken at 7 a.m. today)



Following this ritual one takes a bath, puts on fresh clothes and visits Temples to pray for success in life. Traditionally after this, the Panchangam (almanac) is read. People exchange gifts with each other and children are highly excited at this time as they receive gifts and money from parents and relatives.


Many prepare for this Festival by painting their homes in order to symbolise the renewal of life. The house is also adorned with fresh mango leaves and kolam (chalk or painted floor designs). Sometimes a decorated lamp, 'Kuthuvillakku,' is placed in the centre of a colourful kolam to bring light to the home.





Wishing one and all a
HAPPY AUSPICIOUS NEW YEAR


View from Ayyankulam Tank

The below photograph is taken from the back of Ayyankulam Tank, and facing Temple in the foreground and Arunachala in the background. The photograph was taken in the late 40's.






The small mandapam in the foreground of this second photograph is in the same place as a similar structure which you can easily make out at the left side of the top photograph near the tree. The tower and facade of Arunagirinathar Temple are new and did not exist in the 40s.








The view of Arunachala from Ayyankulam Tank is restricted and you can get good darshan only from rooftops.






In the last photograph of this sequence, the wall is the side of Arunagirinathar Temple and as you can make out there is a warren of streets and houses between it; the Big Temple and Arunachala.



Not so scarey!

The below statue of Lord Narasimha is located at the Arunagirinathar Temple near the Ayyankulam Tank, Tiruvannamalai. Its a nice sequence of snaps that shows (perhaps to some) Lord Narasimha isn't so scarey after all! To read about the latest posting on Narasimha go to this link here.















9 April 2009

Arunachala Grace News, April 2009

The current issue of Arunachala Grace News, will be sent out tomorrow direct to subscribers email inbox. If you wish to receive this bi-monthly Newsletter please fill out the subscribe facility at the left column of this page.


This month's Newsletter has narratives about; Mahashivaratri, the Athi Rudra Maha Yajnam recently performed at Ramana Ashram, the visit of Joyce Meyers (a licensed psychotherapist from the U.S.) to Tiruvannamalai, news of the Shanthimalai Trust education sponsorship programme, a news round up under 'Arunachala Tidbits', stories and anecdotes, and Sri Ramana's answer to the question, 'Is everything ordained?' As well as the above, the featured bird in this current Newsletter is the migratory Grey Heron, and the herb, the indispensable Coriander (Cilantro -- as is more commonly known in the Americas).


In addition to the above there is also information about a large agricultural parcel of land for sale a short distance south of Arunachala.

Lord Narasimha

In a previous posting I talked about the ashram of Radha Ma and of the Narasimha Temple located in its grounds. As the posting attracted such a heated discussion, I asked Mayura Natha Swamy to write a short narrative about Lord Narasimha explaining the relevance of this great God in our lives.


Mayura Natha Swamy is a sannyasin who lives at the ashram of Radhama here in Tiruvannamalai. Previously he was a Chartered Public Accountant (CPA) in the U.S. Mayura Natha Swamy left work to begin his spiritual search. On a visit to India, Radhama (who was to become his guru), grabbed him from, 'the ocean of misery' in which he was drowning and he has remained here and not returned to the U.S.



“Narasimha was the fourth incarnation of Vishnu, an incarnation in some ways quite distinct from the other incarnations. Usually Vishnu incarnates for all of mankind to set right some dharmic imbalance, when righteousness is on the decline and ignorance and violence have taken over. In the case of Narasimha the main reason for his manifestation, was out of love for the sweet child devotee Prahlad. That God came for one sincere devotee is the unique aspect of Narasimha’s incarnation.


Narasimha’s story is told in the Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Vishnu Purana, Padma Purana, and the Narasimha Upapurana. Once the four great sages, Sanandana and his brothers, went to Vishnu’s abode in Vaikuntha to pay their respect to him. The four were the first sons of Brahma, who had created them so they could be the progenitors of all mankind, but the boys refused and sat only in meditation, because of which they remained ever young and like young boys.


Due to their youthful appearance the gatekeepers of Vaikuntha – Jaya and Vijaya, did not recognize them and refused to let them in. The sages cursed them that they should lose their place in heaven forever and be sent to earth. The gatekeepers were so upset they ran to Vishnu and asked him to remove the curse. Vishnu said he could not do that, but he would give them a choice, they could be reborn one hundred times as good devotees of his, or they could be reborn three times as asuras who hated him and he would descend to earth personally to destroy them.


The gatekeepers immediately chose the latter option because they would return more quickly, with the added bonus of being killed by God himself, which would ensure liberation. Their first births were as Hiranyaaksha and Hiranyakasipu, whom Narasimha killed, in the next birth they were Ravana and Kumbhakarna, whom Rama killed, and the last birth they were born as Sisupaala and Dantavaktra, whom Krishna killed.


Hiranyaaksha and Hiranyakasipu were born as powerful asuras. At one point Hiranyaaksha took Mother Earth herself and pulled her down under the ocean. To free Mother Earth Vishnu took the form of a boar, Varaha, his third incarnation, and killed the demon, finally holding Mother Earth above water on his tusks. From then on Hiranyakasipu nursed a great hatred for Vishnu, because he had slain his brother. In order to obtain great siddhis he performed severe austerities and meditated for 25,000 years. The earth and heavens were being scorched by his penance and Brahma came to see Hiranyakasipu and told him to ask for whatever boon he wanted.


Hiranyakasipu asked that he should not be killed by any of God's created beings, nor be killed in the air or on the ground, nor slain at night or day, by man or beast or by any weapons. His boon was granted, and from that day Hiranyakasipu set out to put heaven and earth under his dominion. He threw out the Gods from heaven and sat on Indra’s throne. On earth he ordered that people doing spiritual practices should be killed and established that all negative acts be rewarded and all good acts be punished. However, to this great embodiment of asuric qualities was born a son named Prahlad. From his very birth Prahlad was a great devotee of God, he would sit as if dumb, with his eyes half closed while tears streamed down his face while thinking of God.


Hiranyakasipu thought that he should be sent to the gurus of the asuric race to learn the good demon ways. But, every time that Prahlad came back and was asked by his father what he had learned he would say things like, “I learned that all beings who suffer under the false ego of “I” and “mine” should go to the woods and meditate on Vishnu, the Supreme”. Hiranyakasipu was furious and scolded his son saying, “how can you say that Vishnu is supreme, I am the greatest, I am the most powerful. All the three worlds are under my control”. Hiranyakasipu sent Prahlad back several times to learn the proper ways of the asuras, but it never worked.






Finally, enraged, Hiranyakasipu ordered his guards to kill his own son. They tried to kill him in many ways, by fire, by poisoning, by drowning, by weapons, but every time he came out unscathed. Hiranyakasipu then confronted his son himself. He drew his sword and was coming to cut his son’s head off while saying “Why do you say your God is all powerful and everywhere? If he is everywhere, is he in this pillar”? As he said this he struck a stone pillar.


At that moment a huge sound split the air and out of the pillar emerged Narasimha, with the body of a man and the head of a lion. Narasimha, in a furious, unstoppable rage grabbed Hiranyakasipu, pulled him to his lap, tore open Hiranyakasipu’s body with his claws and garlanded his own neck with the asura’s intestines. It was all over in a few seconds. Narasimha, who was neither man nor beast, killed Hiranyakasipu on his lap, which was neither on the ground nor in the air. He came out of an inanimate pillar and the time was during twilight, neither night nor day, and he killed him with his claws, not a weapon. Thus, the demon’s boon was circumvented.


Everybody was scared, no one dared approach Narasimha, so fierce was his form. But his great devotee prostrated at Narasimha’s feet. The Lord lovingly picked up Prahlad and at Narasimha’s touch Prahlad had all sense of remaining egotism erased and attained self-knowledge. Narasimha then installed Prahlad as king and returned to Vaikuntha. His appearance on earth very short, but intense.


So who is Hiranyakasipu? He is only the ignorant ego. The ego that thinks it can do anything it wants, it thinks it is all powerful, it thinks that it is God, or even greater than God. Surely we are all God, but the ego is not. The ego tries to take that for itself. The ego even goes to the extent of trying to crush that which is good and pure, Prahlad symbolises love, devotion, surrender and all good qualities. The part of us that knows the highest truth and wants to serve that and become that.


But how does that small part of us grow? We are constantly being harassed by the demon ego, Hiranyakasipu. Moved by compassion, God himself comes and destroys that thing that has caused us so many problems – the ego!


The word asura is usually translated into English as demon. However in Sanskrit “sura” means intelligent or learned, “a” means not. So, asura means ignorant. In fact, many of the asuras were very accomplished. Ravana was a master of the veena, and Hiranyakasipu was capable of intense meditation. Also the brothers were the gatekeepers of Vishnu in Vaikuntha, and they voluntarily chose to be enemies of Vishnu so they would return in three births instead of one hundred. These are not qualities usually associated with demons as we think of them in the West.


Some people’s reaction to Narasimha is that he is violent and terrifying, but if you see him as your protector, as a destroyer of hostile forces trying to harm you, how could you feel that way? If you identify yourself as Hiranyakasipu, then you will feel fear. However, if you identify with Prahlad you will only feel God’s compassion everywhere and in everything. Narasimha’s action was really a burst of compassion, not of violence. Only our ego becomes frightened of Narasimha but for the part of us that is love, that loves God, a great attraction is felt and gratitude is felt for his strength and protection.”

6 April 2009

Lamp at Pachaiamman Koil

On a recent visit to Pachaiamman Koil Temple saw this fascinating oil-lamp of which I am posting several photographs below.













Pathala Lingam Photographs

I have made previous posting referring to the famous Pathala Lingam at Arunachaleswarar Temple, the most recent of which can be found at this link here.


On a recent visit to Arunachaleswarar Temple with friends who were visiting Tiruvannamalai for the first time, took the below photographs of the Pathala Lingam itself.


The below is of the Pathala Lingam in the 1940s before its renovation. Its condition is similar to how it would have been during the time Sri Maharshi performed his tapas at the Lingam.








"The background of Sri Pathala lingam is connected to a mutt that belonged to the Thondaimandala Vellalas where the thousand pillared hall stands. The head of the mutt, Azhiavradam Poonda Tambiran lived here, worshipping the Sivalinga and spreading Saiva philosophy. The Sivalinga he worshipped was the samadhi of a jnani. When Krishna Deva Raya of Vijayanaar wished to build the thousand pillared hall in the Temple, he purchased the mutt from the Vellalas and gave them lands to build another mutt. Inscriptions inside this hall describe this event. Not wishing to disturb the lingam, the construction workers raised the floor around it. The lingam then came to be at a lower level and was henceforth called Pathala Lingam. This shrine become the meditation place of Sri Ramana Maharsi soon after he came to Tiruvannamalai in 1896."

[Extract from “Arunachalam” by Shivani]






In the next photograph the Pathala Lingam is in the foreground and the background corner is where Ramana Maharshi sat in meditation.






“Eventually he moved into an underground cell in the courtyard of the first prakaram of the Thousand Pillared Mandapam of the Arunachaleswara Temple. The dark, sheltered spot was known as Pathala Lingam and it was here that became his place of meditation. Sitting in that dark, damp cell for hours at a stretch completely lost in samadhi, his body developed sores and worms crawled out of his raw flesh. Local urchins began to pelt him with stones. The intensity of the Swami’s tapasya started to receive attention and it was at this time that Sri Seshadri Swamigal entered Venkataraman’s life.” To read this short biography of Sri Ramana Maharshi click here.

1 April 2009

Kali Yuga

Poll elections for upcoming elections for the Tiruvannamalai Lok Sabha will be focussed on issues such as proposed mining activities around the Tiruvannamalai Hills and the launching of industrial units in such places as Chengam. To find out more about the iron ore controversy currently underway in Tiruvannamalai refer to this earlier posting.


Whether or not this mining enterprise actually materialises, the fact that discussions are already well advanced about the possibility of iron ore mining around the sacred Tiruvannamalai Hills, is indicative of the immense greed of our society in this Kali Yuga. To illustrate the significance of this time, I include below an illustrative story about this period in which ‘people will stoop to any depths to get wealth.’


Kali Yuga

“Satya Yuga and Treta Yuga had ended and it was the Dwarapa Yuga. Only one month remained for Dwarapa Yuga to end and after that would begin the age of the Kali Yuga. Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, Lord Mahesh and Dharma Raj went to Kali and said, “Your age, the Kali Yuga will begin after one month. How will this new age be? What will be your influence on it? “I will tell you now that during my time wealth will reign supreme. There will be treachery and fraud. People will stoop to any depths to get wealth.”


Before Kali could say anymore, the Gods witnessed the following scene: A merchant was holding a large copper vessel filled with treasure. He said to the Brahmin, “After I bought your house, I found this vessel filled with treasure. I think your forefathers must have buried it in the house. Therefore, it belongs to you.” The Brahmin said, “This treasure is not mine. As, I sold the house to you, along with the earth below it and the sky above it. Therefore, whatever you get from it, belongs to you alone.” “No,” said the Merchant, “It belongs to you.” “Of course not,” argued the Brahman, “It belongs to you only.” Soon the argument turned into a quarrel between the Merchant and the Brahmin.


At last they decided to give the treasure away to the Village Head. But even the Village Head refused to accept the treasure. So they went to the King, and said, “Your Highness, this treasure does not belong to anyone. So please deposit it in the State Treasury.” But even the King refused to deposit it in the State Treasury. After a long debate, it was decided to keep the treasure with a money lender for a month.





Everybody there present said, “We will think about this after a month.” And in their presence the money lender buried the treasure deep in the ground. One month passed and the Kali Yuga had begun. And with the beginning of the Kali Yuga, the merchant thought, “I found the treasure in my house, so it belongs to me.” Meanwhile the Brahmin thought, “The treasure was buried by my forefathers so it belongs to me.”


The Village Head thought, “Neither the Merchant nor the Brahmin wanted the treasure so it belongs to the Village. We can use the money to have a lavish feast for the village. And by hosting the feast I can make some money.” The King thought, “The people have no right over any treasure. Whatsoever is found under the ground belongs to the King.”


And so with the beginning of Kali Yuga, everybodies way of thinking changed. Their intentions were no longer noble. They became selfish, greedy and dishonest. As decided earlier, the work of digging up the treasure began in the presence of all who had taken part in the debate about the treasure. When the vessel containing the treasure was pulled out and opened, everybody was shocked and surprised as the casket was only full of charcoal. Kali said to the Gods, “Did you see that? The money lender cheated everyone. Did you see my influence?


. . . During the Kali Yuga, all go on pilgrimages, meditate, perform penances and fast to show they are virtuous . . . But very few speak the truth.”

[Adapted from Vikramaditya stories]

31 March 2009

Whoops!

After visiting Sudama House in Ramana Nagar I headed into town towards Subham Printers as I had been told that they had a high quality scanner suitable for large documents. Well, it wasn't true but while there had a fascinating time popping into all their rooms checking out their various printing activities. And they really do print the best wedding invitations.





In the next photograph I am standing on the balcony in front of Subham's looking at all the new buildings that have appeared in the skyline.






And then I look to my left . . .







Whoops!