A special time of the year, every year since childhood, has been Varalakshmi Pooja. As a devout kid, I would take special interest in decorating the “pandal” or the place where the idol would be placed, ensure that there is enough lighting and flowers to cushion the idol once placed and in general ensure that the festivities would go smoothly and suspiciously. Of course, all this to the extent that a kid can do.

The idol in the picture is our generational Varalakshmi Amman, passed down over the generations for over 7 decades. I have been involved in a good 4 of those since my time in Bombay where we would invert a 4 legged step stool, decorate the interior, and place Her Highness in the center. Each of the four legs of the stool would be decked with twinkling Diwali lights and banana leaves, bought for the occasion. The “mukha” or face would be strung to the ensemble of a coconut placed on top of a “sombu” or jug filled with rice, coins and valuables. Flowers would be showered on her before, during, and after the pooja.

The pooja would welcome the goddess, place her in her seat to grace the home and all of us pray to her. We would all ask for some “vara” or wish. Some of us had a long list and would extend our Namaskarams commensurate to the length of our list. I always remember struggling to come up with what to ask, whereas my cousins would try to ask for another list of asks, in good humor of course. But the first instinct would be, for me, to thank her and often tell her, I don’t even know what to ask. My most common wish over the years…

Let me be in that state where I think I have everything I need for as long as I can. Give my wishes to anyone else who needs it as you have fulfilled my wishes even before they came to be wished.

I would try and recite or at least follow the slokas playing on a Grundig large radius disk, then a small tape recorder, then double or 6 cassette players, then on to CD, MP3, iPod to streaming devices and now phones or tablets. Each year, the knowledge of slokas and the breadth of coverage expands. Each year, we invite different set of guests to come, get the charadu tied, give the betel leaves and exchange pleasantries.

This is a pooja that only some families have as a tradition and unlike Golu, it has not become a fashion fad that people take and leave. Staunch devotees are blessed by the Goddess and it is always a time of good vibes, an occasion to thank our stars and head into another year.

At the end of the 2-day festivities, the Goddess is taken to another room for her to rest and start another cycle in the circle of life. This was also a very memorable time, especially in my childhood days where we needed to allocate a good portion of our 160 sq ft home in Bombay for the goddess to rest. No one was supposed to go there once the lights were off, the door (if available) was closed. That was the time for the goddess to rest.

Compared to the preparations and the aftermath of the pooja, the actual pooja itself would seem very short as the time would fly in the presence and grace of the goddess in her full splendor. This was another such year, to enjoy the festivities with family and friends in the presence of her almighty. To teach some of the traditions to them, with the hope that they will carry this forth or that the goddess would shower them with the wisdom to carry this past the 10th decade or beyond.