A Letter From Kala
Dear Seeker,
I am one of you.
When I seek, I strive to consider not only what it is that is sought (the tangible), but why it is sought (the feeling). When I recite shlokas during prayer, especially in group prayer, I gain a sense of wonder, belonging, and clarity. These happened in that very order in my life and continue to recycle throughout my journey. It has been a blessing to be able to share the values, lifestyle, and knowledge I have imbibed from my gurus, who happened to be loving people in my own family. Before I begin to tell you how my passion for shlokas and teaching began, I would like to thank you for being part of this Sri Kalaalyam family - a tight circle of caring people who have allowed me to impart the little I know, in an encouraging family setting, the same way it was seamlessly imparted to me.
When I think about how I came across this ocean of spiritual energy, I fondly recall growing up with Janaki Amma and Thathappa (my grandparents), two individuals who were among the best living examples of Sanathana Dharma (Hinduism as it is known today). They were the ones from whom I had the blessing of receiving love and knowledge in such close proximity. By modeling this spiritual lifestyle with sincerity, they created a nurturing environment in their home to foster the same.
Janaki Amma’s motherly love, bhajan reciting, and her immense repertoire of sangeetham and sthothras became obvious to me especially when she use to sing and recite divine verses even while doing household chores. The way she made it seem like a fundamental part of daily life showed me that music is a form of prayer before it is an art form. Kollu Paati (great-grandmother) use to make garlands while she told me captivating stories on various gods, which I tried to recall, recreate through storytelling vocally, and through my passion art form, Bharatanatyam. I look back and realize that preparing for pooja, storytelling, and natyam, are also other forms of bhakthi. “Anna” Athimber, a guru for our whole family, instilled within us a deep respect towards knowledge. He lived by example and showed us that knowledge is a tool to reach a higher energy with an emphasis on the specific role of guru bhakthi in that journey. He often talked about the importance of a lifestyle modeled by a guide, which serves as my daily reminder to live with gratitude for those who have and continue to guide me. All of these facets in my environment demonstrated a lifestyle of spirituality, a framework of values, unique perspectives, and an ocean of knowledge.
Since the age of 2, I looked up to Thathappa as a guide into the world of knowledge and a loving father. He cultivated a habit of reciting slokas before bedtime, a practice of gratitude for the day, and a fun exercise in memory and pronouncing challenging Sanskrit words. I enjoyed confidentiality reciting old shlokas and challenging myself to learn new ones, which naturally introduced me to the idea of both being a learner and observing the way shlokas were taught.
Several years later, I returned to Coimbatore for college, and lived with my mother and father who also demonstrated spirituality as a daily lifestyle. To this day, my parents continue to celebrate every religious occasion with unwavering divinity, authenticity, and sincerity, with the aim of passing these rituals down in accuracy to the next generation. Amma has a humbling amount of proficiency in several Sanskrit texts, as do her siblings. She has volumes of knowledge in carnatic music, and is an expert in Thevarams, a very beautiful and deep form of bhakthi sangeetham. Even today, she is a wealth of knowledge and inspiration to me. Along with Amma, Appa continues to perform daily poojas as a morning ritual, and has a keen love for religious discourse, a recent fascination of mine. Additionally, he is a traveler and explorer with immense proficiency on sthala puranas (history of temples). This has left me inspired to share a similar spark of curiosity to explore the history of temples and rituals with my kids in this family. Leaving that environment and moving to the USA made me realize the invaluable treasures I was leaving behind. Each day since, I have strived to preserve and recreate those simple childhood daily routines in an attempt to foster a similar environment here, to enable my kids, all my Kalaalayam kids, to experience spirituality as a daily practice in their lives.
Today, I start my day with gratitude to God, fondly recalling the many days Janaki Amma and Thathappa did the same. I begin with gratitude for the environment I grew up in. There, I was able to keenly observe and absorb spirituality, which left me with a feeling of wonder and excitement to lead a similar lifestyle. This seed of wonder has motivated me to retain the many facets of that environment and create with it a sense of belonging for myself, despite the physical space that resulted from moving away from my spiritual home in India. God willing, I was given the opportunity to share my sense of belonging with humble attempts to imbibe and cultivate spirituality through these powerful verses, shlokas, which form the origin of spirituality in myself. The ability to share my spiritual experience with you all, my Kalaalayam family, is something I look forward to every class, at every prayer, and in every interaction I have with all of you. I learn more as I prepare for classes, and I have found new ways to connect with my roots and my gurus’ purposes. Today, I start my day with gratitude to you all, for seeking me, and seeking with me, towards the goal of recreating an environment to explore spirituality.
This book is a celebration of the shlokas that were absorbed, retained, and shared over these 20 years; a tangible reminder of the very atmosphere of my upbring that formed the basis of what encourages me to keep slokas in my life to this day; a memory of our Kaalalayam family as one that strives to make spirituality a daily practice and will continue to do so; a reminder of the very wonder, belonging, and love that brought us together.
A reminder of me. A reminder of you.
Yours Affectionately,