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i n s i g h t

 Today, communities and peoples all over the world are re-evalua ow we lve. A a lobal ommuy, we are eek moreuaable way of lfe, eek oluo o e myrad problem a

our moder way ave aued e e idural Revoluo—lobal warm-, poluo of our ar ad waerway, orezao of our lad, deforea-o, ad e oal ll of rme, povery, abue ad broke ome. Peopleare evalua old, radoal yem o lear or relear ow we o alo e old day, wou o may oveee, we lfe wa mpler, leompeeve, le reful ad fra. i aper, we br you a ol-leo of pa by s. Rajam, a fed ar ad mua bor a souida vllae e old day of 1918, a dep e daly rual ommolyperformed by hdu wve ad omemaker all over ida, dur mead for eure before. te ame rual a ll be foud oday vllae

ad urba eer. te ee 14 pee follow e equee of a day,from mor o duk.

te, a ow, e wfe ad moer arre a momeu repobly—ereao of a able ome ad e ra of a fully fuo famly. herrole, apar from e ompeve, breadwer world of me, every b aeeal a er ubad’. Rly performed, ea par of er daly rual doe w a mdfule baed o kowlede of e work of uble eer-e, ad of uee ael be—e uarda devas of famly member—ad e ad ey ve. For example: e ome’ doorway ad wdow areee a poral rou w eer elpful or aao be a eer.so daly deora of eryway erea uarda devas o allow ae olyo oe wo wll ree ad uppor e famly. smlarly, e kow ewomaly eery e embue o a meal dur preparao a reaee eal of all wo parake of , or, f eave, orbue o lle addre. se alo uderad a lo ad oer poeo repod oare or ele ju a people do, ad a leale ad love br fora reed prual vbrao. All er effor erve o make e ome a olyplae. ideed, ea of e due deped Rajam’ ar a eoer admyal ape o be dovered ad developed by e uve woma.

to urba wve ad oe lv abroad, ome of e ak may eem r-releva ad e meod oudaed, eve demea. Rajam ope moderhdu dvdual wll dover ow ea duy relae o e urre oue-old evrome. t woma’ ru ool may be replaed w eleruel ad food proeor. Eve e moder refreraor door a be ra-formed o a plae of ble by daly po a frely k-jeed kolam

de upo . W appled uo ad euy, mlar moderzaoof ea of ee prple wll move em meafully o e fuure. Adome of e mply may be revved our effor o d uaable wayo urvve o o e fuure.

326 what is hinduism?

A Ar’ Porrayal of e hduWfe’ tradoal Dome Due

c h A P t E R 4 0

c h a p t e r 4 0 : h o n o r i n g t h e a r t s o f h o m

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StorytellingBeore going to bed, children are edlight oods out in the open air. When themoonlight is seen, mother tells stories to

inspire the child to linger and eat more.

H

onoring  The Arts of Homemaking

Family lie, however ull, remains empty i 

the wie lacks the loty culture o the home.

Tirukural, verse 52

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Preparing RiceEach day a small quantity o rice paddy is taken rom the reservoir and

pounded to separate the husk to provide grain or the day’s meals.Pure and religious thoughts are pounded into the paddy as well.

Caring for ClothingSome women bathe in the temple tank. Beore the bath,

they wash their saris and other garments and spreadthem on the steps, later to nd them ully dried in the

hot Indian sun upon returning rom their bath.

BathingThe women bathe in the river at hiddenplaces specially reserved or them. They applyresh turmeric root to the skin as a toner,

skin color enhancer and anti-bacterial. EarlyEuropean visitors were so impressed with

the daily bathing ritual o Indian womenthat upon returning home they slowlyconvinced the rest o Europe o the merits o 

bathing more than once a week or month.

Sanctifying the DoorwayHere, the home’s entryway is adorned withturmeric paste and red kumkuma powder.

The daily morning decoration is a blessingintended to beseech guardian devas to

allow entry only to beings, both physical and

subtle, who will benet the amily and homeenvironment, rather than causing discord.Collecting Water

In the morning, women meet at the well to gather

water or the day and to clean cooking utensils.

Temple WorshipBeore the noon meal, wives visit the templean oering basket o coconut, ghee or the t

lamps, betel leaves, ower garlands and rui

Decorating the EntryAs the day begins, kolams are painted at the home entrance. First,

water is mixed with cow dung and sprinkled on the ground. Thengeometric designs are applied with powdered rice in many colors,guided by a trained thumb and index nger.

328 what is hinduism? c h ap te r 4 0 : h on or i n g t he a r t s o f h o m

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Grooming(Let) In the evening the wiedons casual or ormal dress,combs and braids the hair,

marks the orehead with kum-

kuma and applies jewelry.

Care of Children(Right) During the Dipavali

estival a healthul ayurvedic

oil bath is given to all. Childrenare attended to rst, in the hour

beore sunrise. Oil is applied toskin and hair, then rinsed o.

Caring for the Home ShrineEvening is time or cleaning the home’s oil lamps, adding

or oil and lighting them in the shrines. The woman prostreceive blessings rom the Deities and devas who guidelie o dharma. Devotional songs are sung as the day win

Making GarlandsShe collects ragrant owers

and with det ngers as-

sembles them on ne stringaccording to color. Garlands

are used in the shrines and todecorate the pictures o theGods throughout the home.

Preparing MealsIn this scene, vegetables are washed and cut with the aid o a knie-like blade

afxed to a wooden platorm. The platorm includes a seat or the woman,which makes or eortless cutting and minimal atigue—the original

“Cuisinart.” (Right) Once yesterday’s milk cures and becomes curd, it isstirred into butter and boiled into ghee. The woman vigorously churns therothing liquid in big pots with a ladle o wood turned with a cord.

330 what is hinduism? c ha p t e r 4 0 : ho n or i ng t he a r t s of h om

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