Deepawali Festival

Peace be upon everyone and blessings be to everyone

Just after 'Asr prayer service. Before I go out for some evening sight seeing, this one is about Deepawali celebration. I don't know when is the festival since I didn't watch TV for long and I didn't bother to check local newspaper. 

Basically our Indian communities are from Southern India and most of them are of Tamil descents. They celebrate few celebrations I guess related to their religion and customs too such as Deepawali or Deewali in Northern India. It is a celebration of light. We learned about this too in Local Research subject for primary school children. I don't know how to translate it into English. I don't know whether the subject is still in existence, haha.

 

This video is actually a Petronas advertisement aired in Malaysian TV many many years ago. It was directed by the late Yasmin Ahmad. She had also produced several movies and I had learned that she is quite famous in Australia. Well, her movies are not of my type but I still watch some of her advertisements. First time I watched this advert I burst out of laugh. Looking at how Asians trying to imitate American Blacks. I think those guys in the video are cool too.

The scene which is interesting could be seen at the part where the diggie-dee guy saw a paati (grandma) with white sharee at the night market. She called him and his real name is not diggie-dee something but Muniandy Chinnatorai. The kukutalee (friend) had also used a nickname which is Sam. 

This is some transcription from conversation, quite nice to learn about other compatriots, haha... Paati asked kukutalee...

Paati : Pyere na aiya? 

What's your name?

Sam : Sam... Sam... 

Paati : Ennama shaam shaam enggerengge, nalla pyere yelle?

What is that Sam Saam? You've no proper name?

Sam :  Muthusammy...

Paati : Huhhhhh???!

Sam : Muthusammy Karuppia paati pyere.

Muthusamy Karuppiah, grandma that's my name.

Paati : Muthusammy Karuppiye naala shyaami pyere..

Muthusamy Karupia what a divine name.

After that, the grandma gave them murungakai (marukku) which is Tamil's spicy traditional biscuit. Those girls are just laughing to those wannabe guys. In the end, the advert says, "the world is changing but we will always be proud of what we are." So, why must we follow other people's value when we have our own ones here? Whether we are forced to follow others' values or we choose to. 

Just because we see others' values for example hedonism, materialism, americanism, secularism, narcissism and etc look like popular or mainstream ones, does not mean that ours are totally out of date or we should also think like others : ) I also have friend who listens to Metal music and I learned about it from him. I also listened to some musics and watching movies but they do not really make me attached to them. I love my Quran more and I feel at peace with it compared to listening to other things. Being an Orthodox Muslim does not mean that we are smashing everything, I believe in gradual changes because nothing could change only in a day : )

Wish Hindu friends and teachers happy celebrating Deepawali Naal Valtugal... Take care of your health, safety, and drive safe if you want to visit relatives or friends.

Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace, and love, amin!

Serawak Easter 2010

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

These were taken in 2010 few months before I become a post-graduate student. I went for Serawak, the Land of Hornbill and coincidentally it was Easter celebration. In conjunction to this event, I went to Saint Thomas Anglican Cathedral in Kuching to listen the Easter sermon but could not be there for long as the time coincides with Maghrib prayer service. 

The next day would be their procession day for their religious figure which is Jesus Christ. Didn't join the procession but I went to museums and looking for colonial buildings around. I'm not familiar with Anglicanism but I guess they have their sacraments almost the same to Old Catholics. I know few points on Orthodoxy where I had asked some friends from Middle East seminaries to send me files about their theology, most of them are in Arabic. The sermon in the cathedral was conducted in English so I can understand what people were talking about. However, I couldn't snap pics while they were conducting rituals in the prayer hall to respect them. I just went out to Kampung Surabaya across the Kuching Waterfront for Maghrib prayer service.

 Entrance

 Few minutes before Easter service, climbed the stairs. It's quite hilly

Have to hastily go out for Maghrib prayer service

I can't find public prayer rooms in the town there except for Indian Mosque at the end of the town which takes quite a time to walk and my prayer time will be injured. The easiest way to find mosque is to take boats at waterfront to another side where there are several Malay villages. Kuching Waterfront area is weird... Trying to retrieve more pics in Serawak as to make sure they could be preserved in printed form before I delete everything.

Sealed with prayers for peace, mercy, and love, amin!

News from Friend: Tibetan Summer Retreat in Bhutan

Assalaamu'alaikum wa rahmatullah!

Just saw some pics by a friend, Sherab Palsang who lives in Arunachal Pradesh in Indian eastern region. He is a Tibetan monk in exile which I had known since many years ago. He had many times invited me to visit him at his monastery but I have to finish this studies and lack of mobility. 

He went for Singapore when I was in the first semester doing this post-grad degree but I was occupied so I can't see him. Maybe when I get proper job and stable that I would plan a visit to India and visiting him beside traveling to other parts in India. I hope he at least could come to Penang or Thailand and I would be glad to meet him, having cup of drinks. I had lost his monastery address. I have got some English books to be donated to the monastery library for educational purpose. Some had been donated to mosques and random libraries. People need education to be civilized.

These pics are about summer retreat during Shrawant to Bhadrapad months in conjunction to events in August and September. Thai Theravada Buddhism called it as Warn Khao Pharnsa (Varsha) which begins around the mid of July and ends in the mid of September. Monks would retreat and fasting in their monasteries rather than traveling around. It is to avoid harming little creatures and crops if monks traveling around during the period. Let us see how Vajrayana-Tantra Buddhists performing their varsha or rainy season ceremonies. This is also my first time seeing Tibetan style ceremonies.

 Sakya Rinpoche which is the monastery head in India arrived in Mon Thawing, Bhutan.

 Confession ceremony where monks would confess their errors and ordination ceremony 

Trairattana ceremony

Pattimokka (monastic rules) recitation in the hall in front of Wairocana statue

Laymen devotees at monastery compound

Sadhana mudra ritual where devotees would go around the mandala

Feast where they distribute barley porridge at the monastery head quarter

Sherab graduation day, guess this is more than six or seven years ago since the pic looks old. I think Sherab is at the middle. They look almost the same, hehe. I am proud of you, friend. It's not easy to be ordained

Special thanks to our friend, Sherab Palsang for pics sharing. Sharing is caring. I would visit you and your monastery if condition permits me, someday... You live in such a nice place with fresh air. It is a good place to study :)

Sealed with prayers for peace, mercy, and love, amin!