Shravan

Today is the first friday in the month of Shravan- shravani shukrawar ... ma would do the pooja of the jivati print in the morning ... a simple one actually not ani rituals just haldi kumkum agarbatti arati and the cotton vastra of five bobbles .. a simple naivadya of  sweet milk and chana and half a banana for me and my brother  ... haldi kumkum in the evening would mean a couple of next door aunties dropping in  formally for the haldi kunku.. but mostly it would be the maid who was offered the haldi kunku and a cup of sweetened milk and a handful of chanas and a banana

The Month of Shravan brings such lovely memories...of laughter and happiness and so many celebrations .. of new green bangles and mendi and manglagaur pujas and puran and bhajjias...the smell of parijat in the early mornings when my maternal grandfather did his pooja and his ritual chantings... the gulbakshi venis made by the older girls ..the madhumalti flowers braided to form a delicate veni... my favourite ..some newly married tai or vahinis manglagaur puja ..where i would go to "help" ..collect the patri and flowers  from all the neighbours gardens.
the haldi kunku in the evening an excuse for all the women in the wada where my ajji stayed to dress up and go visiting
a month full of so many celebrations and vrats and visits to various temples with my aajji .. :)
I remember going to the Narsobache deool next doors in the afternoon for some kirtan and later maybe running around in the temple premises tiptoeing and strtching to reach the angara pot tied slightly higher on the first pillar

visiting the shiva temple on the mondays with my mom in the Shahu udyan nearby or maybe the other one near Kem hosp.. the cool interiors the drip drip of the ganga from the abhishek patra  overhead the soft lamp light the smell of kapur and flowers and agarbattis..

mom reading the kahani book in the afternoons ... me insisting she read me my favourite story of the lady who fed her jewellery ...and of course the nagpanchami story :)

for the friday reading links to the story below:) thank you marathi mati.com
http://www.marathimati.com/Maharashtra/Culture/Kahani-sukravarachi.asp
http://www.marathimati.com/Maharashtra/Culture/Kahani-sukravarachi.asp