Blogs from Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India, Asia

12 Feb 2008 My wife was persuading me for last 6 years to do the Manjinikkara Pilgrimage. Each time I found some reason and postponed it. This year finally we decided to do it. Every year thousands of devotees walk from Ernakulam, Kottayam, Kothamangalam to the Manjinikkara Dayra during the second week Feb to pray and celebrate at the anniversary of the Bhava( Ignathiyoos Elias 111- The Patriacah who visited Malankara in 1930's). Manjinikkara is situated in Omallor panchyath of Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. We wanted to join the pilgrimage procession at Peruva, Kottayam (where my wife's house is situated) and decided to walk almost 100 kms and reach the church. I tried to convince her we will walk from Puthuppally where my home is situated by saving 40 kms. But she was adamant of ... read more

Red eyes and white fangs are everywhere. Deft artists paint terrifying patterns on pieces of spathe spread all over the courtyard, car porch and living room. Santhosh Kaviyur led me through the kitchen door into the house to meet the host, Mohan, who quickly invited us to dinner with the artists. The family has had an offering to sponsor this year’s Padayani at the Kaviyur Sri Bhagavathi Temple. Mohan’s mother, wife and daughters are busy taking care of the guests. It’s already past 9 in the night and any time the performers will be here to take the masks and paraphernalia to the temple. While corporate houses vie with each other to sponsor Padayani in Kadammanitta and Othara, local families have always been the patrons of this folk art in Kaviyur. The rite’s sponsorship is already ... read more

Written by elly, an exvolunteer at viswadarsanam. Why was I first attracted to becoming a volunteer at Viswadarsanam? Was it because I had just broken up with a long-term partner? Was it because I believed there must be a life that wasn’t centred around the acquisition of material goods? Or was it that I wanted to try something different? The truth is that it was all of those and more. I had a deep longing for something more organic and spiritual to fill the void that had been increasing inside me for some time. But the reality exceeded all expectations. The centre is a lush green paradise in the centre of what seems to be thousands of acres of rubber plantation. Indeed, when Umesh Babu and his family first acquired the land, it too was planted ... read more