Veranda Tales-Traveling musician’s children

Storytelling has been an integral part of my life since childhood. I grew up listening to stories during the hot summer evenings and nights with my cousins. Mothers and grandmothers would gather all of us children for story time. It was usually pitch dark except for a very faint light coming from the flickering candle. Power cuts were as frequent as the hot and humid summer days. We all spread out on a cool concrete floor or bamboo mats on the veranda intently listening to fascinating stories about kings, queens, princes, princesses, and peasants alike. Stories about love, life, families, and people entertained and taught us life skills. These stories transported us to distant worlds, strange yet familiar. Often the same story told by two people sounded different as storytellers added new twists and turns adding their personal style and flair to the stories.

Storytelling wasn’t limited to summer evenings and bedtime. I was surrounded by adults who didn’t pass up an opportunity to share their wisdom using the art of storytelling. These rich vibrant oral traditions include songs, poems, stories, and సామెతలు (Sametalu are proverbs in Telugu). Men and women sing songs as they work in the fields, grinding grains and spices and doing other daily chores at their homes. Stories are often used to teach important life lessons, interpersonal skills, and survival skills. These stories and the time spent listening to them made our lives richer leaving an impression on me. This series is all about reliving those memories as I share these stories.

నారద సంతానం  (Narada Santhanam)

ఉగాది (Ugadi) is my favorite festival and celebration. It is the Telugu New Year celebration that marks the first day of the first Telugu month, Chaitra. ఉగాది (Ugadi) has been celebrated since Gautamiputra Saatakarni defeated Nahapana of Ujjain in the year 78 CE. Nahapana was an influential ruler of the Western Kshatrapas, a descendant of the Indo-Scythians, in northwestern India, who was believed to have ruled during the 1st or 2nd century CE. Based on the information found on his coins, he was the son of Bhumaka.

The day of Gautamiputra Saatakarni victory over Nahapana of Ujjain was commemorated as “Yug Aadi”, which means “Beginning of New Era”. Ever since, people in the region these states occupy followed the Saatavaahana calendar. In the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana, this festival is called ఉగాది (Ugadi). In the state of Maharashtra it is called Gudi padwa. The Telugu people celebrating ఉగాది (Ugadi) are continuing the tradition that originated close to 2000 years ago by an ancient king and his people back in 78 CE.

The Telugu calendar is a lunisolar calendar which combines monthly lunar cycles with the solar year. The calendar has twelve months. Each month is 29 or 30 days long. The lunar year is 354 days long. An additional month called అధిక మాసం (Adhika masam) which means an extra month is added occasionally to align it back to the 365 day Solar year. The additional month gets added in any lunar month to keep the festivals aligned with the Solar year. Because of this alignment, ఉగాది (Ugadi), continues to be celebrated in the month of చైత్రం (Chaitram, March-April), విజయదశమి (Vijayadasami or Dassahra) in the month of ఆశ్వయుజం (Ashwayujam, September-October), and దీపావళి (Deepavali, The Festival of Lights) in the month of కార్తీకం (Kartikam, October-November) every year. The Telugu calendar reflects the cultural and agricultural traditions of the Telugu people. Combining the lunar and solar cycles allows the people to maintain close connection to natural cycles of the Moon and the Sun.

The twelve Telugu months are చైత్రం (Chaitram, March-April), వైశాఖం (Vaisakham, April-May), జ్యేష్ఠం (Jyeshtam, May-June), ఆషాఢం (Aashaadham, June-July), శ్రావణం (Sraavanam, July-August), భాద్రపదం {Bhaadhrapadam, August-September), ఆశ్వయుజం (Ashwayujam, September-October), కార్తీకం (Kartikam, October-November), మార్గశిరం (Maargasiram, November-December), పుష్యం (Pushyam, December-January), మాఘం (Maagham, January-February), and ఫాల్గుణం (Phaalgunam, February-March). Each month has two parts, శుక్లపక్ష (Shukla Paksha, waxing phase of the Moon) and క్రిష్ణపక్ష (Krishna Paksha, waning phase of the Moon). Festivals and observance coincide with పూర్ణిమ (Purnim, Full Moon) and అమావాస్య (Amavasya, New Moon).

Maintaining the same close connection to the universe, the Telugu weekdays are named to honor the నవగ్రహ (NavaGraha), the nine planets. ఆదివారం (Aadivaram) or రవివారం (Ravivaaram - SUnday) honors the Ravi or Aditya or Surya (Sun). సోమవారం (Somavaram - Monday) honors the Soma or Chandra (Moon). మంగళవారం (Mangalavaram - Tuesday) honors the Maṅgala (Mars). బుధవారం (Budhavaaram - Wednesday) honors Budha (Mercury). గురువారం (Guruvaaram - Thursday) honors Deva-Guru Bṛhaspati (Jupiter). శుక్రవారం (Sukravaaram - Friday) honors Śukra (Venus). శనివారం (Shanivaram - Saturday) honors the Śhani (Saturn).

ఉగాది (Ugadi) coincides with the time when Mango trees are ladened with green Mangoes, Neem trees are in full bloom with their delicate white flowers glistening in the sunlight, and fresh Jaggery is available in the market from sugarcane crop a month earlier. People mark the ఉగాది (Ugadi), the New Year day making ఉగాదిపచ్చడి  (Ugadi Pachadi) combining sweet Jaggery, bitter Neem flower petals, spicy Black pepper, Sea salt, sour Tamarind juice, and pungent green Mango. This dish represents the year ahead which could bring happiness, sadness, anger, fear, uncertainty, and unpleasantness. The crucial ingredients make life complete and fulfilling. I like this festival because I get to taste the ఉగాదిపచ్చడి  (Ugadi Pachadi) which is a sensory symphony. My taste buds come alive with every single spoonful of the deliciousness.

The legend behind the Telugu calendar comes from the story of నారద (Narada), మానసపుత్ర (Manasaputra) of the creator god బ్రహ్మ (Brahma). మానసపుత్ర (Manasaputra) are children created by బ్రహ్మ (Brahma) from his mind. నారద (Narada) is one of them. He is a sage and traveller of త్రిలోక (Tri Loka), the three worlds of Hindu mythology, the earth (Bhuloka), heaven (Svarga), and hell (Naraka). He is a musician who plays on వీణ (Veena) as he he tells stories and brings news and enlightening wisdom from one world to another. He is a devotee of విష్ణు (Vishnu). He is known as త్రిలోక సంచారి కలహభోజనుడు (Triloka Sanchari Kalahabhojanudu) which means a traveller of three worlds who loves to start fights between deities and people who reside in these three worlds.

As the story goes, నారద (Narada) boasted to విష్ణు (Vishnu) that he is wise and even all powerful మాయ (Maya) can’t fool him. విష్ణు (Vishnu) smiled and nodded as he made plan to teach నారద (Narada) a lesson for his arrogance. When నారద (Narada) submerged himself into the river to take a bath, విష్ణు (Vishnu) went to work and turned నారద (Narada) into a beautiful woman. నారద (Narada) emerged out of the water as a beautiful woman. He forgot his name and identity. A king named, తాళధ్వజుడు (Taala Dwajudu) noticed the beautiful emerging from the river. తాళధ్వజుడు (Taala Dwajudu) fell in love with the woman instantly. He approached her and asked to know her name. She didn’t remember her name and who she was. He named her సౌభాగ్యసుందరి (Sowbhagya Sundari), took her to his kingdom and married her.

The couple had sixty children. All their children died young leaving the parents all alone. The grieving parents decided to end their lives and jumped into a river. The woman submerged herself to die and failed in her attempt. She emerged from the water and looked for her husband, she was no longer in a female form. She had turned back into నారద (Narada). One of his hands was still a female hand as a reminder of his life as wife and mother. నారద (Narada) grieved for his children and pleaded with విష్ణు (Vishnu) to allow his children to be remembered for ages. విష్ణు (Vishnu) granted his wish and deemed that the sixty children’s names will be the sixty years of Telugu calendar.

ఉగాది (Ugadi) is the first day of a new Telugu year. The Telugu calendar has sixty years with unique names. The sixty year cycle is called యుగం (Yugam) which repeats itself at the end of sixty years. Each year has its own unique personality which brings different experiences. As of this writing, the current year is called క్రోధి (Krodhi) and it is believed to be కోపం కలిగించేది (kopam kaliginchedi) which means it brings anger or causes anger. The next year is విశ్వావసు (Visvaavasu) which is believed to bring an abundance of riches. ఉగాది (Ugadi) day festivities include predicting what one can expect during the course of the new year. On the upcoming ఉగాది (Ugadi) day this year, people will be excited to leave the క్రోధి (Krodhi) year behind and embark on the విశ్వావసు (Visvaavasu) year as it comes with a promise of abundance of riches. 

నారద (Narada) continues to travel the three worlds playing his Veena. His children continue to be remembered year after year by the Telugu people who celebrate ఉగాది (Ugadi) and follow the sixty year calendar.