December 2010 Balabhavan Coordinators PAMBA RIVER BBC Announcements: Bharathy Thridandam 2010 was an amazing year Nithya Sudhakar Seetha Janakiraman River Pamba is the third longest river for Balabhavan, power Sriram Srinivasan in the South Indian state of Kerala and the packed with stories about longest river in the princely state of gods, Dasavatharam to a [email protected] Travancore. It is a combination of several wonderful and interesting rivers originating from the lands of Peeramedu. virtual travel around some Class Coordinators Pamba originates at Pulachimalai hill in the places in India. Western Ghats at an altitude of 1650 meters Super-Senior Class: and flows through various taluks before it A number of the children Aparna Vemuri finally empties into the Vembanad Lake, a participated in the [email protected] distance of about 110 miles. This river enriches Shivarathri, Ramanavami, Ashok Malavalli the Pathanamthitta, Alapuzha districts of Ganesha, Saraswathi puja [email protected] Kerala state. The Kakkiyar, the Azhuthayar, led by the Pujari at the Krishna Meduri the Kakkatar and the Kallar are its tributaries. temple, which added [email protected] Pamba river is amidst the scenic beauty of splendor to the celebration nature and the breath taking views of the of the festivals. The two Senior Class: Western Ghats. field trips over the summer Prasanna Madabhushi was a fun filled learning [email protected] experience. The Ganesha Renuka Krishnan: Idol making will be [email protected] treasured memories for our children. We would like to Junior Class: take this opportunity to Priya Ram thank each and every one [email protected] of you who made all this Radhika Chari possible. Balabhavan is a [email protected] completely volunteer based Rama Srinivas program and thanks to such [email protected] wonderful volunteers we River Pamba is considered as the were able to successfully Toddler Class: achieve all this. Archana Sampath Dakshin Ganga (the Southern Ganges) as the famous piligrim center Sabarimalai, dedicated [email protected] Dhanyavada, Shukriya, to Lord Ayyappa is situated on its banks. Lord Gayathri Priya Sarathy Shukaran, Nandri, thank [email protected] Ayyapan appeared to the Pandalam Raja as a you! all for giving us the Ramanarayanan K child on the banks of the river Pamba. The Devotees take a holy bath in this river before wonderful opportunity to [email protected] they trek through the forest to go to the coordinate the Balabhavan Vidyashankar program, for placing your [email protected] Sabarimalai. The famous Aranmula Boat Race and the Perunthenaruvi water falls are faith in us to run the program for the past two Registration coordinators: associated with this river. The Pambayar dam and the Kakiyar dam are constructed on its years. Please do join us in Krishnaswamy Panneer Selvam welcoming the new [email protected] banks. The Pamba river is not just a beautiful members of the BBC team Seetha Janakiraman visual sight it also helps in cultivation by [continuing from last year] Newsletter Coordinator: irrigating the agricultural fields. It is the major Venkat Maddipatla and Krishna Meduri: source of water supply to Kuttanad which is Gayathri Vidyashankar. [email protected] the prime rice cultivating area of Kerala. - Shruti Chari - BBC Team 7930 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 549-3940 December 2010 ISSUE 12 1 December 2010 SURDAS (1479-1581) Class Schedules Talent Day 12-18-2010 12-11-2010 - - - - - - - - - - - - - Are you ready to be stunned, stumped, dazzled, then do Junior Class: attend the Balabhavan Talent Story: Kalki Avatharam Day . We have an amazing line - Seetha Janakiraman up of the children chanting slokas, Bhajans, Devotional Sloka: Shiva Panchakshara 3-5 Songs, instrumental music skits and dances. - Nithya Sudhakar Surdas was a great composer, saint and Bhajan: Review of Rama and Mark your calendars the date is musician. His music and teachings have a th Krishna bhajans (5) great influence on cultural heritage of India. December 18 2010 at Shiva Vishnu temple Main Hall. Seating Veena Nagaraj / for the event will begin promptly Vanisree Kadaba Surdas was born in Braj near Mathura. at 3:00 PM. We have a request to Although the exact years of his birth and all the parents please ensure to Senior Class: death are unknown, what we know is not of Story: Bodh Gaya, Samath – stay back for the complete great disagreement. Surdas was born blind performance to encourage the Bihar,Up and hence a victim of neglect from his Bharathy Thridandam participating children and family. He left his home at a tender age of support the program. This will six when he is believed to have simply Sloka: Sharada Bhujangam (Full) be the final program for the year Lakshmi Srinivasan followed a group of devotional singers 2010. passing by his home. When he was about eighteen years he met saint Vallabhacharya The invitations to the event went Bhajan: Review of Rama and Krishna bhajans in Gau Ghat on the banks of scared river out on Dec1st 2010; we would - Nithya Sudhakar Yamuna. Saint Vallabhacharya advised Surdas appreciate RSVP on or before th to sing Bhagavat Lila. Surdas memorized the 10 December 2010 to enable us _______________________ Srimad Bhagavat and sang it to throngs of to coordinate the talent day. If people. From then on until his death in Braj, you have not received the invite 12-04-2010 - - - - - - - - - - - - - Surdas created several great literary works do write to us and lead a life of deep spirituality. @balabhavancoordinator@yahoo. com will make sure to add it to Toddler Class: Story: Tenali Rama’s revenge on Surdas's works consist of three main the mailing list. Thathacharya compilations. Sur Saravali is based on Hope to see you all on Dec 18th -Nithya Sudhakar celebrations of Holi and consists of hundreds 2010. of verses. Sahitya Lahari is about bhakti Sloka: Revise Slokas towards the supreme Lord. Sur-Sagar BBC Tem -Viji Ramanarayanan is considered the biggest work of Surdas. It is December Birthdays: all about he life of Lord Krishna. It originally Bhajan: Revise Bhajans -Gayathri Vidyashanakar contained 100.000 poems, but now only Toddler: 8,000 remain. Sahana Gopalan Super Senior Class: Juniors: Story: India Quiz Surdas lived during the time of Bhakti Srivaradhan Parasaran Ramanarayanan Krishnamurthy movement in north India. He was in Seniors: particular a proponent of the Shuddha-dvaita Anoodnya Sangam Sloka: Revise slokas / test school of Vaishnavism. The philosophy was Ananya Thridandam - Lalitha Kodandapani based on the spiritual metophor of the life of Rithvik Rao Radha and Krishna. Ananya Madabushi Bhajan: Bhajan Review and Test - Supriya Belur Super Seniors: Day - Latha Sundar Anjana Srinivas 7930 Arjons Drive, San Diego, CA 92126 Phone: (858) 549-3940 December 2010 ISSUE 12 2 December 2010 PALAR RIVER SANTA TUKARAM Class Presentations Tukaram was born in 1608 in the village Palar is a river of southern of Dehu on the banks of the river Indrayani in a India. It rises in Nandidurg hills in Junior Class: low-caste (Shudra) family. Kolar district of Karnataka state, 12-11-2010 and flows 93 km in Karnataka, 33 His family was landowners, and they Surya: km in Andhra Pradesh and 222 km made their living by selling the produce of the --Akash Sridhar in Tamil Nadu before its land. Tukaram’s father had inherited the confluence into the Bay of Bengal position of mahajan, or collector of revenue Senior Class: at Vayalur about 100 KM south of from traders, from his father, and Tukaram in 12-11-2010 Chennai. [2] It flows as a turn was the mahajan of his village Dehu. They Sabari or Sudama? Guptagamini (underground course) were by no means socially or culturally - Ananya Thridandam for a long distance only to emerge backward. Being traders by profession, they near Bethamangala town, from learned to read and write as to maintain where, gathering water and Garuda or Adisesha? speed, it flows eastward down the accounts of financial transactions. At a -- Anoodnya Sangam Deccan Plateau. The cities of relatively young age, owing to the death of his Vaniyambadi, Ambur, Vellore, parents, Tukaram took charge of the family, Super Senior Class: Arcot, Walajapet (Anaicut), and before he was twenty one years old Kanchipuram, and Chingleput are Tukaram had six children. 12-04-2010 located on banks of Palar River. It The devastating famine of 1629 carried Shirdi Sai Baba terminates into the Bay of Bengal away Tukaram’s first wife and some of his - Aishwarya Uppala near Caturanga-pattinam. Of all children, and Tukaram henceforth lost interest the total of seven tributaries, the in the life of the householder. Though he did chief tributary is Cheyyar River. not quite forsake his family, he was unable to maintain his second wife or children, and was The flow of the Palar is Festivals of the Month: ultimately reduced to penury and bankruptcy, irregular, with considerable besides being stripped by the village of his variations from year to year. position as mahajan. Although it generally does not Please visit: flood, heavy rains have caused the In the meantime, Tukaram turned to river to remain in flood for as long poetic composi-tions(Abhangs), inspired by his www.shiva-vishnu.org for as six months. The river has been devotion for lord Vithoba (Vitthal) the family more details dammed for irrigation, especially deity. Tukaram incurred the wrath of the along its course in Tamil Nadu. Brahmins not only had he dared to impinge upon the prerogatives of the Brahmins, who believed Palar River used to supply good them to be the only true custodians, drinking water to 30 towns on its interpreters, and spokesmen of religion, he banks and 50 villages surrounding compounded the offence by writing in Marathi it.