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'Manjal-natta vizha' - the coming of age for a girl Chennai: 'Manjhal-natta vizha' meaning 'Coming of Age' is a turmeric bathing ceremony which is an occasion to celebrate the attainment of puberty of girls in Tamil Nadu. The festive event requires strict rules of seclusion and ritual bathing. On the day of attaining puberty, the girl is given a bath by her relatives and then isolated for a week or two, during which she is given a rich diet. The isolation period is followed by another bath with turmeric after which a mock wedding is organised where a female cousin is made to dress as a male and the two are united. However, the relatives of the girl admit that rules now are not as rigid as they used to be in the earlier times. Gangadevi, a mother, said the purpose of celebrating the "coming of age" is to mentally prepare the girl for wedded life. "(I told my daughter) has come of age. This is a stage from childhood, she has come up to adoloscence and in certain matters she should be careful", said girl's mother. In this lavish event, the relatives and friends of the girl are invited to a grand feast and she is given expensive gifts. "We have to give, as per customs, sarees and jewellery as gift. Normally as customs prevail in Tamil Nadu, the maternal uncle's son is to get married to the girl. That's why they have to give some jewellery prior to the wedding", said Veerabahu Sahu, the girl's uncle. The festival is rarely celebrated in the cities because of space constraint with no facilities to organise the extensive ceremony in a lavish manner. Widows of Orissa cyclone start life afresh, with help from NGOs Bhubaneswar: Thirty-five-year old Tulsi Mandal did not venture out beyond the four walls of her home three years ago, but today she is forced to take up the responsibilities of her husband who is no more. Mandal and hundreds of other women lost their husbands in India's worst cyclone that claimed more than 10,000 lives in Orissa in 1999. Mandal survived the cyclone fury as she was away from her home on that fateful day. For two years she lived in the hope of seeing her husband again because his body, probably washed away in flood waters, was never found. But then she has three children to look after and life cannot stand still. With a little help from an NGO, Mandal bought a few goats and began to pick the strands of her life again."I have learnt to see dreams again. I have learnt to believe in them. I realised it is no point sitting at home and crying. I lived under veil for so long. I realised I have to look after my children. Who will provide for them if I don't. So I forced myself to become strong and took up this job. Now I have begun coping," Mandal said. Life for a widow could be very tough in India. Stigma of bad omen and lack of social support makes a widow's life nightmare. Sneha Lata, another widow, did not remove her bangles and vermillion - both signs of her marriage - status till six months after the cyclone. She was given shelter in an NGO home for a few months and a loan to buy fish nets to begin life in her husband's footsteps. Lata said she was able to send her children to school and rebuild her home with tin and plastic sheets with the Rs 75,000 assistance given by the state government. Club culture catches up across Punjab (Not many years ago in Punjab, going to the club was considered clearly upper class and frowned upon by conservatives. But today clubs have not only emerged as a new leisure zone, but membership is also a coveted status symbol.) Chandigarh: Be it cash rich Ludhiana, tradition-driven Amritsar or the status-conscious Chandigarh, the entire state is in the grip of club culture. And though the young are in a majority, a number of these clubs are switching over to a more family oriented customer base. Much of the popularity of clubs is owing to changing social attitudes. From times when clubs did not conform to middle class value systems, to the present day when they too aspire to reach out. Not only is clubbing a sought-after recreation, but more important, it is seen as a lifestyle statement, a definitive symbol of status. A large number of people from this area have gone abroad, but their contact with the West is very important, they copy what is coming from there. This gives rise to a sense of display among the people ... More than a dozen clubs have sprung up in Punjab in the past 8 years since militancy was uprooted from the state, even as the membership of the older clubs have increased three to four-fold. As the membership profile expands to include many more, the clubs are going in for options catering to other social groups too, the office-goer and the housewife, though retaining a higher-end aura. Just from being watering holes, the clubs have evolved into family recreation centres, offering a basketful of leisure options at economical rates. Airconditioned state-of-the-art gyms and all-weather swimming pools to imported bowling alleys and sauna jacuzzis. After a day's job, if you have to do something to keep yourself fit, this is the best place to come. It also offers recreation, interaction with other people, discussions on issues of the day in an informal atmosphere. That's certainly not to say that the old attraction has vanished altogether. The change now is that it's no longer as strongly frowned upon by an upwardly mobile middle class. The altered attitude goes well with the increased spending power. Clubs are now letting in the middle class that has money to splurge and aspires to rub shoulders with the power pack. The increasing number of neo-rich, middle class people see clubs as a means to climb the social ladder. The club is now looked at among many as a virtual extension of the living room, and with the numerous facilities offered for relaxation and socialising, much more too. It is a major prestige issue to have membership with a big club in town. It is a nice getaway to sit with your own people, socialise and enjoy. It is a place where all facilities are available as any other restaurant of a 5 star hotel. It has an aura in Punjab. Here all cultural activities are available. All too clearly, ambience is the USP at these clubs now competing to grab attention as much as they are sought after. With membership of city clubs at a premium and waiting lists continuing to lenghthen, private country clubs are sprouting. -ANI |
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