Strong Family Bond
21 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
in Community Tags: strong family bonds
Need for strong family bond
Strong family bond is the secret of a happy life. It gives enormous strength to everyone and ensures that they are well balanced in their approach particularly in handling difficult situations. When the family is important to the adults in the family, it will become important to the children also. There is an old saying that “the family that prays together, stays together”. A family, which is well connected, will remain a strong family through thick and thin, in sickness and in health.
Strong family bonds help us to thrive in all aspects of life. A close family bond is like a safe harbor where we find refuge. From trusting that someone will pick us up when we fall, as a toddler, to someone being there for us as we experience the storms in life – family bonds help to instill trust and hope in the world around us and belief in ourselves. Rituals of bedtime stories, hugs, holidays and daily meals shared together; provide a sense of warmth, structure and safety. These rituals and traditions, not only create memories and leave a family legacy, but create our first path in life – one that is positive.
Our experience
We prepared a family chart and traced our family history to nearly 12 generations dating back to 300 years. To our surprise we find that we have a strong relationship and contact with all the present generation members in this family tree. There are a few factors, which helped us to maintain the relationship with these family members all these years.
Factors which contributed to strong family bond within our family
The first and foremost is the earlier custom of staying together at the same village. The earlier generations were contented in life, earning their income through agriculture or trade or teaching. The families lived as a joint family and their only requirement was a simple food, dress and a shelter.
The second factor is the practice of seeking marriage alliance within the family group. To a great extent the boy or girl is selected from the family group only.
The third factor is the family values like respecting the elders, visiting them often and inviting and attending all family functions, which are imbibed from childhood among all members.
Today the tradition of staying together in the same village or as a joint family has disappeared. Most of the family members have moved to urban centers and even abroad. The selection of a bride or bridegroom within the family is also a rare phenomenon. The practice of attending important family functions like marriage, however, still continues. Maintaining the contact with all the family members is becoming a challenge now.
To continue the tradition of being in touch with the family members, some families have started the practice of meeting all members at a get together every year. Others, who have the custom of Kula Devata, are celebrating festival or pooja for their Kula Devata on a particular day every year and all the members assemble at their ancestral village on that day and renew their relationship. The new online social media like face book groups, family web sites etc, fills up the vacuum and unite the families again.
Finally, research shows what elders always taught you: helping others makes you feel good about yourself. Decide as a family how you are going to help out someone in your community. Whatever you give, you get back in spades and it helps everyone in the family bond.
Brahmin community in South India
03 Jan 2011 4 Comments
in Community Tags: brahmin, Brahmin communities
Brahmins (also Brahmans) have historically been a caste (one of the four varṇas) in India. They are traditionally priests, educators, scholars and preachers in Hinduism.
The Brahmin castes may be broadly divided into two regional groups: Pancha-Gauda Brahmins and Pancha-Dravida Brahmins as per the shloka, however this shloka is from Rajatarangini of Kalhana which was composed only in 11th CE and many communities find their traces from sages mentioned in much older Vedas and puranas.
कर्णाटकाश्च तैलंगा द्राविडा महाराष्ट्रकाः,
गुर्जराश्चेति पञ्चैव द्राविडा विन्ध्यदक्षिणे
—
सारस्वताः कान्यकुब्जा गौडा उत्कलमैथिलाः,
पन्चगौडा इति ख्याता विन्ध्स्योत्तरवासि
Translation: Karnataka (Kannada), Telugu (Andhra), Dravida (Tamil and Kerala), Maharashtra and Gujarat are Five Southern (Panch Dravida). Saraswata, Kanyakubja, Gauda, Utkala (Orissa), Maithili are Five Northern (Pancha Gauda)
Tamil Nadu
In Tamil Nadu, Brahmins belong to two major groups: Iyer and Iyengar. Iyers comprise of Smartha and Saivite Brahmins and are broadly classified into Ashtasahasram, Vadamal, Brahatcharnam, vathimal, Sholiyar, and Gurukkal. This is segregated according to the hierarchy. There are mostly followers of Adi Shankaracharya which form about three-fourths of Tamil Nadu’s Brahmin population. Iyengars comprise of Vaishnavite Brahmins and are divided into two sects: Vadakalai and Thenkalai. They are mostly followers of Ramanuja and make up the remaining one-fourth of the Tamil Brahmin population.
Kerala
In Kerala, Brahmins are classified into three groups: Namboothiris, Pottis and Pushpaka. The major priestly activities are performed by Namboothiris while the other temple related activities known as Kazhakam are performed by Pushpaka Brahmins and other Ampalavasis. Sri Adi Shankara was born in Kalady, a village in Kerala, to a Namboothiri Brahmin couple, Shivaguru and Aryamba, and lived for thirty-two years. The Namboothiri Brahmins, Potti Brahmins and Pushpaka Brahmins in Kerala follow the Philosophies of Sri Adi Sankaracharya. Nagariks are the common name for north Indian immigrant brahmins The Brahmins who migrated to Kerala from Tamil Nadu are known as Pattar in Kerala. They possess almost same status of Potti Brahmins in Kerala.
Karnataka
In Karnataka, Brahmins are broadly classified into 4 groups: Madhwa (followers of Shri Madhwacharya), Smartha and Iyer (followers of Shri Adi Sankaracharya), and Iyengars (followers of Ramanuja’s vishiShTAdvaita). They are further divided into several sub-castes. Important among them are Halenadu Karnataka Brahmin, Hoysala Karnataka Brahmin, Babboru Kamme brahmins, Uluchu Kamme brahmins, Badagunadu Brahmins and Sankethi Brahmins. Besides these groups, there are other brahmin communities such as, Havyaka, Kota, Shivalli, Saraswata, etc.
Andhra
In Andhra Pradesh, Brahmins are broadly classified into 3 groups: Vaidika (meaning educated in vedas and performing religious vocations), Niyogi (performing only secular vocations) and Dravidlu (In the Coastal Andhra Pradesh). They are further divided into several sub-castes. However, the majority of the Brahmins, both Vaidika and Niyogi, perform only secular professions.
Maharashtra
In Maharashtra, Brahmins are classified into five groups: Chitpavan Konkanastha Brahmins, Gaud Saraswat Brahmin, Deshastha Brahmin, Karhade Brahmin, and Devrukhe. As the name indicates, Konkanastha Brahmin are from Konkan area. Gaud Saraswat Brahmins are from Konkan region or they may come from Goa or Karnataka, Deshastha Brahmin are from plains of Maharashtra, Karhade Brahmins are perhaps from Karhatak (an ancient region in India that included present day south Maharashtra and northern Karnataka) and Devrukhe Brahmins are from Devrukh near Ratnagiri.
Sanketi Brahmins
23 Nov 2010 1 Comment
in Community Tags: Sanketi brahmins
Sanketi Brahmins are smarta Brahmins originally from Tirunelveli district. They migrated from Tirunelveli to various parts of Kerala and Karnataka around 800 years ago. The Sanketi Brahmins are well educated and well employed and they make their presence felt all over the world today. They still have their roots in Tirunelveli, Kanyakumari and Trivandrum districts and Mysore districts in Karnataka.
Historical Records
There is no historical record of Sanketis available; however there is a brief mention about the sanketi community in Mysore General Census of 1871 and in the book written by E Thurston on Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Some excerpts from these books are given below.
‘Sanketis are smarta Brahmins and greater portion of them are vaidikas and well versed in Vedas. Sanketis are hard working, intensely conservative and industrious Brahmin community. They are referred to as models for simultaneously securing two fold object of preserving the study of Vedas while securing a worldly competence by cultivating their gardens; and short of actually ploughing the land, they are pre eminently the only fraction of the Brahman brotherhood who turn their hands to the best advantage.’
‘Sanketan means certain terms to be subscribed and acted by all of them i.e. they should hold together in all circumstances. ‘ Mysore Sanketis Sanketi Brahmins moved to Mysore during the 13th century on the invitation of Jagatguru Vidyaranya of Sringeri Peetam. The imperial message from the Vijaya nagara court offered all help and protection in the form of money, land and houses to all and pious and learned Brahmans who would go and settle down in that country to help revival of Dharma by maintaining sacrificial fires or teaching Vedas. The Mysore Sanketis speak Sanketi language which is a corrupt form Tamil and Malayalam mixed with Kannada. Some years back there was a report that in one of the villages where Mysore sanketis live, they made successful attempts to speak Sanskrit in their day to day life. Since the Mysore Sanketis migrated around 800 years ago there is no link between the Tamil Nadu Sanketis and Mysore Sanketis.
Sanketis service to Sringeri Mutt
The Sanketis became so famous that when the Sringeri Mutt wanted a competent Pandit to teach the young Swamiji of that Samasthanam in those early days, the choice fell upon one Vidyanipuna Ramasastry of the Sanketi community. When at the close of the course of study he was asked what he would desire to have as fee for teaching, he asked for exemption of his community from the customary fees payable by the disciples. This privilege is enjoyed by the sanketi community even today.
Sanketis’ service to Travancore State
Many Sanketis migrated to Trivandrum at the request of Maharaja of Travancore to take care of the Government administration. One of the prominent early Sanketi who became very popular even today was Ramayyan Dalawa. Ramayyan Dalawa and Marthanda Varma are the two important personalities who created the Travancore empire. Ramayyan moved from Tirunvelveli District to Trivandrum during the 17th century and served in the court of Marthanda Varma initially as a petty clerk and later became the Dalawa (Army General). Ramayyan proved himself in battlefield by conquering and annexing many other kingdoms and created the Travancore state from Kanyakumari to Cochin. He was a great administrator and increased the sources of revenue and streamlined expenditure. He was responsible for the construction of many roads and public buildings and the fort in Trivandrum.
