SANDHYA VANDANAM
Imagine India, a few thousand years ago. Even kerosene oil
lamps or candles were available. With
the sunset, the world becomes dark, the beginning being sandhya or the joint
between day and night. All house holds light a brass or earthen lamp, with oil
obtained from coconut or sesame seeds. Even in my childhood, there was no
electricity. It was during sandhay, that grandmother taught us the names of
Malayalam days, weeks, months, stars like aswathy, bharany, karthika etc. and the
thithis like prathipadam, dwithetteya, thrutheeya etc.
Before that, we were asked to recite namassivaya several
times. Then she would tell stories of Ramayana and Mahabharatha.
Thus began our learning, without going o any school. There
were Karayogam Pathashalas where children were taught Malayalam and arithmetic.
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