ATLA TADIYA

Atla Tadde is a traditional festival celebrated by married Hindu women of Andhra region in Andhra Pradesh, India, for the health and long life of their husbands. It occurs on the 3rd night after the full moon in Aswiyuja month of Telugu calendar, and falls in either September or October in the Gregorian calendar It is the Telugu equivalent of Karva Chauth, which is celebrated by north Indian women the following day. Atla Tadde was extinct in Andhra Pradesh, as a result of western culture influence among younger generations. Telugu woman mark Atla Tadde by keeping a day-long fast without food or water. In the evening, women perform pooja, and after looking at the moon, they break the fast by having tiny atlu.

Following are customs in some places of Andhra Pradesh, India:

§ This festival is celebrated by women and children.

§ On eve of this day, they apply Gorintaku (Mehndi) on their palms.

§ Women and children wake up in the early morning before the sunrise, and have suddi (rice cooked day before night) with perugu (curd) and Gongura chutney.

§ People swing in the uyyala (Swing (seat)).

§ In the evening, preparing sambar (with 11 varieties of vegetables).

§ Paltalikelu (sweet made with rice flour, jaggery, and milk)

§ Mudda pappu (plain dal),Gongura pachadi

§ Kudumulu (5 for gauri devi) (for yourself and other muttayuduvu 5 each and on 4 kudumulu you place one on top of the 4 and make it as deepam and eat the same after your pooja when the deepam is still lighting)

§ 11 small Dosas (for each)

§ Tamarind pulihora

§ Toranam for hand (with 11 nots for atla tadde n 5 nots toranam for Undralla tadde)

§ On this day, Some have a custom of preparing atlu and keep those as offering to goddess Gowri, and after they will be distributed to relatives, neighbors as vaayanam. For each muttayduvu (these ladies/relatives fast along with the one who is having this pooja perform). The ceremony includes 11 ladies who already took this vayanam and if your menatta (aunt of your mothers side) took this vayanam the rituals continues. To all these 11 ladies you give each 11 atlu with deepam (made of rice flour and ghee and lit in front of goddess Gowri) you offer each lady the vayanam by holding with your sarees pallu... you utter these words

§ .. andindamma vayanam (lady says: i received the vayanam) ...vayanam puchukunna vanita evaro (you ask/pose a question saying who took the vayanam) ...ne ne namma gowri parvati (lady says: she says its me GowriParvathi)

Pooja ceremony:

§ Prepare kalisam on rice, coins (inside kalasam water, kumkum, turmeric, coin, and flower with 5 mango leafs or just water)

§ Make pasupu ganapathi

§ Gauri ashtotram

§ Lalitha harathi/gauri harathi

§ Story

మన భూమిని కాపాడుకొందాం

మన భూమిని కాపాడుకొందాం

ప్రకృతి ఎంత రమణీయమయినదో అంతే భయానకమయినది ,ఎప్పుడు చల్లని పిల్ల గాలులతో ,చిరు జల్లులతో ఉరకలెత్తిస్తుందో ,ఎప్పుడు వికృతంగా విరుచుకు పడుతుందో చెప్పటం ఎవరికీ సాధ్యం కాదు .ఆకాశాన్ని అంతే సౌధాలు ,అంతరిక్షానికి చేరటానికి యంత్రాలు కనుగొన్న మానవాళి మేధస్సుకు ప్రకృతి వైపరిత్యలను కొనుగోనటం ఒక జవాబు లేని ప్రశ్నగా ,పరిష్కారం లేని సమస్యగానే మిగిలింది .భూమిని చీల్చి పరిశోధనలు చేస్తున్న శాస్త్రజ్ఞలు ,భూకంపాలని తెలుసుకోవటం లో మాత్రం నిస్సహాయులు గానే మిగిలిపోయారు .100 సంవత్సరాలు బ్రతకటానికి ఔషధ శోధన లో ఉన్న శాస్త్రజ్ఞలు,భూకంపాల ధాటికి ప్రకృతి తల్లి ఒడిలో కన్నుమూస్తున్న ప్రాణాలని మాత్రం కాపాడలేకపోతుంది.నాగరికత లో ప్రపంచం లోనే తొలి స్తానం లో ఉన్న జపాన్ భూకంపాలని కనుగోనే టెక్నాలజీ నీ కనిపెట్టలేకపొతున్నారు .జ్ఞానం ,అలోచన శక్తి ఉన్న మానవాళికి అంతుపట్టని విషయాలు మన చుట్టూ ఉన్న పక్షులు ,జంతువులూ గ్రహించగలుగుతున్నాయి .భూకంపానికి కొద్ది నిమిషాల ముందు పారిపోవటానికి ప్రయత్నించే జంతువుల ప్రవర్తన మానవాళికి ఒక ఆశ్చర్యకరమైన విషయమే.ఈ దిశగా పరిశోధనలు జరుగుతున్నప్పటికీ ఫలితం ఎ విధంగా ఉంటుందో చెప్పటం మాత్రం అసాధ్యం .
ఈ ప్రకృతి విలయ తాండవానికి ప్రధాన కారణం మానవాళికి ప్రకృతికి మధ్య ఏర్పడిన నాగరికత ,అభివృధి అనే అగాధం .మానవాళి నాగరికత ,అభివృధి పేరుతొ తన స్వలాభం కోసం ,తానూ కూర్చున్న కొమ్మను తానే నరుక్కున్న చందాన తన చుట్టూ ఉన్న పర్యావరణాన్ని నాశనం చేస్తున్నాడు .అడవులని నరికి పట్టణాలని నిర్మిస్తూ ప్రకృతి ని పీల్చేస్తున్నాడు .ఇప్పటికే చేసిన నాశనానికి ,సునామి లు ,భూకంపాలు పేరొతో ,చాలా వరకు నష్టపోయాం .ఇప్పటికైన నాగరికత అనే ముసుగు లో నుండి బయటకి వచ్చి ప్రకృతిని నాశనం చేస్తున్న నిర్మాణాలని,అభివృధి నమూనాలని ,పరిశ్రమలని నిలిపివేయకపోతే ,ఋతువులతో సంభందం లేని అకాల వర్షాలు,వరదలకు ,ఉష్నోగ్రతలలో మార్పులకు ,ప్రకృతి చేసే విలయ తాండవానికి భారీ స్టాయిలో మూల్యం చెల్లించుకోవలసి ఉంటుంది .
మ న భూమిని కాపాడుకొందాం .

హాయ్

MANI PURI DANCE

MANI PURI DANCE:

Manipuri dance is one of the major Indian classical dance forms. It originates from Manipur, a state in north-eastern India on the border with Myanmar (also known as Burma). In Manipur, surrounded by mountains and geographically isolated at the meeting point of the orient and mainland India, the form developed its own specific aesthetics, values, conventions and ethics. The cult of Radha and Krishna, particularly the raslila, is central to its themes but the dances, unusually, incorporate the characteristic cymbals (kartal or manjira) and double-headed drum (pung or Manipuri mridang) of sankirtan into the visual performanceManipuri dancers do not wear ankle bells to accentuate the beats tapped out by the feet, in contrast with other Indian dance forms, and the dancers' feet never strike the ground hard. Movements of the body and feet and facial expressions in Manipuri dance are subtle and aim at devotion and graceThe musical accompaniment for Manipuri dance comes from a percussion instrument called the Pung, a singer, smallcymbals, a stringed instrument called the pena and wind instrument such as a flute. The drummers are always male artistes and, after learning to play the pung, students are trained to dance with it while drumming. This dance is known as Pung cholom. The lyrics used in Manipuri are usually from the classical poetry of Jayadeva, Vidyapati, Chandidas,Govindadas or Gyandas and may be in Sanskrit, Maithili, Brij Bhasha or others.

MOHINIATTAM

MOHINIATTAM:Mohiniyattam, also spelled Mohiniattam (Malayalam: is a traditional South Indian dance from Kerala, developed by the Tamil nattuvanar(dance master) Vadivelu,one of the Thanjavur Quartet. It is one of the eight Indian classical dance forms. It is considered a very graceful dance meant to be performed as a solo recital by women. The term Mohiniyattam comes from the words "Mohini" meaning a woman who enchants onlookers and "aattam" meaning graceful and sensuous body movements.In the second story Vishnu appears as Mohini to save Lord Shiva from the demon Bhasmasura. The name Mohiniyattam may have been coined after Lord Vishnu, and the main theme of the dance is love and devotion to God, with usually Vishnu or Krishna being the hero. Devadasis used to perform this in temples. But it also has elements of Koothu and Kottiyattom in it. Mohiniyattam is a drama in dance and verse.

The costume includes white sari embroidered with bright golden brocade (known as kasavu at the edges. The dance follows the classical text of Hastha Lakshanadeepika, which has elaborate description of Mudras (gestural expressions by the hand palm and fingers).

The vocal music of Mohiniyattam involves variations in rhythmic structure known as chollu. The lyrics are in Manipravalam, a mixture of Sanskrit andMalayalam. The Mohiniyattam dance is performed to this accompaniment by the subtle gestures and footwork of the danseuse. The performer uses the eyes in a very coy yet sensual manner, the purpose being to enchant the mind without enticing the senses.

ETI KOPPAKA TOYS

ETIKOPPAKA TOYS:

The traditional landlords of the village, the Rajus, belonging to the Chintalapati family, settled here over 200 years ago under allegiance to the MahaRaja of Vizianagaram. They have been far in advance of their time. It is through their efforts that India's first co-operative sugar mill came to be located in Etikoppaka in the early 1930s.

Padmanabha Raju in the early 1900s, saw business possibilities in the lacquer products of Etikoppaka. He searched out dyes and processes that would enhance their quality and appeal. Despite these efforts, by the mid-1980s, fewer and fewer craftsmen were available to make the lacquerware because of increasing employment opportunities in the sugar industry.

The downward spiral was reversed by one of Padmanabha Raju's descendants, Chitti Raju. He gathered the few remaining and aging craftsmen together and exposed them to new designs and concepts at national-level craft exhibitions all over the country. However, it was left to Chitti Raju's nephew, C.V. Raju, to reverse the trend and make Etikoppaka a byword for quality handicraft.

He is the contemporary face of Etikoppaka's craft today, who looked at lacquerware in all its dimensions from design to marketing. The Fine Arts Department of Andhra University, the National Institute of Design and even the National Institute of Fashion Technology were involved in the design and development of new designs and products.

Elegant candle-stands for the German market was followed by specially designed lacquer casings for a unique range of timepieces for Titan. Better packaging saw the transit breakage rate come down and a special tie-up with the Postal Department has ensured safe delivery of the delicate hand-crafted items to far away markets.

As the base of the lacquer product, the softwood trees became scarce, C.V. Raju sought and got the assistance of the State Forest Department to improve plantation yields and also experiment with other wood that could take lacquer just as well.

Over the years, this combination of strategies has paid off handsomely and today, Etikoppaka's lacquer-ware has found good markets not only within India but also overseas, especially in France, Italy, Germany and the US.

The growing demand for lacquerware nationally and internationally, has enthused C.V. Raju and his family to set up a well-equipped design centre to train new people in the craft at Etikoppaka itself. A simple but comfortable guest house has been constructed to encourage experts to visit Etikoppaka to advise and train craftsmen locally. C.V. Raju has also continued the tradition set by his uncle, and constantly exposes his craftsmen to new ideas by taking them along to craft exhibitions and workshops across the country.