Children at temples

[Vinayaka]

This morning I witnessed another annaprasanna samskara, just by chance. She was about 6 months, and opened her mouth nicely when Dad put in the first sweet rice. Then she makes quite the surprise, at the stuff in her mouth. Wait a minute, and then it's mom's turn. Same result. Same face. Then first elder brother (maybe 2) gives it a whirl, and then second elder brother (about 4). Same result each time. Shocked look, but then managing to eat it. Better than some though who start bawling, and it turns out into only ceremony, and no eating at all.

 

[Aupmanyav]

In our community, it is 'payasam' (kheer). Yes, some children eat it with relish, others make faces. First the eldest of the family, then the family, and then the extended family. All get their chance.

 

[Vinayaka]

What's your payasam made of, Aup? Here there are two main kinds. The one I like has tapioca base with a few chopped cashews ... incredibly sweet. There's another kind that uses vermicelli.

 

[Aupmanyav]

With us it is rice and milk (and of course, sugar). We have a variety (many things common with Muslims in Kashmiri culture - 'Phirni') where grounded rice is used. In Rajasthan, it is 'Basundi', in which you get full rice gains (in thick milk after long boiling) at the bottom, heavily loaded with Almonds and Pistachio and colored with saffron.
(Always talking of two cultures - one ancestral, the other in which I was raised, and grateful to both )

 

[Jainarayan]

This morning I witnessed another annaprasanna samskara, just by chance.

I think I saw one yesterday too. The child looked several months old, not an infant for a naming. A priest was sitting with the family i front of the Sri Radha-Krishna shrine. There looked to be some food items laid out, not a lot.

There was also a little boy, maybe 3-4 years old, doing everything his mother was doing. His prostrations were adorable. At first he tried just touching the floor with his hands, but when he saw that wasn't working like his mother's, he copied hers.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Annaprāshana (first taste of cereals) with us is in the sixth month.

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

Today was my first official day at my new temple. I'll go into that in the "Temple Visits" thread but I wanted to give a special mention to two very naughty (but cute) little girls who were at temple today.

They were about 3 or 4 and it looked like they were best friends. As kids tend to do they were running about during the puja but not being particularly distracting.. However, the Shiva Lingam - which was taller than them and set aside from the other murtis in a corner where devotees could do abhiskekam - held a special fascination for them.

One little girl ran up to the lingam and pointed it out to the other. "Look at this!" She said. They then proceeded to poke it pat it very gently like it was a beloved pet. Then it seemed like they became enamored of the smooth surface to they began rubbing it. Now I was certain by this point an adult would leap into action as touching murtis is generally a "no-no" but they were left to their curiosity. Then the first little girl stopped suddenly and waved her hands as one does before the aarti lamp and smiled. They then both ran off to continue expending their seemingly endless amount of energy. =)

 

[Vinayaka]

Yesterday I met, for the first time maybe, a very unshy little girl. Gramma and Grampa, from out of town, were bringing their three grandchildren(from in town) to see Ganesha. Asha had two elder brothers who were far more hesitant to engage with a landscaper stranger.

So they're going past me, and I learn Asha's name. Then it's "Asha would you like to give Ganesha a rose? He'd probably like that."
"Yes, I would."
So I point to the rose bushes, 'Let's go over there then."
She RUNS ahead of me. Generally they follow with hesitation. She gets to select the rose .. "A red one." and I pick it. The elder brothers feel a bit left out, so they get one too, and that's the story of how Ganesha got three roses from 3 young devotees yesterday.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Ganesha loves roses. Ganesha having a go around with brother, Subrahmaniam.

 

[Vinayaka]

Vannakkam Aup,

First time I've seen that bottom one. Mayil can carry quite the load. At Tiruchendur, one of His flock would perch right atop the large gopuram. Maybe our friend Jai can make a high resolution one and mail it to me. (Hint, hint)

 

[Aupmanyav]

Here: https://www.google.co.in/search?newwindow=1&hl=en-IN&q=ganesh+god&tbm=isch&tbs=simg:CAQSlQEJStmqvghNIb0aiQELEKjU2AQaAggLDAsQsIynCBpiCmAIAxIophGfEZcRmBG0HN4XpRHIFskWtxzwI-0j8SPsI_1MjsyO5LNAshSCTOBowWCFyq5Zri3LsEBrr7p7qyq69q-ghbNXmse2-YnX6QK8f0Bx7RlAUfCXsM221NZRIIAMMCxCOrv4IGgoKCAgBEgTJ3ZBTDA&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjB7cypxtHNAhWDoJQKHefUBSIQ2A4IGygB&biw=1455&bih=705#imgrc=Z1tfQuW4xrAaEM:

The largest size is 960 x 630, Vinayaka and Jai, if it helps. I do not know how an image can be turned into a high res. image.
Searched on the net. Found the process for Photoshop. Will apply it with Gimp. I think it should be possible.

 

[Fireside_Hindu]

Here: https://www.google.co.in/search?newwindow=1&hl=en-IN&q=ganesh+god&tbm=isch&tbs=simg:CAQSlQEJStmqvghNIb0aiQELEKjU2AQaAggLDAsQsIynCBpiCmAIAxIophGfEZcRmBG0HN4XpRHIFskWtxzwI-0j8SPsI_1MjsyO5LNAshSCTOBowWCFyq5Zri3LsEBrr7p7qyq69q-ghbNXmse2-YnX6QK8f0Bx7RlAUfCXsM221NZRIIAMMCxCOrv4IGgoKCAgBEgTJ3ZBTDA&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjB7cypxtHNAhWDoJQKHefUBSIQ2A4IGygB&biw=1455&bih=705#imgrc=Z1tfQuW4xrAaEM:

The largest size is 960 x 630, Vinayaka and Jai, if it helps. I do not know how an image can be turned into a high res. image.
Searched on the net. Found the process for Photoshop. Will apply it with Gimp. I think it should be possible.

Unfortunately, short of electronically tracing the outline of an image in illustrator to make a vector file, you can't add resolution to an image. That being said, you can copy/ paste that image into google image search and it will bring up all versions of that image and you may be able to find a larger image at 72dpi resolution that will still print to the size you want without being blurry

 

[Aupmanyav]

You are right FS, one can't add resolution to images. I checked. I do not think there is any better than 960 x 630. But it is an idea which should have been done at the highest resolutions. It should have been a desktop wallpaper or even larger.

 

[Vinayaka]

I like 'fuzzy' in an artistic sense. At a hotel in Palani, arguably Murugan's most famous shrine, up above the hotel desk, there was a hazy older picture. An artist had gone back from the hill a few km, and hand painted it. Now, I have no idea, but he really did capture the essence of the place. Same goes for the old photographs of Ramana Maharshi you see at Tiruvanamalai. They all have a certain mystical mystique about them that would be hard to capture.

So ... I like this particular picture ... as is.

 

[Aupmanyav]

You too are correct, Vinayaka. I made this image of our city fort (made up, because there is no such water body in our desert city) after seeing a 'fuzzy' painting by an artist. He even had lotus flowers growing in the lake.

The light at the top of the fort on right indicates the temple of the city deity, Chamunda Devi.

 

[Jainarayan]

Ganesha loves roses. Ganesha having a go around with brother, Subrahmaniam.

Is it pareidolia, or are those roses arranged to look like Ganesha?

That picture of da bros is adorable.

 

[Jainarayan]

Vannakkam Aup,

First time I've seen that bottom one. Mayil can carry quite the load. At Tiruchendur, one of His flock would perch right atop the large gopuram. Maybe our friend Jai can make a high resolution one and mail it to me. (Hint, hint)

I'll do my best. I hope it is a good resolution to begin with.

 

[Jainarayan]

Unfortunately, short of electronically tracing the outline of an image in illustrator to make a vector file, you can't add resolution to an image. That being said, you can copy/ paste that image into google image search and it will bring up all versions of that image and you may be able to find a larger image at 72dpi resolution that will still print to the size you want without being blurry

Yep, this right here.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Made up Rose image, even arranging flowers will not produce Ganesha's trunk as it is in the image - but sure a fun image and more than that for a devotee.

 

[Jainarayan]

I like 'fuzzy' in an artistic sense. At a hotel in Palani, arguably Murugan's most famous shrine, up above the hotel desk, there was a hazy older picture. An artist had gone back from the hill a few km, and hand painted it. Now, I have no idea, but he really did capture the essence of the place. Same goes for the old photographs of Ramana Maharshi you see at Tiruvanamalai. They all have a certain mystical mystique about them that would be hard to capture.

So ... I like this particular picture ... as is.

That certainly makes life easy. I'm using my phone, so it's hard to determine. But I saved it to my phone, and super zooming in, it's still pretty sharp. Now my curiosity is piqued. I'll kick my handler off the computer.

Edit to update:

Yep, it comes out like the screen image. At least what I see on the screen. There is the yellow overtone and a bit of softness, making it look like it's actually very old, or deliberately made to look that way. The 4x6 and 5x7 are pretty sharp, the 8x10 and 8.5x11 are just a little "softer" but not pixelated or blurry. The detail really is pretty good.