Sashtiabdapoorthi, Kanreki, Last words and Old Monk

Like in India, special celebration for the sixtieth birthday, it seems, is a popular tradition in Japan, where it's known as 'Kanreki'. A few days back, on the eve of going on a trip to celebrate my dad-in-law's Kanreki, I happened to read an article in Outlook magazine about the Indian version, 'Sashtiabdapoorthi'. I didn't know that only men were allowed to do this or that it involves remarrying the wife. Probably because my dad didn't remarry his wife, i.e. my mom, when he turned 60 and I'm pretty sure that he didn't marry anyone else. The Outlook article covers a Shiva temple in Thirukkadaiyur in Tamil Nadu and the people going there to pray for immortality, in addition to the remarriage. "Immortality" here means another 20, 30 years (I hope) of mortal pleasures. In Japan, Kanreki is more of a going back to the starting point of life, rather than just married life. A second childhood. This is rooted in the Chinese calendar system, which was (maybe in China it still is) based on 60-year cycles. The Chinese characters "Kan" meaning "return" and "reki" meaning "calendar" point to the person returning to the calendar sign under which he or she was born.

It's interesting to note that reaching 60 was a big event in the olden days across cultures and nations. When you look at India as a whole, with the average life expectancy for males at 60 (63 for females), it still could be considered a milestone. Among the Indian states, Kerala is miles (years) ahead, with men living till 70 and women averaging 76. Japan, of course, has one of the highest average life expectancy in the world with 77 for males and close to 85 for females. So, it'd be a good idea to rethink the whole concept. Like changing Sashtiabdapoorthi to Saptabdapoorthi and celebrating 70 in the case of Kerala or having Kanreki at 75 in Japan to reflect the changed times. The guys who go to the Shiva temple in TN get to add another 10 years to their "immortality".

Talking of immortality reminded me of the resident Goddess of Kerala. Mata is donating a million bucks to the U.S. for hurricane relief. She had already spent millions on Tsunami relief, which is all very good and probably normal considering the resources at her disposal. Seems to be better than most third world countries. In response to a query about the tsunami she replied that she had an inkling of imminent danger about 45 minutes before the waves struck the Kerala coast and she was able to get her disciples (including foreigners) to safe places away from danger. Very convenient. Just 45 minutes. I think she is easing off a bit on her godly responsibilities. Imagine if she had got her Godly Early Warning System (GEWS) upgraded to give a three or four hour warning? Thirty to forty thousand lives could have been saved.

If the guys at Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii and the affected countries had coordinated in a better way, the people in South Asia at least would have had a minimum one-hour warning, all this using man-made systems already in place. The Hawaii Centre had issued a possible tsunami alert in the Indian Ocean an hour after the Sumatra quake. The waves reached Kerala in about 2 hours or so. So, ideally, if the news had reached some knowledgeable person in Kerala, there'd have been more than an hour for people to flee. So, a 45-minute warning and that too only to her disciples is not very impressive, considering that we're talking of universal love and brotherhood here. Also, doesn't it violate some fundamental tenets of godhood?

Which leads to, "Let me go to the house of the Father." Pope John Paul's last words as per Vatican, and that too in Polish. The Holy See is another resourceful organization. So, it's highly possible that they were able to decipher what the dying pope said, though most mortals could never make head or tail of what he was speaking even when he was nearly alive, let alone in his deathbed. It's also possible that they got the last words written down 45 minutes before the pope actually spoke it. We never know.

There's a school of thought that believes Gandhiji's dying words were "He, Rum" instead of "He, Ram." The last drop of liquid to quench your parched throat. He Rum and cheers. Reminds me of my college days, spent drinking Old Monk rum.

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