Follow
the
Hindu Moon
A guide to the festivals of south India
Soumya Aravind Sitaraman
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Praise for the Book
Soumya Aravind Sitaraman
Soumya Sitaraman is a freelance writer and award-winning artist. She has contributed articles on Indian art, architecture, and culture to several leading magazines worldwide. She serves on the advisory committee of non-profit arts and culture oganisations in Bangalore where she lives with her husband and son...read more
Other books by Soumya Sitaraman
Published November 2007
Random House
India Limited
908 pages
Hardcover, 2 volume set in slipcase
Rs. 3500
ISBN: 978 81 8400 011 5
Genre: Non Fiction, Culture
Richly illustrated with about 1000 photographs
Turning
for tradition The
Hindu Metro City January 21, 2008
RESCUE Soumya Aravind Sitaraman’s book tells you in painstaking detail all you need to know about South Indian festivals
Soumya
says she concentrated on the South for the book as she “comes from the
South. I want to do a thorough job and for the level of detail I was
looking at I could not have done justice if I included the whole of
Rituals
defined --Deccan Herald January 21, 2008
This coffee table book is truly a detailed guide to South Indian festivals.
"How many times have you sat through a pooja and wished you were somewhere else? How many times have you performed rituals but had no clue why you were performing them? Have you had to call up your mother every time there’s a festival around the corner? If you have been through all this and more, then ‘Follow the Hindu Moon’ is an answer to your prayers!
The books are elaborate and are ideal for any urban household considering the fact that while we can find a lot of information in regional language books, this book’s simplicity is endearing.
The Wall Street Journal livemint.com
"This two-volume set has all you need to know about Hindu festivals in South India"
"For those of you who want to relive that childhood Diwali, Pongal or Onam vacation at grandmom’s, this two-volume compendium on celebrating Hindu festivals in South India, Follow the Hindu Moon, is a great pre-festival buy."
India
Today Simply
Chennai--December
'07
The book is a one stop resource for cultural etiquette
click here for the complete interview.
Marie-Claire-November
“Follow the Hindu moon”
--
Follow
the Hindu Moon by Soumya Aravind Sitaraman is a collection of pictures and
information of all the festivals of
Her
paternal grandmother acted in the first black and white Tamil talkie film
and her maternal grandmother was one of the first women pilots of
The
Hindu. Metro Plus
--Sat
10, November 2007
Know your festival
Have lost touch with the tradition? Want to know why your mother insists on drawing a rangoli every festival and tasting five flavours on New Year’s Day or for that matter the significance of turmeric Ganesha that your grandfather used to create when you were young? Help is at hand. Random House has just come up with a tome called “Follow The Hindu Moon”.
Mid-day,
“Traditionally
Yours”
Tidal
force
"Everything
has been put together with a precision that accompanies the handing over
of age-old recipes. This, with a presentation that makes it contemporary
and easy-to-approach. Photographs by Usha Kris provide the visual
reference."
The
New Indian Express: City Express 7 November, 07
For someone who has spent over a decade in the US, Follow the Hindu Moon was evidently a result of absolute passion, love and intrigue for the south Indian heritage.
"Celebration was felt in the air. It was an evening of success and love for a dream coming true. Soumya Sitaraman couldn't have looked more graceful under the octagonal roof of Kalakshetra..."
"...having realised the importance to educate the people on ebbing realities, she penned it with zeal...
'"It is the only comprehensive guide to south Indian festivals echoed the contented Meena Muthiah.."
Deccan
Chronicle 6 November 07
"The book is an all-inclusive how-to guidebook that helps understand the place of rituals in modern India and for Indians in other parts of the world..."
"Follow the Hindu Moon should be a useful guide especially for those growing up outside India."
Says Leela Samson "This is a book written with passion and grace"
Leela Samson, Director, Kalakshetra
A book
written with passion and grace by Soumya Sitaraman about the little,
yet many things that go into being a 'conscious' Indian housewife.
Conscious of the hidden vibrations that surround our families, that
appease souls gone before us, conscious of the stars that
remind us and
the moons that grace the occasion.
A
must-have for all who believe in the effectiveness of ceremony done in
the
physical, but whose
invocation is to the spirit.
“The roots that clutch”
--Dr. S.Ramaswamy, Fulbright Scholar and Fellow, Silliman College, Yale University
“What are the roots that clutch?” asks T.S. Eliot in his The Waste Land. The answer is the present volume, tome, dictionary, encyclopaedia, compendium, concordance- all in one. Life, indeed, would a “wasteland” without the awareness of one’s own roots. When roots are firmly planted in the fertile ground, the branches many wave and wander about in the winds of the world, anywhere, anyhow.
Follow the Hindu Moon is unique. For children there are stories from our Myths and Legends. For the grown-ups there is the mode and method of worship. For the devoted ladies there are the neivedyam recipes. For the philosophically inclined elders, there are the concepts of Space and Time. For the initiated specialists there is astronomy. For the cultured ladies and gentlemen, there is etiquette. For the non-Sanskrit knowing anglophiles, there is English translation. And for foreigners there is transliteration. Suffice it to say, “Here is God’s Plenty” for everyone and there are Gods and Godesses galore.
Aswathi
The Omniscient one has his own chosen instruments for
execution of His celestial will. They are necessarily blessed with
something extra, something special which will enable them to discharge
well the responsibilities delegated to them by Karma, Vaarana of direct
Divine dictate.
In
this stupendous work, all these three paths are in lavish use. I cannot
bring myself to describe it as a “practical guide.” It
is a massive tome which throws open with flourish the windows to the
festivals and such events that colour the rich Indian Panorama.
Step-by-step, the pages reveal the why and wherefore of the celebrations. Highly
significant are the pages dealing with the sacred chants, the Mantras and
shlokas.
A
work of this extensive nature has to be necessarily restricted in
selection. For practical reasons the author, herself a South Indian
Brahmin, has restricted her journey of joyous exploration to the four
South Indian States of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and
Last
but certainly not least comes the focus on the breathtaking display of
photographs enriching this mega production. Thematic
representation apart, Smt. Kris has captured the very essence of charm,
colour and decoration in the optical presentation of the objects
photographed, whether they be animate or inanimate. Many articles thus
covered are rare and exceedingly beautiful. Their placement carried out
with casual care enhances the
attractiveness of the volume. A
gifted mother and a gifted daughter, a grand combination indeed.
Soumya
has refreshed and repainted fading memories and highlighted the glory of
our ancient culture which is The author has taken us with her on this
incredible, fabulous pilgrimage becoming the meaning and joy contained
within. Through this brilliant workour priceless legacy. No
words of praise are too much for this contribution she has made. Only
one whose heart sings to the melody of joy can transfer it so meaningfully
to written expressions and at times word pictures. Her choice has happily
fallen on the timeless wonder that is
May
the blessings of the
Leela Samson, Director, Kalakshetra
A book
written with passion and grace by Soumya Sitaraman about the little,
yet many things that go into being a 'conscious' Indian housewife.
Conscious of the hidden vibrations that surround our families, that
appease souls gone before us, conscious of the stars that
remind us and
the moons that grace the occasion.
A
must-have for all who believe in the effectiveness of ceremony done in
the
physical, but whose
invocation is to the spirit.
Order Your Copy Now!
A Random House
India Publication
Soumya Aravind Sitaraman (c) 2007