anjali makaram 2011

Anjali January
According to the tenets
of Sanathana Dharma, Vidyarambham
is the subhara
mbham (auspicious beginning)
of life-long learning.
Since the ritual of Ezhuthiniruthu
is such a meaningful
and deeply symbolic procedure,
parents who practice
other religions also have been
fascinated by Vidyara mbham.
KHNA joined hands
with all Hindu organi zations
in the Washington DC-Metro
24 KHNA - 2011
area to celebrate Vijaya
Dashami with Vidyarambham
on Sunday, October 17th,
2010. More than 350
individuals, including about
130 children attended the
event at the beautifully decora
ted Washington Murugan
Temple (Lanham, MD).
The festivities began with
Saraswathi Puja by Brah
masri Kallampally Easwaran
Nampoothiri (Melsanthi of
Ayyappa shrine, Sri Siva
Vishnu Temple, Lanham, MD
and former Melsanthi of
Sabarimala Ayyappa temple).
The priests of Murugan Temple
and KHNA-YuVA volunteers
helped with the arrangements
for the puja. The ritual of
Ezhuthiniruthu started after the
Saraswathi puja. Children
were initiated by writing “Hari
Sri Ganapathaye Namah,
Avighnamasthu” in rice. This
was followed by writing the
mantra on their tongue with