Grahapravesham

Grahapravesham or House Warming is a very auspicious ceremony in India. It is at once a statement of having arrived and an occasion for showing off to friends and relatives! My father and mother were justifiably proud of having constructed their own house in an upmarket suburb of Chennai or Madras City as it was known then. One reason could be that they had started out with practically nothing in the way of material possessions, once my father had quarreled with his elder brother, and walked out of their home. I remember the pride with which I showed invitees around the house, having played no mean part in facilitating its construction. I say this because my father was transferred out of Chennai, the moment the construction started and I, as the eldest son, had to shoulder all the responsibility of arranging for cement, steel, bricks and sand for construction. It was sad that we had to sell the house in five years' time, since we couldn't afford to repay the loan taken for construction. But that house, where I spent considerable part of my growing up, will remain in my memory for a long time.