After conducting a medical camp at an old folks home in Semenyih some time back, AVM and AUM took to the streets to conduct its Homeless Mobile Medic Assist for the very first time as part of Pothihai Tharma Chakkram's programme providing basic medical care besides distributing biscuits and drinks.
Dr Janar briefing all participants on the right ways to use a face mask and gloves besides speaking about safety and hygiene while on the streets.
Packed and ready to go
Treating a variety of cases
Giving an ear to listen to people
Serving light refreshments while the public wait to go through their examination and tests.
We had the privilege to meet the initiators of Pit Stop Community Cafe Joycelyn Lee and Andrea Tan when we dropped in on them while tending to the poor and sick on our last stop for the day.
Joycelyn Lee and Andrea Tan join us at our mobile station some distance away from their Pit Stop Community Cafe
Joycelyn Lee and Andrea Tan of the Pit Stop Community Cafe
Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal of Kallar Ashram in India invited me to the path as I explained to him that Agathiyar had wanted me to join the Siddha path in my very first Nadi reading. Almost immediately after my meeting Tavayogi at a local affiliate of his Peedham in Malaysia, a member walked up to me to enquire what was my problem. Even after refuting that I had any problems, he kept insisting that only those with problems came to the path. When I came to the path, many followers who were obviously disillusioned by the torment and misery they went through cautioned me about worshiping the Siddhas. Their worship will land me in more trouble. I would be disillusioned. They would confused me and many more statements were made. The Siddhas are known to break up families, relationships between husband and wife, father and son, mother and daughter, I was told further. I chose not to believe them for the sole reason that the divine can never do harm and should not harm its children, its very own creation.
Over the years Agathiyar has busted the wrong perception held by certain quarters based on their personal experiences. I am glad I did not heed their talk.
Agathiyar has brought many couples in matrimony the latest being the marriage of G.Bala Chandran to Rekha, both from the AVM family. Similarly Mahindran and Manimala were married some time back. Agathiyar has promised to bring together many others in marriage. My daughter's marriage was solemnized in the presence of Tavayogi and the Siddhas too.
True to the verses from a recent Murugan Jeeva Nadi where Lord Muruga and Agathiyar have promised to take birth in all the homes of AVM family members who desire to have a child we have many divine children in our midst now. The next generation is under the care and governess of the Siddhas. We need not worry about them.
Traveling this path soon we came to realize that the songs rendered by the mystics and saints were not words of fiction but actual experiences in the realm of the unseen that can only be felt and imbibed within us. We could connect with these divine melodies and the subject matter. Similarly the verses from Agathiyar Geetham are in actuality experiences on the path of the Siddhas.
Over the years we also realized that there was no hard and fast rule on this path but that it was catered or customized to our needs of the moment, our stature and standing on the spiritual path, and the surroundings and its conducive-ness for spiritual development.
Agathiyar leads us a step at a time, giving us chores, tasks and rituals to perform at times and asking us to quieten down at other moments. He monitors us including the food intake and the numerous practices given, starting them and bringing them to an end too.
Lord Muruga in a recent Jeeva Nadi has appointed Balachander Aiya as Guru for AVM. We are grateful to Tavayogi for showing us the path and to Agathiyar who led us on it, taking care that we do not divert or drop off midway.
Pothigai Meals on Wheels that was aptly named Pothigai Dharma Chakram by Agathiyar took to feeding the birds and animals in the vicinity of Batu Caves Murugan Temple last Thursday, 15 February. The team purchased captive birds and released them into their natural surrounding.
Next we heard about it mentioned in a Whatsapp group after several devotees of Agathiyar who frequent the Agathiyar sannadhi at the Sri Sakthi Karpaga Vinayagar temple in Brickfields shared their visit to the temple in Carey Island in the group.
Finally members of AVM, AUM and Agathiyar Arul Nyana Sabai took a drive in the early morning hours on Friday to the 80 year old Sri Maha Mariamman temple in the Carey Island that housed Agathiyar too. The entourage was received by the temple priest and and head of the temple. We were blessed to be given the opportunity to perform an unplanned libation or abhisegam for Lord Ganapathy and Lord Muruga besides the intended abhisegam and homam for Agathiyar. Although it was a brief puja but it was very fulfilling and satisfying one.
The annual vizha at this temple located at Division 2, North Estate, Carey Island, Selangor is scheduled to take place on 5 May 2018.
We were novices at it. None of us had any experience in writing a proper song lyric although Gowri Arumugam had penned one for her single some years ago. Both Mahin and G. Bala Chandran had written several poems and prose on the Siddhas. But that did not hinder us as we gathered at AVM to attempt to write the lyrics for composer Jey Raggaveindra's tunes.
As Gowri ran through the tunes and guided us on the possible syllable and words we could use, we ran through the library in our brain that was obviously limited in knowledge hoping to come out with some wonderful lyrics. That is all we did and the rests was given by our most compassionate father. Off course he had to provide us with the lyrics for it was he who had started us on this venture.
When Gowri dropped in at the Kallar Ashram and had the opportunity to have a Jeeva Nadi reading somewhere in August of last year, Agathiyar touching on her career asked her to take on an album, adding that she had his blessings. Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal requested she do one for Agathiyar. Gowri called me from Kallar mentioning what had transpired and asked if we could do it. Without a second thought I answered in affirmative.
Once back in Malaysia, we called for a meet with the AVM family members whom we thought could contribute ideas and their talents towards this task. Soon I placed an advert in AVM for sponsors to finance the costs of producing the album. It was taken up within a short period by several samaritans who wanted to equally help spread the fame of the Siddhas.
Gowri left for Kallar once Jey had the tune for the first track done. Sitting with Tavayogi, they both penned Karunai Vizhiyaal.
As Gowri, Mahin and I sat together to pen the rests of the songs, I requested fellow AVM family members to submit lyrics too. Many sent in their contributions. Since the tune was set first, we had to pen suitable words and lines. Bala's lyrics fell into place in Ariya Payanam.
Working with a theme for the songs, gave an organised and varied set of songs.
Gowri, Vinod, Jegan, Vinthamaray and Dr Janar joined Jey to render the songs. Then Sesatre walks into the studio and adds flavor to the songs with his twenty and more types of flutes. He contributes the alaap and konnakul too. Pangasaasanii Gowrisan joins the team with her violin. Jey has given us a wonderful arrangement that has taken us by surprise and that turned out to be more that we expected. The team has worked hard and long hours on this album not for any objective or commercial gains but to satisfy Agathiyar and Tavayogi's asking.
Through this venture, we had an opportunity to step into the world of entertainment and learn a thing or two. All these will add on to our store of knowledge and experience that we have come to gather in this birth. Throughout this making of the album we saw our divine father's hand in all things. We realised that it was all his doing and that we were merely tools that delivered his wishes.
