4. Gajjela Puja

June 4th, 2017

Saturday June 3rd, 2027, was the day we celebrated the ten year anniversary of Portland ManaBadi. We performed some skits, did a few speeches and it turned out to be very hectic day for the family. The weekend was far from over, however. The next day, Sunday, June 4th, was to be a major milestone in my Kuchipudi journey- Gajjela puja- The prayer for the anklets!

We did not attend any Gajjela Puja events prior to it and we did not know what to expect. We have been to a couple of Rangapravesams by then, and knew that I was many years away from hitting *that* milestone, if at all. All we knew was that Gajjela Puja was a big deal moment- the day I would wear the coveted anklets to mark the beginning of my formal Kuchipudi training! 

My mom and I decided to go all out. We sent messages out to all of our closest friends and asked them to visit and bless me on this occasion. Mom got some of my dance pictures printed in post card size that doubled as a thank you card. We made some laddus for our guests. We even packed our homemade sunscreen into goodie bags. Given the amount of prep this all needed, my mom had another aunty do my hair and makeup.

Anu Aunty started off with Ganesha prayer and then directed us to do the anklet puja. All the elders gave their blessings after I formally wore the anklets, and fed me sweets! Aunty taught us a new item that day and she even showed us how to dance on brass plate for the first time. I distinctly remember my fake hair slowly beginning to slide down and eventually dropping to the ground in the middle of the ritual. My mom quickly adjusted it and I was back to enjoying my gajjalu glory. It is funny how the hair-mishap is the thing I remember most from the day!